facio

From Proto-Italic *fakiō, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”), possibly through a later intermediate root *dʰh₁-k-yé/ó-. Cognates include Ancient Greek τίθημι (títhēmi), Sanskrit दधाति (dádhāti), Old English dōn (English do) and Lithuanian dėti (“to put”).

The passive voice is suppletively provided by the unrelated verb fīō (“I become, I am made”).

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈfa.ki.oː/
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈfa.t͡ʃi.o/, [ˈfaː.t͡ʃi.o]

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

faciō (present infinitive facere, perfect active fēcī, supine factum); third conjugation iō-variant, irregular passive voice

1. I do

   Quid feci?

   What have I done?

   Latrocinium modo factum est. (special usage; passive perfect = took place, lit. has been made/ is done)

   A robbery just took place.

   Factum est.

   (It) is done.

   • 63 BCE, Cicero, Catiline Orations (Latin text and English translations here)

     Quam diu quisquam erit qui te defendere audeat, vives, et vives ita ut nunc vivis, multis meis et firmis praesidiis obsessus ne commovere te contra rem publicam possis. Multorum te etiam oculi et aures non sentientem, sicut adhuc fecerunt, speculabuntur atque custodient.

     As long as one person exists who can dare to defend you, you shall live; but you shall live as you do now, surrounded by my many and trusty guards, so that you shall not be able to stir one finger against the republic: many eyes and ears shall still observe and watch you, as they have hitherto done, though you shall not perceive them.

2. I make, construct, fashion, frame, build, erect
3. I make, produce, compose.
   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Genesis.1.3:

     dixitque Deus fiat lux et facta est lux

     And God said: Be light made. And light was made.

4. I appoint.

Further forms include: faxo, faxint

• facio in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• facio in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• facio in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• facio in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to light, make a fire: ignem facere, accendere
    
  • to cut one's way (through the enemies' ranks): ferro viam facere (per confertos hostes)
    
  • (1) to take a journey, (2) to make, lay down a road (rare): iter facere
    
  • to travel together: una iter facere
    
  • to take a step: gradum facere
    
  • to put an end to one's life: vitae finem facere
    
  • to perform the last rites for a person: iusta facere, solvere alicui
    
  • to carry out the funeral obsequies: funus alicui facere, ducere (Cluent. 9. 28)
    
  • to commence a thing: initium facere, ducere, sumere (alicuius rei)
    
  • to finish, complete, fulfil, accomplish a thing: finem facere alicuius rei
    
  • what am I to do with this fellow: quid huic homini (also hoc homine) faciam?
    
  • to give a man the opportunity of doing a thing: potestatem, copiam alicui dare, facere with Gen. gerund.
    
  • to run a risk; to tempt Providence: fortunam periclitari (periculum facere)
    
  • to make trial of; to risk: periculum facere alicuius rei
    
  • to try one's strength with the enemy; to try issue of battle: periculum hostis facere
    
  • to raise a man from poverty to wealth: aliquem ex paupere divitem facere
    
  • to suffer loss, harm, damage.[2: damnum (opp. lucrum) facere
    
  • to suffer loss, harm, damage: detrimentum capere, accipere, facere
    
  • to throw away, sacrifice: iacturam alicuius rei facere
    
  • to do any one a (great) favour: gratum (gratissimum) alicui facere
    
  • to carry out order: iussa (usually only in plur.), imperata facere
    
  • to form a friendship with any one: amicitiam cum aliquo jungere, facere, inire, contrahere
    
  • you were right in...; you did right to..: recte, bene fecisti quod...
    
  • to inform a person: certiorem facere aliquem (alicuius rei or de aliqua re)
    
  • to mention a thing: mentionem facere alicuius rei or de aliqua re
    
  • to damage a person's character, bring him into bad odour: infamem facere aliquem
    
  • to do work (especially agricultural): opus facere (De Senect. 7. 24)
    
  • to infer by comparison, judge one thing by another: coniecturam alicuius rei facere or capere ex aliqua re
    
  • to judge others by oneself: de se (ex se de aliis) coniecturam facere
    
  • I put myself at your disposal as regards advice: consilii mei copiam facio tibi
    
  • to retard, delay a thing: moram alicui rei afferre, inferre, facere
    
  • to do a thing which is not one's vocation, which goes against the grain: adversante et repugnante natura or invitā Minervā (ut aiunt) aliquid facere (Off. 1. 31. 110)
    
  • to make progress in a subject: in aliqua re progressus facere, proficere, progredi
    
  • to demonstrate, make a thing clear: aliquid planum facere (Ad Herenn. 2. 5)
    
  • to criticise: iudicium facere
    
  • to write poetry: poema condere, facere, componere
    
  • to write poetry: versus facere, scribere
    
  • to compose, put to music: modos facere
    
  • to make a marble statue: simulacrum e marmore facere
    
  • to elicit loud applause: clamores (coronae) facere, excitare
    
  • to give public games in honour of Jupiter: ludos facere, edere (Iovi)
    
