amavisse

Amavisse is the perfect active infinitive of the Latin verb amare, meaning “to have loved” or “having loved.” It is formed from the third principal part amavi plus the suffix -sse, yielding amavisse. As an infinitive, it is invariable for person and number and is used within subordinate clauses or periphrastic constructions.

Usage and function: The perfect active infinitive is principally employed in indirect discourse (oratio obliqua) and in other contexts that require an infinitive to refer to a past action relative to the main verb’s time. In indirect statements, its tense signals that the action occurred prior to the time of the main verb. For example, with a past main verb: Dixit te amavisse means “He said that you had loved.” With a present main verb: Scio te amavisse can be rendered as “I know that you have loved” (or “that you had loved,” depending on nuance). The form is not used to express future action; for that purpose Latin uses other infinitives or periphrastic constructions (such as amaturus esse).

Relation to other forms: Amare provides the present active infinitive (amare) and the future active infinitive (amaturus esse), while amavisse covers completed action in the past. There is no passive counterpart of amavisse; passive meanings are conveyed with other infinitives such as amari or amatus esse in appropriate contexts.

See also: amare, amatus, perfect active infinitive.