passus

Passus is a Latin noun with two primary senses that are historically related through the idea of distance covered by movement or suffering endured. In everyday Latin, passus (masculine, fourth declension) can mean a step or pace, the amount of ground covered in a single stride. It is closely connected to the verb patior, meaning to suffer or endure, from which the participle passus is formed.

As a unit of measurement, passus refers to a standard pace used in ancient Roman measurement. A passus is about the length of two steps and is commonly estimated at roughly 1.48 meters. In the Roman system, a mille passūs, or one thousand passūs, corresponds to a Roman mile, about 1.48 kilometers, though exact figures varied with foot length and historical sources. The term appears in classical Latin texts to describe distances walked or measured over land.

In Christian and medieval Latin, passus often appears in contexts referring to suffering. The related noun passio or the phrase passus Domini denotes the Passion of Christ—the suffering and crucifixion—but passus itself can function as a participial form of patior, meaning “having suffered.” This usage contrasts with passus as a physical unit, yet the root idea of movement and endurance underpins both senses.

Overall, passus serves as both a concrete measurement in Roman geography and a linguistic root tied to endurance and suffering in Latin.