English

Noun

certamen ‎(uncountable)

1. a team competition in which contestants answer questions about classical history, culture, and mythology, and the Latin language.

Latin

Etymology

From certō ‎(“struggle, contend”) +‎ -men ‎(noun-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): [kɛrˈtaːmɛn]

Noun

certāmen n ‎(genitive certāminis); third declension

1. A contest, struggle, strife.
2. A battle, engagement, combat.
   • 1st Timothy, 6:12

     certa bonum certamen

     Fight the good fight

3. An object contended for, prize.

Inflection

Third declension neuter.

Related terms

Descendants

• English: certamen
• Italian: certame
• Spanish: certamen

References

• certamen in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• certamen in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• CERTAMEN in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “certamen”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • gymnastic contests: certamina gymnica
    
  • party-strife: certamen partium
    
  • to engage in the fight: in certamen descendere
    
  • single combat: certamen singulare
    
  • to challenge some one to single combat: povocare aliquem ad certamen singulare
    

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin certāmen

Pronunciation

• (Castellano) IPA^(key): /θeɾˈta.men/
• (Latin America) IPA^(key): /seɾˈta.men/

Noun

certamen m ‎(plural certámenes)

1. competition