parum

Latin

Etymology

Adverbial accusative of parvus. Doublet of parvum.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈpa.rum/, [ˈpärʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpa.rum/, [ˈpäːrum]

Adverb

parum (comparative minus, superlative minimē)

1. very little

   parum est ― It/that is not sufficient

   • Seneca Iunior, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium :

     Nōn quī parum habet, sed quī plūs cupit, pauper est

     Not who has little, but who wants more, is poor

2. insufficient, not enough, too little

   Antonym: satis

Derived terms

• parumper

References

• “parum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “parum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• parum in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2025), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• parum in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• parum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the matter progresses favourably, succeeds: aliquid (bene, prospere) succedit or procedit (opp. parum procedere, non succedere)
    
  • good Latin: sermo latinus (opp. sermo parum latinus) (cf. sect. VII. 2., note For the use of adverbs...)
    
  • to unable to find a suitable expression: verbo parum valere (Tusc. 3. 5. 11)