incertus

Latin

Etymology

From in- (“un-”) +‎ certus.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɪŋˈkɛr.tʊs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [in̠ʲˈt͡ʃɛr.t̪us]

Adjective

incertus (feminine incerta, neuter incertum, comparative incertior, superlative incertissimus); first/second-declension adjective

uncertain, doubtful, not sure, unsure
Synonyms: dubius, suspensus, vagus, anceps

Antonyms: certus, prōmptus, indubius, fixus
- 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.110:
  [...] “Sed fātīs incerta feror, [...].”
  [Venus replies to Juno:] “But I, being subject to the fates, am uncertain [...].”
pater semper incertus est — the father is always uncertain

incertam securim — an axe not surely aimed
not knowing, doubting (said of persons)
not known, obscure (said of things)
hesitant, hesitating, irresolute, undecided

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular			plural
nominative	incertus	incerta	incertum	incertī	incertae	incerta
genitive	incertī	incertae	incertī	incertōrum	incertārum	incertōrum
dative	incertō	incertae	incertō	incertīs
accusative	incertum	incertam	incertum	incertōs	incertās	incerta
ablative	incertō	incertā	incertō	incertīs
vocative	incerte	incerta	incertum	incertī	incertae	incerta

Descendants

→ Translingual: incertae sedis

Noun

incertus m (genitive incertī); second declension

uncertainty

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	incertus	incertī
genitive	incertī	incertōrum
dative	incertō	incertīs
accusative	incertum	incertōs
ablative	incertō	incertīs
vocative	incerte	incertī

References

“incertus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“incertus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
incertus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- I am undecided..: incertus sum, quid consilii capiam
- (ambiguous) to leave a thing undecided: aliquid dubium, incertum relinquere