Chapter 156 Allen and Greenough's Latin Grammar Dickinson College Christopher Francese

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The Active and Passive Voices in Latin generally correspond to the active and passive in English; but—

The passive voice often has a reflexive meaning:— ferrō accingor , I gird myself with my sword. Turnus vertitur , Turnus turns (himself). induitur vestem , he puts on his (own) clothes. This use corresponds very nearly to the Greek Middle voice, and is doubtless a survival of the original meaning of the passive (p. 76, footnote 2).

Many verbs are passive in form, but active or reflexive in meaning. These are called Deponents (§ 190 ): That is, verbs which have laid aside ( dēpōnere ) the passive meaning . as, hortor , I exhort; sequor , I follow.

Some verbs with active meaning have the passive form in the perfect tenses; these are called Semi-Deponents: as, audeō , audēre , ausus sum , dare.

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