List Of Legal Maxims
A
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
a
bene placito
|
from
one who has been pleased well
|
Or
"at will", "at one's pleasure". This phrase,
and its Italian
(beneplacito) and Spanish
(beneplácito) derivatives, are synonymous with the
more common ad libitum (at pleasure).
|
a
caelo usque ad centrum
|
from
the sky to the center
|
Or
"from heaven all the way to the center of the earth". In
law, can refer to the obsolete cuius
est solum eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos
maxim of property ownership ("for whoever owns the soil, it
is theirs up to the sky and down to the depths").
|
a
capite ad calcem
|
from
head to heel
|
From
top to bottom; all the way through. Equally a pedibus usque ad
caput.
|
a
contrario
|
from
the opposite
|
Equivalent
to "on the contrary" or "au contraire".
An argumentum a contrario is an "argument from the
contrary", an argument or proof by contrast or direct
opposite.
|
a
Deucalione
|
since
Deucalion
|
A
long time ago. From Gaius
Lucilius
(Satires, 6, 284)
|
a
fortiori
|
from
the stronger
|
Loosely,
"even more so" or "with even stronger reason".
Often used to lead from a less certain proposition to a more
evident corollary.
|
a
mari usque ad mare
|
from
sea to sea
|
From
Psalm
72:8, "Et dominabitur a mari usque ad mare, et a flumine
usque ad terminos terrae" (KJV:
"He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the
river unto the ends of the earth"). National
motto
of Canada.
|
a
pedibus usque ad caput
|
from
feet to head
|
Completely.
Similar to the English expressions "from tip to toe" or
"from top to toe". Equally a capite ad calcem.
See also ab ovo usque ad mala.
|
a
posse ad esse
|
from
being able to being
|
"From
possibility to actuality" or "from being possible to
being actual"
|
a
posteriori
|
from
the latter
|
Based
on observation (i.e., empirical
knowledge),
the reverse of a priori. Used in mathematics and logic to
denote something that is known after a proof has been carried out.
In philosophy, used to denote something that can be known from
empirical experience.
|
a
priori
|
from
the former
|
Presupposed,
the reverse of a posteriori. Used in mathematics and logic
to denote something that is known or postulated before a proof has
been carried out. In philosophy, used to denote something that can
be known without empirical experience. In everyday speech, it
denotes something occurring or being known before the event.
|
ab
absurdo
|
from
the absurd
|
Said
of an argument that seeks to prove a statement's validity by
pointing out the absurdity of an opponent's position (cf. appeal
to ridicule)
or that an assertion is false because of its absurdity. Not to be
confused with a reductio
ad absurdum,
which is usually a valid logical argument.
|
ab
abusu ad usum non valet consequentia
|
a
consequence from an abuse to a use is not valid
|
Inferences
regarding something's use from its misuse are invalid. Rights
abused are still rights (cf. abusus non tollit usum).
|
ab
aeterno
|
from
the eternal
|
Literally,
"from the everlasting" or "from eternity".
Thus, "from time immemorial", "since the beginning
of time" or "from an infinitely remote time in the
past". In theology, often indicates something, such as the
universe, that was created outside of time.
|
ab
antiquo
|
from
the ancient
|
From
ancient times.
|
ab
epistulis
|
from
the letter
|
Or,
having to do with correspondence.
|
ab
extra
|
from
beyond
|
A
legal
term
meaning "from without". From external sources, rather
than from the self or the mind (ab intra).
|
ab
hinc
|
from
here on
|
Often
rendered abhinc (which in Latin means simply "since"
or "ago").
|
ab
imo pectore
|
from
the bottom of my heart
|
More
literally, "from the deepest chest". Attributed to
Julius
Caesar.
