Latinic

Latinic is an adjective used to describe things related to Latin, the language of ancient Rome, or to Latin influence in languages and scripts. In linguistic contexts, Latinic can refer to features inherited from Latin or to Latin-derived languages and vocabularies.

The term is formed from Latin latinus "Latin" plus the suffix -ic. Historically, some scholars used Latinic to denote the family of languages descended from Latin, though the more common term in contemporary linguistics is Romance languages. Latinic also appears in discussions of Latin-based writing systems or Latin-script alphabets.

Latinic is not a fixed taxonomic category; it is variably used to emphasize Latin ancestry or influence rather than to group languages by geography. In practice, the term is less standardized than alternatives such as Romance languages or Latinate vocabulary, and its usage can vary by author or field.

Romance languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and Romanian are Latinic in the sense of their descent from Latin; Latin words have contributed to the lexicon of many languages, yielding Latinate vocabulary. Latinic influence extends to grammar, morphology, and to the phonological adaptation of loanwords.

Because the term is not widely standardized, readers should substitute more precise terms like "Romance languages," "Latin-derived vocabulary," or "Latin scripts" depending on the context. In scholarly writing, clear specification of what is meant by Latinic—whether referring to language descent, vocabulary, or orthographic systems—helps prevent ambiguity.