latuerat

Latuerat is a Latin verb form that denotes the pluperfect (past perfect) tense in the active voice. It is the third person singular form, used with the verb latēre, meaning to lie hidden or to be concealed. The pluperfect stem is latuer-, and the standard endings for the pluperfect active indicative are -am, -ās, -at, -āmus, -ātis, -ant, giving latueram, latuerās, latuerat, latuerāmus, latuerātis, latuerant. Therefore latuerat specifically means “he/she/it had lain hidden.”

Usage and nuance: Latuerat expresses an action that had already occurred before another past event or moment in narration. It is common in classical Latin prose and poetry, especially in historical or dramatic contexts where the sequence of past events is being described. It is distinct from the perfect form latuit, which simply means “he/she/it lay hidden” without signaling a prior past relationship to another event.

Example: Hostēs in silvā latuerant. Translation: The enemy had lain hidden in the forest.

Form and related forms: The verb latēre appears in various tenses and moods, with latuit as the simple perfect and latuerant as the third person plural pluperfect. Other pluperfect forms follow the same latuer- stem pattern: latueram, latuerās, latuerat, latuerāmus, latuerātis, latuerant.

Notes: Latuerat is primarily encountered in literary and historical Latin. It is useful for establishing the temporal sequence of past actions and for expressing concealment or hidden states that preceded later events.