Can mean "with deepest affection" or "sincerely".
|
ab
inconvenienti
|
from
an inconvenient thing
|
New
Latin
for "based on unsuitability", "from inconvenience"
or "from hardship". An argumentum ab inconvenienti
is one based on the difficulties involved in pursuing a line of
reasoning, and is thus a form of appeal
to consequences;
it refers to a rule in law that an argument from inconvenience has
great weight.
|
ab
incunabulis
|
from
the cradle
|
Thus,
"from the beginning" or "from infancy".
Incunabula is commonly used in English to refer to the
earliest stage or origin of something, and especially to copies of
books that predate the spread of the printing
press
around AD 1500.
|
ab
initio
|
from
the beginning
|
"At
the outset", referring to an inquiry or investigation. In
literature, refers to a story told from the beginning rather than
in medias res (from the middle). In law,
refers to something being the case from the start or from the
instant of the act, rather than from when the court declared it
so. A judicial declaration of the invalidity of a marriage ab
initio is a nullity.
In science, refers to the first
principles.
In other contexts, often refers to beginner or training courses.
Ab initio mundi means "from the beginning of the
world".
|
ab
intestato
|
from
an intestate
|
From
someone who dies with no legal will (cf. ex testamento).
|
ab
intra
|
from
within
|
From
the inside. The opposite of ab extra.
|
ab
irato
|
from
an angry man
|
By a
person who is angry. Used in law to describe a decision or action
that is detrimental to those it affects and was made based on
hatred or anger, rather than on reason. The form irato is
masculine; however, this does not mean it applies only to men,
rather 'person' is meant, as the phrase probably elides "homo,"
not "vir."
|
ab
origine
|
from
the source
|
From
the origin, beginning, source, or commencement—i.e.,
"originally". The source of the word aboriginal.
|
ab
ovo
usque ad mala
|
from
the egg to the apples
|
From
Horace,
Satire
1.3. Means "from beginning to end", based on the Roman
main meal
typically beginning with an egg dish and ending with fruit (cf.
the English phrase soup
to nuts).
Thus, ab ovo means "from the beginning", and can
also connote thoroughness.
|
ab
uno disce omnes
|
from
one, learn all
|
From
Virgil's Aeneid.
Refers to situations where a single example or observation
indicates a general or universal truth.
|
ab
urbe condita
(a.u.c.)
|
from
the city having been founded
|
Refers
to the founding
of Rome,
which occurred in 753 BC according to Livy's
count. Used as a reference point in ancient Rome for establishing
dates, before being supplanted by other systems. Also anno
urbis conditae (a.u.c.) (literally "in the year of the
founded city").
|
ab
utili
|
from
utility
|
Used
of an argument.
|
absens
haeres non erit
|
an
absent person will not be an heir
|
In
law, refers to the principle that someone who is not present is
unlikely to inherit.
|
absente
reo (abs. re.)
|
with
the defendant being absent
|
In
the absence of the accused.
|
absit
iniuria verbis
|
let
injury by words be absent
|
Expresses
the wish that no insult or wrong be conveyed by the speaker's
words, i.e., "no offense". Also rendered absit
injuria verbis; see also absit invidia.
|
absit
invidia
|
let
ill will be absent
|
Although
similar to the English expression "no offense", absit
invidia is not a mere social gesture to avoid causing offense,
but also a way to ward off the harm that some people
superstitiously believe animosity can cause others. Also extended
to absit invidia verbo, meaning "may ill will be
absent from the word" (cf. absit iniuria verbis).
|
absit
omen
|
let
an omen
be absent
|
In
other words, "let there not be an omen here". Expresses
the wish that something seemingly ill-boding does not turn out to
be an omen for future events, and calls on divine protection
against evil.
|
absolutum
dominium
|
absolute
dominion
|
Total
power or sovereignty.
|
absolvo
|
I
acquit
|
A
legal term said by a judge acquitting a defendant following a
trial. Te absolvo or absolvo te, translated, "I
forgive you," said by Roman
Catholic
priests during the Sacrament
of Confession
prior to Vatican
II.
