curatio

Curatio is a Latin noun that primarily denotes care, attention, administration, or management. In classical Latin, it described the act of taking care of someone or something, the supervision of persons, property, or situations, and could extend to the management of public affairs. The verb associated is curare, “to take care of,” and related words include cura (care), curator, and curatus. The English terms cure, curator, and curatorial are ultimately traced to the same Latin root.

In medical Latin, curatio refers to the act of treating a disease or the process of healing; phrases such as curatio morbi appear in historic medical writings to describe a course of therapy. In legal or ecclesiastical Latin, the noun can appear in senses related to guardianship or stewardship, again tied to the broader idea of care or oversight, though those uses are more specialized.

In modern usage, curatio is primarily of historical or linguistic interest. Contemporary English tends to use care, treatment, therapy, healing, or cure rather than curatio, while Latin-derived terms survive in specialized contexts such as medical Latin, or in the words curator, curatorial, and curative. The term also informs the English noun curation, via the same root, though its modern meaning relates to the organization and presentation of collections rather than clinical care.

Curatio thus reflects a core concept in Latin thought: care as a practical, ethical, and social act spanning the management of persons, things, and health.