  • to address a meeting of the people: verba facere apud populum, in contione
    
  • to begin to speak: initium dicendi facere
    
  • to cease speaking: finem dicendi facere
    
  • to obtain a hearing: audientiam sibi (orationi) facere
    
  • to introduce a person (into a dialogue) discoursing on..: aliquem disputantem facere, inducere, fingere (est aliquid apud aliquem disputans)
    
  • to go deeply into a matter, discuss it fully: multa verba facere
    
  • to not say a word: nullum (omnino) verbum facere
    
  • to say not a syllable about a person: ne verbum (without unum) quidem de aliquo facere
    
  • to speak on a subject: verba facere (de aliqua re, apud aliquem)
    
  • to invent, form words: verba parere, fingere, facere
    
  • to cause a person pain: dolorem alicui facere, afferre, commovere
    
  • to succeed in encouraging a person: animum facere, addere alicui
    
  • to inspire any one with hope: spem alicui facere, afferre, inicere
    
  • to cause oneself to be expected: exspectationem sui facere, commovere
    
  • to make some one believe a thing: fidem alicuius rei facere alicui
    
  • to make a thing credible: fidem facere, afferre alicui rei (opp. demere, de-, abrogare fidem)
    
  • to be security for some one: sponsionem facere, sponsorem esse pro aliquo
    
  • to commit crime: scelus facere, committere
    
  • to do a criminal deed: facinus facere, committere
    
  • to wrong a person: iniuriam inferre, facere alicui
    
  • to use violence against some one: vim adhibere, facere alicui
    
  • to waylay a person: insidias alicui parare, facere, struere, instruere, tendere
    
  • to do one's duty: officium suum facere, servare, colere, tueri, exsequi, praestare
    
  • to set a limit to a thing: modum facere, statuere, constituere alicui rei or alicuius rei
    
  • to commit perjury, perjure oneself: periurium facere; peierare
    
  • to pray: preces facere
    
  • to make a vow: vota facere, nuncupare, suscipere, concipere
    
  • to sacrifice: sacra, sacrificium facere (ἱερὰ ῥέζειν), sacrificare
    
  • to sacrifice: rem divinam facere (dis)
    
  • to hold a lectisternium: lectisternium facere, habere (Liv. 22. 1. 18)
    
  • to spend money on an object: sumptum facere, insumere in aliquid
    
  • to become a friend and guest of a person: hospitium cum aliquo facere, (con-)iungere
    
  • to associate with some one: societatem inire, facere cum aliquo
    
  • to give audience to some one: sui potestatem facere, praebere alicui
    
  • to give audience to some one: colloquendi copiam facere, dare
    
  • to separate from, divorce (of the man): divortium facere cum uxore
    
  • to make a will: testamentum facere, conscribere
    
  • to annul, revoke a will: testamentum irritum facere, rumpere
    
  • to appoint some one as heir in one's will: aliquem heredem testamento scribere, facere
    
  • to be engaged in commerce, wholesale business: mercaturam facere
    
  • to make money: quaestum facere (Fam. 15. 14)
    
  • to have a large income from a thing (e.g. from mines): magnas pecunias ex aliqua re (e.g. ex metallis) facere
    
  • to transfer a debt: versuram facere (Att. 5. 21. 12)
    
  • to be a banker: argentariam facere (Verr. 5. 59. 155)
    
  • to book a debt: nomina facere or in tabulas referre
    
  • to do something after careful calculation: inita subductaque ratione aliquid facere
    
  • to compute the total of anything: summam facere alicuius rei
    
  • to make profit out of a thing: lucrum facere (opp. damnum facere) ex aliqua re
    
  • to incur debts: aes alienum (always in sing.) facere, contrahere
    
  • to build a tower: turrim excitare, erigere, facere
    
  • to build a bridge over a river: pontem facere in flumine
    
  • to look after the sowing: sementem facere (B. G. 1. 3. 1)
    
  • as you sow, so will you reap: ut sementem feceris, ita metes (proverb.) (De Or. 2. 65)
    
  • to reap: messem facere
    
  • to rear stock: rem pecuariam facere, exercere (cf. Varr R. R. 2. 1)
    
  • to make laws (of a legislator): leges scribere, facere, condere, constituere (not dare)
    
  • to take some one's side: cum aliquo facere (Sull. 13. 36)
    
  • to be guilty of high treason: contra rem publicam facere
    
  • to cause a rebellion: seditionem facere, concitare
    
  • to form a conspiracy: coniurationem facere (Catil. 2. 4. 6)
    
  • to embezzle money: peculatum facere (Rab. Perd. 3. 8)
    
  • to take the vote (by division): discessionem facere (Sest. 34. 74)
    