|
abundans
cautela non nocet
|
abundant
caution does no harm
|
Thus,
one can never be too careful; even excessive precautions don't
hurt anyone.
|
abusus
non tollit usum
|
misuse
does not remove use
|
An
axiom
stating that just because something can be, or has been, abused,
does not mean that it must be, or always is. Abuse does not, in
itself, justify denial of use
|
abyssus
abyssum invocat
|
deep
calleth unto deep
|
From
Psalms
42:7;
some translations have 'Sea calls to sea'.
|
accusare
nemo se debet nisi coram Deo
|
no
one ought to accuse himself except in the Presence of God
|
A
legal maxim denoting that any accused person is entitled to make a
plea of not guilty, and also that a witness is not obliged to give
a response or submit a document that will incriminate
himself.
A very similar phrase is nemo tenetur seipsum accusare.
|
Accipe
Hoc
|
Take
this
|
Motto
of 848 Naval Air Squadron, Royal Navy.
|
acta
est fabula plaudite
|
The
play has been performed; applaud!
|
A
common ending to ancient Roman comedies, also claimed by Suetonius
in Lives
of the Twelve Caesars
to have been Caesar
Augustus'
last words. Applied by Sibelius
to the third movement of his String Quartet no. 2 so that his
audience would realize it was the last one, as a fourth would
normally be expected.
|
acta
non verba
|
actions,
not words
|
Motto
of the United
States Merchant Marine Academy.
|
Acta
Sanctorum
|
Deeds
of the Saints
|
Also
used in the singular, Acta Sancti (Deeds of the Saint),
preceding a specific Saint's name. A common title of works in
hagiography.
|
actus
non facit reum nisi mens sit rea
|
The
act is not guilty unless the mind is also guilty.
|
A
legal term outlining the presumption of mens
rea
in a crime.
|
actus
reus
|
guilty
act
|
The
actual crime that is committed, rather than the intent or thought
process leading up to the crime. Thus, the external elements of a
crime, as contrasted with mens rea, the internal elements.
|
ad
absurdum
|
to
the absurd
|
In
logic, to the point of being silly or nonsensical. See also
reductio
ad absurdum.
Not to be confused with ab absurdo (from the absurd).
|
adaequatio
intellectûs nostri cum re
|
conformity
of our minds to the fact
|
A
phrase used in Epistemology
regarding the nature of understanding.
|
ad
abundantiam
|
to
abundance
|
In
legal language, used when providing additional evidence to an
already sufficient collection. Also used commonly, as an
equivalent of "as if this wasn't enough".
|
ad
astra
|
to
the stars
|
Name
or motto (in full or part) of many organizations/publications/etc.
|
ad
astra per aspera
|
to
the stars through difficulty
|
Motto
of Kansas, and other organisations. The phrase is also translated
as "A rough road leads to the stars", as on the Launch
Complex 34 memorial plaque for the astronauts of Apollo
1.
|
ad
astra per alia porci
|
to
the stars on the wings of a pig
|
A
favorite saying of John
Steinbeck.
A professor told him that he would be an author when pigs flew.
Every book he wrote is printed with this insignia.
|
ad
captandum
vulgus
|
in
order to court the crowd
|
To
do something to appeal to the masses. Often used of politicians
who make false or insincere promises to appeal to popular
interest. An argumentum ad captandum is an argument
designed to please the crowd.
|
ad
eundem
|
to
the same
|
An
ad
eundem degree,
from the Latin ad eundem gradum (to the same step" or
"to the same degree), is a courtesy degree awarded by one
university or college to an alumnus of another. It is not an
honorary degree, but a recognition of the formal learning that
earned the degree at another college.
|
ad
fontes
|
to
the sources
|
A
motto of Renaissance
humanism.
Also used in the Protestant
Reformation.
|
ad
fundum
|
to
the bottom
|
Said
during a generic toast,
equivalent to "bottoms up!" In other contexts, generally
means "back to the basics".
|
ad
hoc
|
to
this
|
Generally
means "for this", in the sense of improvised on the spot
or designed for only a specific, immediate purpose.
