Horresco referens
“I shudder as I tell it.”
Virgil, Aeneid 2.204
What does “Horresco referens” mean?
Horresco referens translates as “I shudder as I tell it.”
It is a dramatic aside before recounting something terrible. Today it is often used with a touch of humor before telling an embarrassing or awful story.
“Horresco referens” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Horresco | I shudder, I bristle with fear | first person singular present active indicative of horresco, “to begin to bristle, to shudder”; the -sco ending marks the start of the action |
| referens | telling, as I tell it | present active participle (nominative singular masculine) of refero, “to bring back, to relate”; it agrees with the speaker, who is the “I” of horresco |
How to pronounce “Horresco referens”
The two pronunciations differ only in referens. Classical stresses the first syllable (REH-feh-rens), because the long vowel rule does not apply; church Latin commonly stresses the second (reh-FEH-rens). Horresco is stressed on the second syllable in both.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “I shudder, relating”, which is smoother in English as “I shudder as I tell it”. It comes from Virgil’s Aeneid, Book 2, line 204, the book in which Aeneas tells Queen Dido how Troy fell.
Aeneas is describing the moment two huge serpents came over the sea and killed the priest Laocoön and his two sons, just before the Trojans pulled the wooden horse into their city. The shudder is Aeneas’s own, as he relives the scene while speaking.
The phrase has lived on as a set expression in English, often with mock drama. Writers and speakers use it before an embarrassing or dreadful story, usually with a smile.
How to use “Horresco referens”
Works well as a playful opener for a story about a disastrous trip, exam or kitchen experiment, in a speech, a blog post or a caption. It is less suited to a tattoo, since it sets up a story rather than stating a lasting idea.
- Latin
- Horresco referens
- English
- I shudder as I tell it.
- Source
- Virgil, Aeneid 2.204
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Fear
Common mistakes
- It is not a general statement like “fear is real”. It is an aside by a narrator who is about to tell something terrible.
- Referens is a participle describing the speaker, not a second main verb. Reading it as “I shudder, he tells” is wrong.
- Do not change the endings casually. Horresco is first person singular, so “she shudders” would need horrescit and a feminine form of the participle (referens stays the same in the nominative, but the verb changes).
- It is sometimes quoted without Virgil’s name or as a general proverb. It is a specific line from the Aeneid.
Questions about “Horresco referens”
What does “Horresco referens” mean literally?
Literally “I shudder, relating”, that is, “I shudder as I tell it” or “I shudder to tell it”.
Who said “Horresco referens”?
The speaker is Aeneas in Virgil’s Aeneid, Book 2, line 204, as he recounts the death of Laocoön and his sons.
How do you pronounce “Horresco referens”?
In Classical Latin: hor-RES-koh REH-feh-rens. In Church Latin the second word is usually reh-FEH-rens.
How is “Horresco referens” used today?
Mostly as a dramatic or humorous opener before telling a terrible or embarrassing story.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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