hostis

See also: hostíš

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *hostis, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis (“guest, stranger”), whence also Proto-Germanic *gastiz (English guest) and Proto-Slavic *gostь. Varro (de lingua latina 5.4) confirms this: tum eō verbō dīcēbant peregrīnum [...], nunc dīcunt eum quem tum dīcēbant perduellem. ("Back then this word meant a stranger, today it means the same as perduellis - an enemy of the state.").

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈhos.tis/, [ˈhɔs̠t̪ɪs̠]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈos.tis/, [ˈɔst̪is]

Noun

hostis m or f (genitive hostis); third declension

an enemy of the state, a hostile
Synonyms: inimīcus, perduellis
(plural only) the enemy

Declension

Third-declension noun (i-stem).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	hostis	hostēs
Genitive	hostis	hostium
Dative	hostī	hostibus
Accusative	hostem	hostēs hostīs
Ablative	hoste	hostibus
Vocative	hostis	hostēs

Derived terms

Descendants

Aromanian: oasti
Asturian: güeste
Catalan: host
Old French: ost, host
→ English: host
→ French: ost (revival of the Old French word)
→ Norman: hôt (Pays de Bray)
→ Picard: hôt
Galician: hoste
→ Irish: óstach
Italian: oste
Occitan: òst
Portuguese: hoste
Romanian: oaste
Spanish: hueste

References

“hostis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“hostis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
hostis in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
hostis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- to cut one's way (through the enemies' ranks): ferro viam facere (per confertos hostes)
- the foe is at our heels, is upon us: hostis in cervicibus alicuius est
- to try one's strength with the enemy; to try issue of battle: periculum hostis facere
- to cut off all supplies of the enemy: intercludere, prohibere hostes commeatu
- to surprise and defeat the enemy: opprimere hostes (imprudentes, incautos, inopinantes)
- to make an inroad into hostile territory: excursionem in hostium agros facere
- to offer battle to the enemy: potestatem, copiam pugnandi hostibus facere
- to provoke the enemy to battle: proelio (ad pugnam) hostes lacessere, provocare
- to not let the enemy escape: hostem e manibus non dimittere
- to march on the enemy: gradum inferre in hostem
- to attack the enemy: aggredi hostem
- to attack the enemy: invadere, impetum facere in hostem
- to attack the enemy: signa inferre in hostem
- to rush into the midst of the foe: in medios hostes se inicere
- to break through the enemy's centre: per medios hostes (mediam hostium aciem) perrumpere
- to come to close quarters: manum (us) conserere cum hoste
- to come to close quarters: signa conferre cum hoste
- to attack the enemy in the front: adversis hostibus occurrere
- to attack the enemy in the rear: aversos hostes aggredi
- to attack the enemy in the rear: hostes a tergo adoriri
- to fight a pitched, orderly battle with an enemy: iusto (opp. tumultuario) proelio confligere cum hoste (Liv. 35. 4)
- to throw oneself on the enemy with drawn sword: strictis gladiis in hostem ferri
- to fall upon the enemy's flank: in latus hostium incurrere
- to surround the enemy from the rear: circumvenire hostem aversum or a tergo (B. G. 2. 26)
- to be surrounded by the superior force of the enemy: multitudine hostium cingi
- to be a match for the enemy: parem (opp. imparem) esse hosti
- to repulse the enemy: pellere hostem
- the enemy's line is repulsed: acies hostium impellitur
- to drive the enemy from his position: loco movere, depellere, deicere hostem (B. G. 7. 51)
- to repel the attack of the enemy's cavalry: summovere or reicere hostium equites
- to repulse an attack: repellere, propulsare hostem
- to rout the enemy: prosternere, profligare hostem
- to put the enemy to flight: in fugam dare, conicere hostem
- to put the enemy to flight: fugare hostem
- to rout the enemy's forces: fundere hostium copias
- to utterly rout the enemy: caedere et fundere hostem
- to utterly rout the enemy: fundere et fugare hostem
- to drive the enemy before one: prae se agere hostem
- to run away from the enemy: terga dare hosti
- to pursue the enemy: hostes insequi, prosequi
- to follow up and harass the enemy when in flight: hostes (fusos) persequi
- to overtake the enemy: hostes assequi, consequi
- to be on the heels of the enemy: tergis hostium inhaerere
- to bring the flying enemy to a stand: fugam hostium reprimere (B. G. 3. 14)
- there was great slaughter of fugitives: magna caedes hostium fugientium facta est
- to escape from the hands of the enemy: effugere, elābi e manibus hostium
- to let the enemy escape: dimittere e manibus hostes
- to rescue some one from the hands of the enemy: eripere aliquem e manibus hostium
- to inflict a defeat on the enemy: cladem hostibus afferre, inferre
- to annihilate, cut up the enemy, an army: hostes, exercitum delere, concīdere
- to absolutely annihilate the enemy: hostes ad internecionem caedere, delere (Liv. 9. 26)
- to absolutely annihilate the enemy: hostium copias occidione occīdere (Liv. 2. 51)
- to gain a victory over the enemy: victoriam reportare ab hoste
- to throw grappling irons on board; to board: in navem (hostium) transcendere
“hostis”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
“hostis”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Portuguese

Adjective

hostis

plural of hostil