Latin · Latina

About Latin

Language family

Indo-European, Italic (the ancestor of the Romance languages)

Where it's spoken

Historically the Roman world; today used liturgically, academically, and in taxonomy

Speakers

no native speakers today, though it is still actively read, written, and studied

Classical Latin was the administrative and literary language of the Roman Empire, and the spoken Vulgar Latin of its provinces gradually diverged into Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and other Romance languages after Rome's political unity broke down. It remained Europe's language of scholarship, law, and the Church for well over a thousand years afterward, which is why it still shapes so much scientific and legal vocabulary. Learning Latin roots is one of the fastest ways to unlock vocabulary across the whole Romance family, plus a surprising share of English.