poto

See also: potò and pǫ̂to

Chichewa

Etymology

Borrowed from English pot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpo.to/

Noun

poto class 5 (plural mapoto class 6)

1. pot

Eastern Bontoc

Noun

poto

1. (anatomy) abdomen
2. (anatomy) stomach

   Synonym: fowang

Esperanto

Etymology

From German Pott and English pot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpoto/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oto
• Syllabification: po‧to

Noun

poto (accusative singular poton, plural potoj, accusative plural potojn)

1. pot (vessel)

Derived terms

• florpoto (“flowerpot”)
• kuirpoto (“cooking pot”)

Further reading

• “poto”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN
• “poto”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

French

Noun

poto m (plural potos)

1. (slang) informal spelling of poteau (“dude, buddy”)

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French poteau.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poto/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

poto

1. pillar, post, pole

Derived terms

• poto mitan

References

• Targète, Jean; Urciolo, Raphael (1993), Haitian Creole-English Dictionary‎^[1], Dunwoody Press, →ISBN, page 153

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpot̪o]

Noun

poto (plural poto-poto)

1. nonstandard spelling of foto (“photo”)

Italian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin pōtus, from Proto-Italic *pōtos, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₃tós (“(having been) drunk; having drunk”), derived from the root *peh₃- (“to drink”).
Cognate with Greek ποτό (potó, “drink, beverage”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔ.to/
• Rhymes: -ɔto
• Hyphenation: pò‧to

Noun

poto m (plural poti) (literary, obsolete)

1. beverage, drink

   Synonyms: bevanda, (literary, rare) poculo

2. (uncountable) the act of drinking

   Synonym: bere

Related terms

• potabile
• potare
• pozione

Further reading

• “poto”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpo.to/
• Rhymes: -oto
• Hyphenation: pó‧to

Verb

poto

1. first-person singular present indicative of potare (“to prune”)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔ.to/
• Rhymes: -ɔto
• Hyphenation: pò‧to

Verb

poto

1. first-person singular present indicative of potare (“to drink”)

Anagrams

• opto, opto-, optò, topo, topo-

Kari'na

Alternative forms

• apoto (Guyana, Venezuela, West Suriname)

Etymology

From Proto-Cariban *apoto; compare Yabarana tapotoi, Ye'kwana ajo'jo.

Pronunciation

• (East Suriname) IPA^(key): [poʔto]

Noun

poto (possessed potory, plural potonon) (East Suriname)

1. bigness, largeness
2. greatness, importance

References

• Courtz, Hendrik (2008), A Carib grammar and dictionary‎^[2], Toronto: Magoria Books, →ISBN, page 351
• Ahlbrinck, Willem (1931), “poto”, in Encyclopaedie der Karaïben, Amsterdam: Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen, page 387; republished as Willem Ahlbrinck, Doude van Herwijnen, transl., L'Encyclopédie des Caraïbes‎^[3], Paris, 1956, page 378

Latin

Etymology

From pōtus +‎ -ō. Cognate with Old Church Slavonic пити (piti), Ancient Greek πῑ́νω (pī́nō), Sanskrit पिबति (píbati). Compare the noun pōtus (“drink”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈpoː.toː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈpɔː.to]

Verb

pōtō (present infinitive pōtāre, perfect active pōtāvī, supine pōtum or pōtātum); first conjugation

1. to drink

   Synonym: bibō

   • c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 3.327–330:

     Inde, ubi quarta sitim caeli collegerit hora,
     Et cantu quaerulae rumpent arbusta cicadae,
     Ad puteos aut alta greges ad stagna jubebo
     currentem ilignis potare canalibus undam;
     […]

     • Translation by James B. Greenough, 1900

       When heaven's fourth hour draws on the thickening drought,
       And shrill cicalas pierce the brake with song,
       Then at the well-springs bid them, or deep pools,
       From troughs of holm-oak quaff the running wave:
       […]

