Latin
Lat·in / ˈlatn/ • n. 1. the language of ancient Rome and its empire, widely used historically as a language of scholarship and administration.2. a native or inhabitant of a country whose language developed from Latin, esp. a Latin American. ∎ music of a kind originating in Latin America, characterized by dance rhythms and extensive use of indigenous percussive instruments.• adj. of, relating to, or in the Latin language: Latin poetry. ∎ of or relating to the countries or peoples using languages, esp. Spanish, that developed from Latin. ∎ of, relating to, or characteristic of Latin American music or dance: snapping his fingers to a Latin beat. ∎ of or relating to the Western or Roman Catholic Church (as historically using Latin for its rites): the Latin patriarch of Antioch. ∎ hist. of or relating to ancient Latium or its inhabitants.DERIVATIVES: Lat·in·ism / -ˌizəm/ n. Lat·in·ist / -ist/ n.