Rather
than relying on ad hoc decisions, we should form a
consistent plan for dealing with emergency situations.
|
ad
hominem
|
to
the man
|
Connotations
of "against the man". Typically used in argumentum ad
hominem, a logical
fallacy
consisting of criticizing a person when the subject of debate is
the person's ideas or argument, on the mistaken assumption that
the validity of an argument is to some degree dependent on the
qualities of the proponent.
|
ad
honorem
|
to
the honor
|
Generally
means "for the honor", not seeking any material reward.
|
ad
infinitum
|
to
infinity
|
Going
on forever. Used to designate a property which repeats in all
cases in mathematical proof.
|
ad
interim
(ad int)
|
for
the meantime
|
As
in the term "chargé d'affaires ad interim"
for a diplomatic officer who acts in place of an ambassador.
|
ad
Kalendas Graecas
|
to
the Greek Kalends
|
Attributed
by Suetonius
in Lives
of the Twelve Caesars
to Caesar
Augustus.
The phrase means "never" and is similar to phrases like
"when
pigs fly".
The Kalends (also written Calends) were specific days of
the Roman
calendar,
not of the Greek,
and so the "Greek Kalends" would never occur.
|
ad
libitum
(ad lib)
|
toward
pleasure
|
Loosely,
"according to what pleases" or "as you wish";
libitum comes from the past participle
of libere, "to please". It typically indicates in
music
and theatrical scripts that the performer has the liberty to
change or omit something. Ad lib is specifically often used
when someone improvises
or ignores limitations.
|
ad
litem
|
to
the lawsuit
|
A
legal term referring to a party appointed by a court to act in a
lawsuit on behalf of another party who is deemed incapable of
representing himself. An individual who acts in this capacity is
called a guardian
ad litem.
|
ad
lucem
|
to
the light
|
Motto
of Oxford
High School (Oxford),
the University
of Lisbon,
Withington
Girls' School
and St.
Bartholomew's School, Newbury, UK
|
ad
maiorem Dei gloriam
(AMDG)
|
To
the greater glory of God
|
Motto
of the Society
of Jesus
(Jesuits). Edward
Elgar
dedicated his oratorio The
Dream of Gerontius
"A.M.D.G." Often rendered ad majorem Dei gloriam.
|
ad
meliora
|
Towards
better things
|
motto
of St. Patrick's College, Cavan,
Ireland
|
ad
mortem
|
To
death
|
used
in medical contexts as a synonym for death
|
ad
multos annos
|
To
many years!
|
Expresses
a wish for a long life. Similar to the English expression "Many
happy returns!"
|
ad
nauseam
|
to
the point of disgust
|
Literally,
"to the point of nausea".
Sometimes used as a humorous alternative to ad infinitum.
An argumentum ad nauseam is a logical
fallacy
involving basing one's argument on prolonged repetition, i.e.,
repeating something so much that people are "sick of it".
|
ad
oculos
|
With
your own eyes.
|
Meaning
"obvious on sight" or "obvious to anyone that sees
it".
|
ad
pedem litterae
|
to
the foot of the letter
|
Thus,
"exactly as it is written". Similar to the English idiom
"to the letter", meaning "to the last detail".
|
ad
perpetuam memoriam
|
to
the perpetual memory
|
Generally
precedes "of" and a person's name, and is used to wish
for someone to be remembered long after death.
|
ad
pondus omnium (ad pond om)
|
to
the weight of all things
|
More
loosely, "considering everything's weight". The
abbreviation was historically used by physicians and others to
signify that the last prescribed ingredient is to weigh as much as
all of the previously mentioned ones.
|
ad
quod damnum
|
to
what damage
|
Meaning
"according to the harm" or "in proportion to the
harm". The phrase is used in tort
law
as a measure of damages
inflicted, implying that a remedy,
if one exists, ought to correspond specifically and only to the
damage suffered (cf. damnum absque injuria).
|
ad
referendum (ad ref)
|
to
that which must be brought back
|
Loosely
"subject to reference", meaning that something has been
approved provisionally, but must still receive official approval.
