Pelluntur

Pelluntur is a Latin verb form that marks the third-person plural present passive indicative of the verb pello, pellere, pepulī, pulsus. In English translations it is commonly rendered as “they are driven” or “they are pushed.” The form occurs in classical Latin and appears in texts describing movement, force, or expulsion affecting multiple subjects.

Morphology and usage: In the present passive, the ending -untur indicates third-person plural. The corresponding active form is pellunt (“they drive”). The singular present passive forms are pellitur (“he is driven”) and pelluntur. Latin tenses other than the present passive use different endings (e.g., imperfect pellēbantur, future pellentur). The passive voice conveys action done to the subject, typically with an agent expressed by a by-phrase with a/ab (for example, ab militibus, by the soldiers).

Examples and translation: Pelluntur occurs in contexts of military action, flight, or opposition. Translations include: Hostes pelluntur a legione (“The enemies are driven back by the legion”) and Socii pelluntur timore (“The allies are driven by fear” or more naturally, “The allies are driven away by fear”). As a textbook example, pelluntur helps illustrate passive morphology and the interaction of agent phrases with passive verbs.

Etymology and related forms: The form derives from the Latin verb pello, meaning “to push, drive, repel.” It shares a common root with other Latin derivatives and with the English prefix expel (via the same root). The perfect passive participle of pello is pulsus, which appears in compounds and in passive constructions such as pulsus sum (“I have been driven”). Pelluntur thus exemplifies the present passive paradigm derived from a motion- and force-centered verb.