Agency Dictionary
spes
nounPronunciation: /speɪz/
In Portuguese: spes
Spirituality & Myth
History & CivilizationsWhat does “spes” mean?
The classical Latin noun and personified Roman goddess representing hope, anticipation of good fortune, and enduring optimism.
Etymology
Spes is a Latin noun of the fifth declension meaning "hope" and "expectation". It is inherited within the Italic languages and is traced to a root with the sense of prospering or succeeding. The Romans also gave the name to the personified goddess of hope. In English the word is not naturalised: it appears as a Latin term, in mottoes and in writing about Roman religion.
Usage note
As a foreign word it is usually set in italics, with a capital letter when it names the goddess. It is a single syllable in Latin, with a long e.
Word family
- despair
- desperate
- prosper
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
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