pugnantur

Pugnantur is a Latin verb form. It is the third-person plural present passive indicative of the first-conjugation verb pugnare, meaning to fight. In this voice, the subject is the recipient of fighting, rather than performing it.

Literal translation of pugnantur is they are fought or they are being fought. In practice, it is commonly used with an agent marked by a by-phrase, such as ab hostibus, to indicate who is fighting them (for example, pugnantur ab hostibus: they are fought by the enemies). The active counterpart is pugnant, meaning they fight.

Usage and nuances: pugnantur typically describes a situation where the subject is on the receiving end of combat or conflict. It is not used to express that the subject is actively engaging in combat; that would be the active form pugnant. The form can appear in historical or narrative texts to report ongoing conflict involving a subject rather than detailing the actor initiating the action.

Etymology and related forms: pugnantur derives from pugnare, a regular first-conjugation verb root pugn-. Other related forms include the active pugnant (present) and the various tenses of the passive voice, such as pugnantur in the present, pugnabantur in the imperfect, and pugnabuntur in the future. As with most Latin verbs, the exact meaning of pugnantur is determined by context and surrounding grammatical structures.