Legere

Legere is a Latin verb meaning to read, and in classical usage it is primarily transitive. It belongs to the third conjugation and is built from the present stem leg- with standard endings. The principal parts are lego, legere, legi, lectus, from which other forms are derived, including the past participle lectus and the present active infinitive legere.

In the present active indicative the forms are legō, legis, legit, legimus, legitis, legunt. The present infinitive is legere, the perfect active legi, and the supine lectus. The present passive is legor, legeris, legitur, legimur, legimini, leguntur. A present active participle is legēns, “reading,” and a past participle is lectus, “read” or, as a standalone word, bed in some contexts.

Usage notes: legere is used with a direct object to express the act of reading, as in legere libros “to read books.” It also appears in literary and scholastic phrases such as legere orationem (to read/recite a speech) and in the noun lectio, meaning a reading or lesson. The participial form legēns is common for descriptive phrases like “the reading man.” The past participle lectus forms the basis of several passive constructions.

Etymology and influence: legere derives from Proto-Italic roots related to reading and gathering. The verb has contributed to Latin-derived terms such as lectio (a reading, lesson) and lectus (having been read), and to English derivatives including legible and lecture (via lectio). The form and usage of legere informed Latin narrative and rhetorical prose across antiquity.