Latin
lingua latīna
Rome Colosseum inscription 2.jpg
Latin inscription, in the Colosseum of Rome, Italy
Pronounce [laˈtiːna]
Country
Ethnicity Latins
Era Vulgar Latin developed into the Romance languages, 6th to 9th centuries; the formal language continued as the scholarly lingua franca of medieval Europe and Cilicia, as well as the liturgical language of the Catholic Church.
Family
Writing
Latin alphabet 
Area
Language Sites
ISO 639-1 la
ISO 639-2 lat
ISO 639-3 lat
Glottolog impe1234
lati1261
Roman Empire Trajan 117AD.png
Map indicating the greatest extent of the Roman Empire under Emperor Trajan (c. 117 AD) and the area governed by Latin speakers (dark red). Many languages other than Latin were spoken within the empire.
Romance 20c en.png
Range of the Romance languages, the modern descendants of Latin, in Europe.
Type Date Title Vernacular ID Links