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As part of a(nother) assignment for my Latin class, we have to write a description of how we spend our free time. I'm trying to translate this:

After my homework is done, I like to program.

So far, I have

opere facto, fruor [programming]

But I can't find a good Latin substitute for this very, very modern concept. The Vatican doesn't have one, and the only thing I find when I search is synonyms for program in the sense of a list of things that will be happening.

How can I translate "to program" or "to code" into Latin?

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    Unum locum bonum ad quærere incipiendum est Vicipædia.
    – Ben Kovitz
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 18:42
  • You have corrected opo to ope after recalling that opus is 3rd declension. But is that really how do you decline opus?
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 19:01
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    You really ought to hold off before accepting an answer. A one point answer doesn't have the stamp of approval from the community yet, which is mostly needed to accept. What if, for example, they're wrong? Or incomplete? Check out the meta thread on why.
    – cmw ♦
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 19:54
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    Please read the linked thread. It goes without saying that you can do what you want, but there are good reasons not to accept straightaway the first answer that you think answers your question. (Note, this isn't just about this thread, it's just good practice across stacks.)
    – cmw ♦
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 19:59
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    For what it's worth, "homework" is probably more appropriately rendered pēnsum than opus. It's what a lot of Latin textbooks seem to use, and it comes from the past participle of pendere, to weigh. locutio.net/… is in French but begins: "A Latin word that described the weight of wool that a slave had to spin in a day." (The word "pensum" is also used in English—and I believe in French—to describe homework as punishment, but that sense was absent from the Latin.)
    – Joel Derfner
    Commented Feb 29, 2016 at 11:50

3 Answers 3

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For almost twenty years, the de facto standard for Latin technology vocabulary has been the Vocabula computatralia. You can and should use and peruse it for all types of programming-related vocabulary, but I'll reproduce the definitions you are looking for below.

For program, we can just take the word from which the English is derived:

program 1. subst. programma,atis n.; ~ listing textus programmatis 2. vt. programmare

Unfortunately, there's no definition for "code", but considering the word comes from codex and Vicipaedia uses codex for Semiotic code, I think it's as good as we'd get. It also has a nice, metaphorical ring to it, too.

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  • +1 for providing a source as well as the definition, and proving my point that if a better answer comes along I can move the accept.
    – anon
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 20:04
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    It seems the Vocabula Computatralia link is no longer active. I was able to locate a PDF at culturaclasica.com/lingualatina/vocabula_computatralia.pdf.
    – pglezen
    Commented Apr 6, 2018 at 19:27
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    @pglezen The link still works for me.
    – cmw ♦
    Commented Aug 27, 2020 at 13:55
  • Indeed, @C.M.Weimer, it's working for me, now, also. I'm not sure what the problem was back in 2018. But I'm glad it's back.
    – pglezen
    Commented Aug 27, 2020 at 17:36
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My dictionary translates 'to program' as programmare or programma conficere. If you find a good noun for 'code', you can also combine it with conficere. One possibility is nota, but I'm not entirely happy with it.

Regarding your sentence: If you want to use opus for homework, remember that it third declension, not second. To express enjoyment, remember that frui requires ablative, so 'I enjoy doing a thing' would be re facienda fruor. Other verbs can be used in other ways, like res facienda mihi delectat or rem facere mihi delectat. Since it is a homework assignment, I will not propose any full translation, but leave the work to you.

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    What dictionary are you using?
    – anon
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 18:53
  • @QPaysTaxes, it is a Finnish-Latin-Finnish dictionary by Reijo Pitkäranta. I typically use that or a Latin-Finnish dictionary by Adolf Streng. I don't have any dictionaries between Latin and English. If you study Latin in Finnish, you already know these books, and if not, you have probably no use for them...
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 18:59
  • Apologies, but I'm unaccepting this answer, because the other one provides a reference [that I can read]
    – anon
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 20:04
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How about encifrāre, a neologism from cifra ou cifera, Medieval Latin for Arabic sifr, "zero"? Programmers ultimately reduce things to zeros and ones and owe a debt of thanks to the Arab mathematicians for inventing nothingness!

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    I... Don't see how this answers my question. If you want to leave a comment on another post, you'll be able to do that once you have 50 reputation.
    – anon
    Commented Sep 8, 2016 at 22:35
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    I agree with @QPaysTaxes that this does not exactly answer the question. Perhaps you could edit your answer to include only the answer to the question presented at the top of this page? Asking about "open source" is a good idea, but that should be done by asking a separate question. Yes, programma is of Greek origin. (Perhaps that leads to a Greek verb for programming, like programmatizein, which could then be Latinized?) And welcome to the site! May I suggest that you take a look at our tour?
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Commented Sep 8, 2016 at 22:42
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    Welcome to the site!
    – Joel Derfner
    Commented Sep 18, 2016 at 17:22
  • Umm. Zero came to Western Europe through the Arabs, but they got it from trade with India. google.co.uk/search?q=who+invented+zero In fine, it appears to have been invented independently several times.
    – Gerard Mason
    Commented May 17, 2017 at 0:21