Dubitavit

Dubitavit is the Latin third-person singular perfect active indicative form of the verb dubitare, meaning to doubt or to hesitate. As a completed past action, it is commonly translated as "he doubted" or "he hesitated." The verb belongs to the first conjugation; its principal parts are dubitare, dubito, dubitavi, dubitatum, with dubitavit representing the perfect active form.

In usage, dubitavit appears in contexts expressing uncertainty, inquiry, or hesitancy. It is frequently found with indirect questions or clauses introduced by utrum or an. Common constructions include dubitavit utrum hoc factum esset (“he doubted whether this had happened”) and dubitavit an id fecisset (“he doubted whether he had done that”). The form can be complemented by subordinate clauses that convey doubt, hesitation, or consideration of alternatives.

Related terms include the noun dubitatio, meaning doubt or hesitation, and the adjective dubius, meaning doubtful. The basic action is expressed by dubitare (to doubt) or dubitatio (the act or state of doubting), while dubitatus can function as a participial form meaning “doubted” or “hesitating.” In classical Latin, dubitavit and its derivatives appear in a wide range of literary and documentary texts, reflecting the ordinary human experience of uncertainty.