How did Lucretius create Latin words for difficult Greek philosophical ideas?

Lucretius faced the significant challenge of translating the abstract Greek prose of Epicurus into Latin hexameters at a time when the Latin language lacked a formal philosophical vocabulary. To overcome this, he employed two primary strategies:

• Technical repurposing: He adapted common Latin words for technical use. For example, he used concilium, which typically meant an "assembly of people," to describe a "system of atoms," and he used primordia, meaning "first weavings," to refer to the "atoms" that constitute the texture of the physical world.12
• Neologisms: When existing vocabulary proved insufficient, he invented new words to capture complex philosophical concepts.12

By blending these linguistic innovations with the stylistic traditions of earlier Latin poets—such as Quintus Ennius—Lucretius successfully articulated intricate physical theories in a poetic format.12