Not necessarily related to a referendum.
|
ad
rem
|
to
the matter
|
Thus,
"to the point". Without digression.
Thank
you for your concise, ad rem response.
|
ad
terminum qui praeteriit
|
for
the term which has passed
|
A
legal term for a writ of entry ad terminum qui praeteriit
[for the term which has passed].1
|
ad
undas
|
to
the waves
|
Equivalent
to "to hell".
|
ad
usum Delphini
|
for
the use of the Dauphin
|
Said
of a work that has been expurgated of offensive or improper parts.
The phrase originates from editions of Greek and Roman classics
which Louis
XIV
had censored
for his heir apparent, the Dauphin. Also rarely in usum
Delphini (into the use of the Dauphin).
|
ad
usum proprium (ad us. propr.)
|
for
one's own use
|
|
ad
utrumque paratus
|
prepared
for either alternative
|
Also
the motto of Lund
University,
with the implied alternatives being the book (study) and the sword
(defending the country in war).
|
ad
valorem
|
to
the value
|
According
to an object's value. Used in commerce to refer to ad
valorem taxes,
taxes based on the assessed value of real estate or personal
property.
|
ad
victoriam
|
to
victory
|
More
commonly translated into "for victory" this is a
battlecry of the Romans.
|
ad
vitam aeternam
|
to
eternal
life
|
Also
"to life everlasting". A common Biblical phrase.
|
ad
vitam aut culpam
|
for
life or until fault
|
Usually
used of a term of office.
|
addendum
|
thing
to be added
|
An
item to be added, especially a supplement to a book. The plural is
addenda.
|
adequatio
intellectus et rei
|
correspondence
of the mind and reality
|
One
of the definitions of the truth. When the mind has the same form
as reality, we think truth. Also found as adequatio rei
et intellectus.
|
adsum
|
I am
here
|
Equivalent
to "Present!" or "Here!" The opposite of absum
(I am absent).
|
adversus
solem ne loquitor
|
Don't
speak against the sun
|
I.e.,
don't argue the obvious
|
aegri
somnia
|
a
sick man's dreams
|
From
Horace,
Ars Poetica, 7. Loosely, "troubled dreams".
|
aequitas
|
Justice
or equality
|
|
aetat
|
of
age" / "aged" (in the sense of: "age: ...)
|
Abbreviation
of "aetatis"; even more abbreviated (and more common):
"aet." — e.g.: "aetat 36" = "36 years
old"/ "aet. 34" = "34 years old"
|
aetatis
suae
|
of
his own age
|
Thus,
"at the age of". Appeared on portraits, gravestones,
etc. Sometimes extended to anno aetatis suae (AAS), "in
the year of his age". Sometimes shortened to just aetatis
or aetat (aet.).
The
tomb reads Anno 1629 Aetatis Suae 46 because she died in
1629 at age 46.
|
affidavit
|
he
asserted
|
A
legal term from Medieval
Latin
referring to a sworn statement. From fides, "faith".
|
age
quod agis
|
Do
what you are doing.
|
More
often translated as "Do well whatever you do", this
phrase is used as the motto of several Catholic schools, including
Jesuit
High School
in Portland, Oregon. According to the Catholic Culture dictionary,
this phrase is used to remind people to concentrate on the task at
hand, rather than scattering their attention.
|
agenda
|
things
to be done
|
Originally
comparable to a to-do
list,
an ordered list of things to be done. Now generalized to include
any planned course of action. The singular, agendum (thing
that must be done), is rarely used.
|
Agnus
Dei
|
Lamb
of God
|
Latin
translation from John
1:36, where John
the Baptist
exclaims "Ecce Agnus Dei!" (Behold the Lamb of God!)
upon seeing Jesus,
referring both to a lamb's
connotations of innocence and to a sacrificial
lamb.
|
alea
iacta est
|
the
die is cast
|
Said
by Julius
Caesar
upon crossing the Rubicon
in 49 BC, according to Suetonius.
