passiones

Passiones is a Latin term that functions as the plural form of passio, meaning suffering, feeling, or emotion. In classical and medieval Latin, passiones referred to the affections or emotional states of the mind, and the phrase passiones animae (affections of the soul) appears in philosophical and theological contexts. The form is primarily encountered in scholarly, historical, or liturgical Latin rather than in everyday modern languages.

In philosophy and theology, passiones have long denoted the passions or affections that influence human behavior. In early modern philosophy, such as in the work of Spinoza, the term is used to discuss how bodily and mental states affect one’s power of action, often contrasted with reason or intellect. The theological tradition sometimes treats the passions in relation to moral virtue, ascetic practice, or the suffering of Christ, depending on the text.

In modern usage, contemporary Romance languages render the everyday concept with differently inflected forms: Spanish pasiones and Italian passioni (or French passions). Consequently, passiones as a current spelling is uncommon outside of Latin or specific scholarly works. When encountered, it usually signals a historical or linguistic study rather than a contemporary term.

Overall, passiones is best understood as a historical and linguistic artifact that captures the classical notion of multiple emotional or affective states, rather than as a standard term in present-day everyday language.