putare

Putare is a Latin verb of the first conjugation meaning to think, consider, judge, reckon, or suppose; to estimate or deem. It is used with a range of objects and constructions, often conveying opinion about a proposition, a person, or a situation. The basic senses center on mental activity—to form an opinion, to regard something as true, or to assign a value to something.

In usage, putare can take an accusative object with an accompanying phrase or clause, or it can introduce an indirect statement with an accusative subject and an infinitive. A common classical example is Puto illum venire, literally “I think that he is coming.” The verb also forms compound verbs with prefixes to express related ideas, such as disputare (to discuss or debate) and reputare (to reflect again or reckon; to regard). The sense of putting a value on something extends to reckonings or calculations in a figurative or practical sense.

Derivatives and related terms reflect the same root. Putativus, from putare, means putative or supposed; reputable forms include reputatio or reputare, which give English derivatives such as putative and reputation. The verb participates in the broader family of Latin words built around judgment, estimation, and opinion, and it appears frequently in Classical Latin prose and rhetoric.

Etymologically, putare stems from the Latin core put-, linked to ideas of thinking and judging; it has given rise to several common Romance derivatives and to English words such as putative and reputation.