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Latin translation...

PostPosted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:00 pm
by Quintus Marius Primus
Salvete omnes

Excuse the subject matter, but what Latin word would you use if you wished to describe someone a "spammy"? :oops: Was there a Latin equivalent for this concept (I can't imagine there not being one!!)

Gratias ago

Valete

PostPosted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:49 pm
by Iacobulus
This is a difficult sentiment to convey in Latin. The adjective sexualis comes to mind, as in Alicaria ex parte sexuales sunt natura. ("Prostitutes, on the whole, are sexual by nature.")

However, sexualis implies that a person enjoys having sex often, or simply enojys the act. "spammy" in English implies that someone is desirable enough, through some extant quality, to have sex with.

I would say that a gerundive form of some verb used adjectivally would suffice. e.g., cupienda - Puella valde est cupienda ("The girl is very desirable.") Much like the English name "Amanda" - "loveable". However cupienda carries a much more desiderative connotation, so it is , as nearly as I can tell, the closest to the meaning of the English word "spammy". I don't think Latin can't be as direct as in English, but Latin depends a great deal on context in order to imply a transferred meaning. Such is Latin.

In Latin, there is not, to my knowledge, any noun or verb directly describing the act of sex. Other verbs and nouns are used metonymically, such as the word "coetus" - it simply means a joining together, but it does have a transferred meaning of "sexual intercourse".

There may be Late Latin words describing specifically the word sex, but nothing Classical comes to mind other than the aforementioned.[/i]