  • to go unpunished: impune fecisse, tulisse aliquid
    
  • to serve: stipendia facere, merere
    
  • to cause a war: bellum facere, movere, excitare
    
  • to commence hostilities: bellum incipere, belli initium facere (B. G. 7. 1. 5)
    
  • to put an end to war: belli finem facere, bellum finire
    
  • to march: iter facere
    
  • to raise a rampart, earthwork: vallum iacere, exstruere, facere
    
  • to make an inroad into hostile territory: excursionem in hostium agros facere
    
  • to raise siege-works: opera facere
    
  • to make a sally, sortie from the town: eruptionem facere ex oppido
    
  • to make a sally, sortie from the town: crebras ex oppido excursiones facere (B. G. 2. 30)
    
  • to break into the town: in oppidum irruptionem facere
    
  • to offer battle to the enemy: potestatem, copiam pugnandi hostibus facere
    
  • to accept battle: potestatem sui facere (alicui) (cf. sect. XII. 9, note audientia...)
    
  • to give battle: proelium facere
    
  • to give battle with a cavalry-division: proelium equestre facere
    
  • to fight successfully: proelium facere secundum
    
  • to attack the enemy: invadere, impetum facere in hostem
    
  • to form a square: orbem facere (Sall. Iug. 97. 5)
    
  • to draw up troops in a wedge-formation: cuneum facere (Liv. 22. 47)
    
  • to form a phalanx: phalangem facere (B. G. 1. 24)
    
  • (1) to put to flight, (2) to take to flight: fugam facere (Sall. Iug. 53)
    
  • to massacre: stragem edere, facere
    
  • to make a truce: indutias facere (Phil. 8. 7)
    
  • to make peace with some one: pacem facere cum aliquo
    
  • to conclude a treaty with some one: pactionem facere cum aliquo (Sall. Iug. 40)
    
  • to conclude a treaty, an alliance: foedus facere (cum aliquo), icere, ferire
    
  • to reduce a country to subjection to oneself: terram suae dicionis facere
    
  • to build a ship, a fleet: navem, classem aedificare, facere, efficere, instituere
    
  • to set the sails: vela facere, pandere
    
  • to be shipwrecked: naufragium facere
    
  • to land, disembark: escensionem facere (of troops)
    
  • to fight a battle at sea: pugnam navalem facere
    
  • to sum up..: ut eorum, quae dixi, summam faciam
    
  • (ambiguous) to meet some one by chance: obvium or obviam esse, obviam fieri
    
  • (ambiguous) to have become independent, be no longer a minor: sui iuris factum esse
    
  • (ambiguous) he feels better: melius ei factum est
    
  • (ambiguous) what will become of him: quid illo fiet?
    
  • (ambiguous) to become known, become a topic of common conversation (used of things): foras efferri, palam fieri, percrebrescere, divulgari, in medium proferri, exire, emanare
    
  • (ambiguous) to be the talk of the town, a scandal: fabulam fieri
    
  • (ambiguous) to become famous, distinguish oneself: clarum fieri, nobilitari, illustrari (not the post-classical clarescere or inclarescere
    
  • (ambiguous) to be born for a thing, endowed by nature for it: natum, factum esse ad aliquid (faciendum)
    
  • (ambiguous) a work of art: artis opus; opus arte factum or perfectum
    
  • (ambiguous) a master-piece of classical work: opus summo artificio[TR1] factum
    
  • (ambiguous) to be a born orator: natum, factum esse ad dicendum
    
  • (ambiguous) what will become of me: quid (de) me fiet? (Ter. Heaut. 4. 3. 37)
    
  • (ambiguous) to have to pay a vow; to obtain one's wish: voti damnari, compotem fieri
    
  • (ambiguous) what is going on? how are you getting on: quid agitur? quid fit?
    
  • (ambiguous) as usually happens: ut fit, ita ut fit, ut fere fit
    
  • (ambiguous) as usually happens: ut solet, ut fieri solet
    
  • (ambiguous) silver plate: argentum (factum) (Verr. 5. 25. 63)
    
  • (ambiguous) the rate of interest has gone up from 4 per cent to 8 per cent: fenus ex triente Id. Quint. factum erat bessibus (Att. 4. 15. 7)
    
  • (ambiguous) the price of corn is going down: annona laxatur, levatur, vilior fit
    
  • (ambiguous) what is your opinion: quid de ea re fieri placet?
    
  • (ambiguous) a resolution of the senate (not opposed by a tribunicial veto) was made: senatus consultum fit (Att. 2. 24. 3)
    
  • (ambiguous) some one is accused: aliquis reus fit (Fam. 13. 54)
    
• Wheelock's Latin, Wheelock, F.M. (6th ed., 2005). (Cited for abbreviation of singular imperative form; p. 51.) HarperCollins, N.Y.