latae

Latae is the feminine plural nominative and accusative form of the Latin adjective lata, meaning broad, wide, or lateral. It agrees with feminine plural nouns and is used in Latin to describe features that are broad or wide. The masculine and neuter counterparts are lati and lata, respectively.

In classical Latin, latae appears in descriptive phrases where the noun it modifies is feminine and plural. For example, in anatomical or morphological descriptions, adjectives often follow the noun they describe or can appear with the noun in various orders, as long as the agreement in gender, number, and case is maintained. The form latae reflects the feminine plural and can typically be found in phrases such as wing-related or plate-related descriptions when the relevant noun is feminine and plural.

The term’s root is lata, from latus, meaning side or broad. This lineage is visible in many Latin compounds and in modern scientific Latin, where descriptive adjectives are used to characterize features of organisms or structures. In taxonomy and anatomy, latae may appear in descriptive captions or labels to indicate that multiple feminine subjects possess a wide or broad characteristic.

See also: Latin grammar; Latin adjectives; scientific Latin terminology.