tradimus

Tradimus is a Latin verb form meaning “we hand over” or “we deliver,” from the verb tradere, which encompasses meanings such as to hand over, entrust, deliver, or surrender. The form tradimus is the first-person plural present indicative active and appears in classical Latin texts to indicate the subject performing the action.

Tradere is a third-conjugation verb; its principal parts are tradō, trādere, trādidī, trāditum. Tradimus, as the present indicative, denotes an action occurring in the present. The verb belongs to a family whose derivatives include traditio, a noun meaning the act of handing down or delivery, and traditus, the perfect passive participle meaning delivered or handed over. These derivatives form the basis for related terms in many languages, including the English word tradition, which traces back to the sense of handing down.

In usage, tradere covers a range of contexts, from transferring property or title to surrendering a city or delivering orders or messages. The semantic field can extend metaphorically to transfer of duties, authority, or knowledge, which underpins the broader concept of tradition—an ongoing handing down of practices and beliefs from one generation to the next.

Today, tradimus is primarily encountered in Latin grammars, dictionaries, and scholarly works focused on classical language. It serves as an example of Latin verb morphology and the broader tradere family, rather than as a term in contemporary everyday vocabulary.