Meanings
plural latifundia
- in pluralA great landed estate with absentee ownership and labor often in a state of partial servitude.
His vision for the future of the African continent in the Age of the Aerotropolis seems to be as a vast latifundium sown with GM wheat.
2011, Will Self, “The frowniest spot on Earth”, in London Review of Books, XXXIII.92 more examples
The conclusive military victory of Philip V left the grandees stranded, still rich and still powerful on their latifundia, but stripped of the ‘aristocratic republicanism’ they had previously enjoyed.
2007, Tim Blanning, The Pursuit of Glory, Penguin, published 2008, page 251In addition, small farmers could not compete with wealthy Romans, who owned latifundia (la⋅tuh⋅FUHN⋅dee⋅uh), or large farming estates.
2018, Jackson J. Spielvogel, Jay McTighe, Douglas Fisher, and Dinah Zike, World History and Geography: Ancient Civilizations, page 339
Origin
- Latinlātifundium
- Englishlatifundium
From Latin lātifundium, from lātus (“wide, extensive”) + fundus (“ground, base, estate, farm”). Doublet of latifundio.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
German Latifundium
- Latifundiumgreat land estate with absentee ownership
Portuguese latifúndio
- latifúndiogreat land estate with absentee ownership
Spanish latifundio
- latifundiogreat land estate with absentee ownership
Swedish latifundium
- latifundiumgreat land estate with absentee ownership
Turkish latifundia
- latifundiagreat land estate with absentee ownership
Cite this entry
latifundium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/latifundium
“latifundium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/latifundium. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “latifundium,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/latifundium.
Source: latifundium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.