The original meaning was roughly equivalent to the English phrase
"the game is afoot", but its modern meaning, like that
of the phrase "crossing
the Rubicon",
denotes passing the point
of no return
on a momentous decision and entering into a risky endeavor where
the outcome is left to chance.
|
alenda
lux ubi orta libertas
|
Let
learning be cherished where liberty has arisen.
|
The
motto of Davidson
College.
|
alias
|
otherwise
|
An
assumed name or pseudonym.
Similar to alter ego, but more specifically referring to a
name, not to a "second self".
|
alibi
|
elsewhere
|
A
legal defense where a defendant attempts to show that he was
elsewhere at the time a crime was committed.
His
alibi is sound; he gave evidence that he was in another city on
the night of the murder.
|
alis
aquilae
|
on
an eagle's wings
|
taken
from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 40. "But those who wait for
the Lord shall find their strength renewed, they shall mount up on
wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall
walk and not grow faint."
|
alis
grave nil
|
nothing
is heavy to those who have wings
|
motto
of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
(Pontifícia
Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro
— PUC-RIO).
|
alis
volat propris
|
she
flies with her own wings
|
State
motto
of Oregon.
Can also be rendered alis volat propriis.
|
aliquantus
|
Rather
big
|
|
aliquantulus
|
Not
that big
|
|
aliquid
stat pro aliquo
|
something
that stands for something else
|
A
foundational definition for semiotics
|
alma
mater
|
nourishing
mother
|
Term
used for the university
one attends or has attended. Another university term,
matriculation,
is also derived from mater. The term suggests that the
students are "fed" knowledge and taken care of by the
university. The term is also used for a university's traditional
school anthem.
|
alter
ego
|
other
I
|
Another
self, a second persona
or alias.
Can be used to describe different facets or identities of a single
character, or different characters who seem representations of the
same personality. Often used of a fictional
character's
secret
identity.
|
alterius
non sit qui suus esse potest
|
Let
no man belong to another that can belong to himself
|
Final
sentence from Aesop
ascribed fable
(see also Aesop's
Fables)
"The
Frogs Who Desired a King"
as appears in the collection commonly known as the "Anonymus
Neveleti" (fable XXIb. De ranis a Iove querentibus regem).
Motto
of Paracelsus.
Usually attributed to Cicero.
|
alterum
non laedere
|
to
not wound another
|
One
of Justinian
I's
three basic legal precepts.
|
alumna
or alumnus
|
pupil
|
Sometimes
rendered with the gender-neutral alumn or alum in
English. A graduate or former student of a school, college or
university. Alumna (pl. alumnae) is a female pupil,
and alumnus (pl. alumni) is a male pupil—alumni
is generally used for a group of both males and females. The word
derives from alere, "to nourish", a graduate
being someone who was raised and taken care of at the school (cf.
alma mater).
|
amicus
curiae
|
friend
of the court
|
An
adviser, or a person who can obtain or grant access to the favour
of powerful group, like a Roman
Curia.
In current U.S. legal usage, an amicus curiae is a third
party allowed to submit a legal opinion (in the form of an amicus
brief) to the court.
|
amittere
legem terrae
|
to
lose the law of the land
|
An
obsolete legal term signifying the forfeiture of the right of
swearing in any court or cause, or to become infamous.
|
amor
est vitae essentia
|
love
is the essence of life
|
As
said by Robert B. Mackay, Australian Analyst.
|
amor
et melle et felle est fecundissmismus
|
love
is rich with both honey and venom
|
|
amor
fati
|
love
of fate
|
Nietzscheian
alternative world view to memento mori [remember you must die].
