Does anyone know of the nuanced differences between the following Latin words for “fear”? Metus, timor, terror, pavor, formīdō. Here is my best attempt:
• Metus - general word (“fear, dread, apprehension”)
• Timor = metus
• Formīdō = metus
• Terror - a deeper_metus/formīdō_ (“terror, deep fright/fear, alarm”)
• Pavor - an even deeper and more widespread terror, like a “trembling”
For a question like this it might be useful to consult a dictionary of Latin synonyms. You can find a number of these and read about their differences at Latinitium.com:
https://latinitium.com/a-guide-to-dictionaries-of-latin-synonyms-how-to-tell-the-difference/
Thank you so much!
I just found an ebook of Ramshorn’s Latin Synonym Dictionary (https://archive.org/details/latin-synonyms-1839-03/page/308/mode/2up). Here’s what it says:
“Metuere, apprehending an evil, fearing, designates the apprehension of the calculating and cautious;
Timere, fearing, designates the fear of the dispirited and coward (timidus) . . .
Vereri, shunning, from fear of evil consequences, from esteem or reverence . . .
Formidare (formido, a scare-crow, an image of horror), feeling lasting and violent fear, used of fear which has risen to horror, with excited imagination . . .
Trepidare, showing anxiety, running to and fro, is used of all manifestations of sudden fear, anxiety, and apprehension:
Tremere, trembling from fear and fright, the effect of the violent passion upon the nervous system
Pavere . . . differs from tremere by the slower yet greater vacillations in the inner organs, and designates the anxiety which causes a higher pulsation of the heart, and disturbs the proper functions of the soul”.
Wow! I didn’t know synonym dictionaries could be so useful! I wonder if there is a synonym dictionary like this for Ancient Greek?
Hi, you can also check out page 5 of Cicero fully parsed, where the commentator (in the notes on line 6) distinguishes several of the fear-related substantives in your original post — your post triggered my memory of seeing that years ago:
https://archive.org/details/firstorationcic00cicegoog/page/n30/mode/2up?view=theater
Cheers, Chad
The topic is far too complex, as you’ve only really scratched the surface. You might want to check out Mackay 1961 “The Vocabulary of Fear in Latin Epic Poetry” (TAPA 92: 308-316), but if you can read Italian, Gernia 1970 L’uso di metuo, timeo, vereor, formido, paveo, e dei termini correlati nel latino arcaico e classico is the study to get. A more recent run-down, synthesizing quite a bit of scholarship, can also be found in Morrison-Moncure’s 2018 dissertation Affecting Civil War: The Poetics of Fear in Lucan’s Bellum Civile. You can also add to your list horror and vereor.
While it’s certainly a great start, one issue with the reliance on brief descriptions in dictionaries, though, is that the usage changes throughout the ages. What might be true for Lucan or Statius might not be true for Cicero (born ~150 years before Lucan was born) or Plautus (born ~150 years before Cicero was born) . As an example, formido in Cicero is more permanent, while in Lucan it’s more fleeting. You really don’t get some of these minute distinctions unless you dig into a true comparative study.
Wow, I didn’t really realize how incredibly nuanced languages can be until now! I can’t imagine being a professional translator, especially for something like the Bible or complex poetry.
The good thing is, though, that (I would assume) the more you read Latin of different periods the more natural, intuitive, nuanced grasp you have of the vocabulary, so all these different meanings for words that seem pretty much the same to us slowly become more distinctive as you see them in different contexts.