Conjugation

   Conjugation of pōtō (first conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	pōtō		pōtās		pōtat		pōtāmus		pōtātis		pōtant
	imperfect	pōtābam		pōtābās		pōtābat		pōtābāmus		pōtābātis		pōtābant
	future	pōtābō		pōtābis		pōtābit		pōtābimus		pōtābitis		pōtābunt
	perfect	pōtāvī		pōtāvistī, pōtāstī2		pōtāvit, pōtāt2		pōtāvimus, pōtāmus2		pōtāvistis, pōtāstis2		pōtāvērunt, pōtārunt, pōtāvēre2
	pluperfect	pōtāveram, pōtāram2		pōtāverās, pōtārās2		pōtāverat, pōtārat2		pōtāverāmus, pōtārāmus2		pōtāverātis, pōtārātis2		pōtāverant, pōtārant2
	future perfect	pōtāverō, pōtārō2		pōtāveris, pōtāris2		pōtāverit, pōtārit2		pōtāverimus, pōtārimus2		pōtāveritis, pōtāritis2		pōtāverint, pōtārint2
passive	present	pōtor		pōtāris, pōtāre		pōtātur		pōtāmur		pōtāminī		pōtantur
	imperfect	pōtābar		pōtābāris, pōtābāre		pōtābātur		pōtābāmur		pōtābāminī		pōtābantur
	future	pōtābor		pōtāberis, pōtābere		pōtābitur		pōtābimur		pōtābiminī		pōtābuntur
	perfect	pōtus or pōtātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	pōtus or pōtātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	pōtus or pōtātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	pōtem		pōtēs		pōtet		pōtēmus		pōtētis		pōtent
	imperfect	pōtārem		pōtārēs		pōtāret		pōtārēmus		pōtārētis		pōtārent
	perfect	pōtāverim, pōtārim2		pōtāverīs, pōtārīs2		pōtāverit, pōtārit2		pōtāverīmus, pōtārīmus2		pōtāverītis, pōtārītis2		pōtāverint, pōtārint2
	pluperfect	pōtāvissem, pōtāssem2		pōtāvissēs, pōtāssēs2		pōtāvisset, pōtāsset2		pōtāvissēmus, pōtāssēmus2		pōtāvissētis, pōtāssētis2		pōtāvissent, pōtāssent2
passive	present	pōter		pōtēris, pōtēre		pōtētur		pōtēmur		pōtēminī		pōtentur
	imperfect	pōtārer		pōtārēris, pōtārēre		pōtārētur		pōtārēmur		pōtārēminī		pōtārentur
	perfect	pōtus or pōtātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	pōtus or pōtātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		pōtā		—		—		pōtāte		—
	future	—		pōtātō		pōtātō		—		pōtātōte		pōtantō
passive	present	—		pōtāre		—		—		pōtāminī		—
	future	—		pōtātor		pōtātor		—		—		pōtantor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		pōtāre			pōtārī, pōtārier1			pōtāns			—
future		pōtūrum esse, pōtātūrum esse			pōtum īrī, pōtātum īrī			pōtūrus, pōtātūrus			pōtandus
perfect		pōtāvisse, pōtāsse2			pōtum esse, pōtātum esse			—			pōtus, pōtātus
future perfect		—			pōtum fore, pōtātum fore			—			—
perfect potential		pōtūrum fuisse, pōtātūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		pōtandī		pōtandō		pōtandum		pōtandō		pōtum, pōtātum		pōtū, pōtātū

¹The present passive infinitive in -ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.
²At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.

Derived terms

• ēpōtō
• perpōtō
• pōsca
• pōtābilis
• pōtio
• pōtus

Related terms

• pōtor

Descendants

• Piedmontese: poé
• → Italian: potare
• → Spanish: potar

References

• “poto”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “poto”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[4], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to drink to excess; to be a drunkard: potare
    
• poto in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[5], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Rapa Nui

Adjective

poto

1. short

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpoto/ [ˈpo.t̪o]

• Audio (Peru):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oto
• Syllabification: po‧to

Etymology 1

From Mapudungun poto (“bottom, underside”), from Quechua putu (“vessel”), from Mochica potos (“genitals”).

Noun

poto m (plural potos)

1. (Peru, Chile) buttocks; butt

   Synonyms: nalga, pompa, culo, trasero

Etymology 2

Verb

poto

1. first-person singular present indicative of potar

Further reading

• “poto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “poto”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010
• poto | Diccionario • DELE Ahora

Tahitian

Adjective

poto

1. short
2. small, little

References

• Lemaître, Yves (1995), Lexique du tahitien contemporain [Current Tahitian lexicon]‎^[6] (in French), Paris: Éditions de l'Orstom, →ISBN
• “poto” in Dictionnaire en ligne Tahitien/Français (Online Tahitian–French Dictionary), by the Tahitian Academy.

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English photo.

Noun

poto

1. photograph