Nietzsche believed amor fati to be more life affirming.
|
amor
omnibus idem
|
love
is the same for all
|
from
Virgil's
Georgics
III.
|
amor
patriae
|
love
of one's country
|
Patriotism.
|
amor
vincit omnia
|
love
conquers all
|
Written
on bracelet worn by the Prioress
in Chaucer's
The
Canterbury Tales.
See also veritas omnia vincit and labor omnia vincit.
|
anglice
|
in
English
|
Used
before the anglicized version of a word or name. For example
"Terra Mariae, anglice, Maryland".
|
anno
(an.)
|
in
the year
|
Also
used in such phrases as anno urbis conditae (see ab urbe
condita), Anno Domini, and anno regni.
|
Anno
Domini
(A.D.)
|
in
the Year of the Lord
|
Short
for Anno Domini Nostri Iesus Christi (in the Year of Our
Lord Jesus Christ), the predominantly used system for dating years
across the world, used with the Gregorian
calendar,
and based on the perceived year of the birth of Jesus
Christ.
The years before Jesus' birth were once marked with a.C.n
(Ante
Christum Natum,
Before Christ was Born), but now use the English abbreviation BC
(Before Christ).
Augustus
Caesar
was born in the year 63 BC, and died AD 14.
|
anno
regni
|
In
the year of the reign
|
Precedes
"of" and the current ruler.
|
Annuit
Cœptis
|
He
Has Approved the Undertakings
|
Motto
on the reverse of the Great
Seal of the United States
and on the back of the U.S.
one dollar bill.
"He" refers to God,
and so the official translation given by the U.S. State Department
is "He [God] has favored our undertakings".
|
annus
horribilis
|
horrible
year
|
A
recent pun on annus mirabilis, first used by Queen
Elizabeth II
to describe what a bad year 1992 had been for her, and
subsequently occasionally used to refer to many other years
perceived as "horrible". In Classical
Latin,
this phrase would actually mean "terrifying year". See
also annus terribilis.
|
annus
mirabilis
|
wonderful
year
|
Used
particularly to refer to the years 1665–1666, during which Isaac
Newton
made revolutionary inventions and discoveries in calculus, motion,
optics and gravitation. Annus
Mirabilis
is also the title of a poem by John
Dryden
written in the same year. It has since been used to refer to other
years, especially to 1905, when Albert
Einstein
made equally revolutionary discoveries concerning the
photoelectric effect, Brownian motion and the special theory of
relativity. (See Annus
Mirabilis Papers)
|
annus
terribilis
|
dreadful
year
|
Used
to describe 1348, the year the Black
Death
began to afflict Europe.
|
ante
bellum
|
before
the war
|
As
in "status
quo
ante bellum", "as it was before the war".
Commonly used in the Southern
United States
as antebellum to refer to the period preceding the American
Civil War.
|
ante
cibum (a.c.)
|
before
food
|
Medical
shorthand
for "before meals".
|
ante
litteram
|
before
the letter
|
Said
of an expression or term that describes something which existed
before the phrase itself was introduced or became common.
Alan
Turing
was a computer scientist ante litteram, since the field of
"computer
science"
was not yet recognized in Turing's day.
|
ante
meridiem (a.m.)
|
before
midday
|
The
period from midnight
to noon
(cf. post meridiem).
|
ante
mortem
|
before
death
|
See
post mortem (after death).
|
ante
prandium (a.p.)
|
before
lunch
|
Used
on pharmaceutical prescriptions to denote "before a meal".
