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hostes

Hostes is the Latin plural form of hostis, meaning "enemies." In Classical Latin usage, hostēs referred to individuals or groups opposed to one’s own side in war or political conflict, including foreign powers, rival factions within Rome, or domestic traitors. The term carried both a practical and a moral dimension, since an enemy could be designated as such in legal and military contexts and subjected to appropriate measures.

In Roman literature and historiography, hostēs appears widely to denote adversaries in warfare, politics, or diplomacy.

The concept has influenced later thought in international law. The Latin expression hostis humani generis, meaning

Etymology remains uncertain; hostis may have originated from an earlier sense related to a guest or stranger,

Phrases
such
as
hostis
belli
(an
enemy
of
war)
and
hostis
publicus
(a
public
enemy
or
outlaw)
reflect
the
social
and
legal
implications
of
the
term.
The
notion
could
extend
to
enemies
of
the
state,
of
the
people,
or
of
Rome’s
allies,
depending
on
the
context.
"enemy
of
all
mankind,"
was
used
by
early
modern
jurists,
and
is
often
associated
with
Grotius
and
the
development
of
ideas
about
universal
hazards
such
as
piracy.
This
usage
framed
certain
aggressors
as
offenses
against
all
humanity,
beyond
the
ordinary
rules
of
national
sovereignty.
evolving
over
time
to
denote
an
opponent.
As
a
linguistic
term,
hostēs
continues
to
appear
in
Latin
texts
and
scholarship
as
the
standard
designation
for
enemies
within
ancient,
medieval,
and
early
modern
contexts.