Hoc unguentum dolorem in latere lenit.

Because unguentum is a neuter singular noun, and the demonstrative hic, haec, hoc has to agree with it in gender, number, and case.

• unguentum = neuter singular nominative
• so the matching form is hoc

So hoc unguentum means this ointment.

It is nominative singular.

You can tell because it is the subject of the sentence: the ointment is the thing doing the action of soothing.

Also, the verb lenit is third-person singular, which matches a singular subject:

• hoc unguentum = this ointment
• lenit = soothes

So the basic structure is:

• hoc unguentum = subject
• dolorem = direct object
• lenit = verb

Because dolorem is the direct object of lenit.

The verb lenire means to soothe, relieve, alleviate, and the thing being soothed is put in the accusative case.

So:

• dolor = pain
• dolorem = pain (as the object)

In this sentence, the ointment soothes the pain, so dolorem must be accusative.

The dictionary form is dolor, doloris (masculine), meaning pain.

dolorem is its accusative singular form.

This is a third-declension noun:

• nominative singular: dolor
• genitive singular: doloris
• accusative singular: dolorem

Because in can take either the ablative or the accusative, depending on meaning.

• in + ablative = in/on (location)
• in + accusative = into/onto (motion toward)

Here the meaning is location: pain in the side, not motion into the side. So Latin uses the ablative:

• latere = ablative singular of latus, lateris = side/flank

So in latere means in the side.

The dictionary form is latus, lateris (neuter), meaning side or flank.

In this sentence, latere is the ablative singular form after in.

So:

• latus = side
• lateris = of the side
• latere = in/on the side

It is most naturally understood with dolorem: pain in the side.

So the sense is:

• dolorem in latere = pain in the side

Grammatically, it is a prepositional phrase, and Latin word order is flexible, so it could in principle be read with the verb as well. But in normal understanding, it tells you where the pain is located.

Lenit is:

• third person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

It comes from lenire, meaning to soothe, relieve, or alleviate.

So lenit means he/she/it soothes.
Here the subject is hoc unguentum, so it means this ointment soothes.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the endings show the grammatical relationships.

Putting the verb at the end is very common in Latin, though not required.

So:

• Hoc unguentum dolorem in latere lenit.

is a normal Latin way to say:

• This ointment soothes pain in the side.

The ending -em on dolorem shows it is the object, and hoc unguentum is nominative, so Latin does not need English-style fixed word order.

Because Classical Latin has no articles.

Latin does not have separate words that exactly correspond to English the and a/an. Whether something should be translated as pain, the pain, or a pain depends on the context.

So dolorem could be understood in English as:

• pain
• the pain

depending on what sounds most natural in context.

Here it is functioning as an adjective because it directly modifies unguentum.

• hoc = this
• unguentum = ointment

Together: this ointment

If it were a pronoun, it would stand on its own, like hoc lenit = this relieves or this soothes. But in this sentence it is clearly attached to unguentum.

A simple breakdown is:

• Hoc unguentum = this ointment → subject
• dolorem = pain → direct object
• in latere = in the side → prepositional phrase
• lenit = soothes → verb

So the structure is basically:

subject + object + prepositional phrase + verb

Even though the English translation may sound smoother as This ointment soothes pain in the side, the Latin endings are what really show the roles of the words.

Yes. That is a very natural translation.

The verb lenire can be translated in several similar ways, depending on context:

• soothe
• relieve
• alleviate
• sometimes ease

So all of these would be reasonable:

• This ointment soothes pain in the side.
• This ointment relieves pain in the side.
• This ointment eases pain in the side.

The exact English wording can vary even when the Latin grammar stays the same.