Less common is post prandium, "after lunch".
|
apparatus
criticus
|
critical
apparatus
|
Textual
notes. A list of other readings relating to a document, especially
in a scholarly edition of a text.
|
aqua
(aq.)
|
water
|
|
aqua
fortis
|
strong
water
|
Refers
to nitric
acid.
|
aqua
pura
|
pure
water
|
Or
"clear water", "clean water".
|
aqua
regia
|
royal
water
|
refers
to a mixture of hydrochloric
acid
and nitric
acid.
|
aqua
vitae
|
water
of life
|
"Spirit
of Wine" in many English texts. Used to refer to various
native distilled
beverages,
such as whisky
in Scotland and Ireland, gin
in Holland, brandy
(eau de vie) in France, and akvavit
in Scandinavia.
|
aquila
non capit muscam
|
an
eagle doesn't catch flies
|
A
noble or important person doesn't deal with insignificant issues.
|
arare
litus
|
to
plough the seashore
|
From
Gerhard Gerhards' (1466–1536) [better known as Erasmus]
collection of annotated Adagia (1508). Wasted labour.
|
arbiter
elegantiarum
|
judge
of tastes
|
One
who prescribes, rules on, or is a recognized authority on matters
of social behavior and taste. Said of Petronius.
Also rendered arbiter elegentiae (judge of a taste).
|
arcus
senilis
|
senile
bow
|
An
opaque circle around the cornea
of the eye, often seen in elderly people.
|
Argentum
album
|
white
money
|
Also
"silver coin". Mentioned in Domesday,
signifies bullion,
or silver
uncoined.
|
arguendo
|
for
arguing
|
For
the sake of argument. Said when something is done purely in order
to discuss a matter or illustrate a point.
Let
us assume, arguendo, that your claim is correct.
|
argumentum
|
argument
|
Or
"reasoning", "inference", "appeal",
"proof". The plural is argumenta. Commonly used
in the names of logical
arguments
and fallacies,
preceding phrases such as a
silentio
(by silence), ad
antiquitatem
(to antiquity), ad
baculum
(to the stick), ad
captandum
(to capturing), ad
consequentiam
(to the consequence), ad
crumenam
(to the purse), ad
feminam
(to the woman), ad
hominem
(to the person), ad
ignorantiam
(to ignorance), ad judicium (to judgment), ad
lazarum
(to poverty), ad
logicam
(to logic), ad
metum
(to fear), ad
misericordiam
(to pity), ad
nauseam
(to nausea), ad
novitatem
(to novelty), ad
personam
(to the character), ad
numerum
(to the number), ad
odium
(to spite), ad
populum
(to the people), ad
temperantiam
(to moderation), ad
verecundiam
(to reverence), ex
silentio
(from silence), and in
terrorem
(into terror).
|
ars
[est] celare artem
|
art
[is] to conceal art
|
An
aesthetic ideal that good art should appear natural rather than
contrived. Of medieval origin, but often incorrectly attributed to
Ovid.2
|
ars
gratia artis
|
art
for art's sake
|
Translated
into Latin from Baudelaire's
"L'art pour l'art". Motto of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
This phrasing is a direct transliteration of 'art for the sake of
art.' While very symmetrical for the MGM logo, the better Latin
word order is 'Ars artis gratia.'
|
ars
longa vita brevis
|
art
is long, life is short
|
The
Latin translation by Seneca
(De Brevitate Vitae, 1.1) of a phrase from Hippocrates,
often used out of context. The "art" referred to in the
original aphorism was the craft of medicine, which took a lifetime
to acquire.
|
asinus
ad lyram
|
an
ass to the lyre
|
From
Gerhard Gerhards' (1466–1536) [better known as Erasmus]
collection of annotated Adagia (1508). An awkward or incompetent
individual.
|
asinus
asinum fricat
|
the
jackass rubs the jackass
|
Used
to describe two people lavishing excessive praise on one another.
|
assecuratus
non quaerit lucrum sed agit ne in damno sit
|
the
assured does not seek profit but just indemnity for the loss
|
Refers
to the insurance
principle that the indemnity cannot be larger than the loss.
|
audacter
calumniare, semper aliquid haeret
|
slander
boldly, something always sticks
|
from
Francis
Bacon,
De Augmentis Scientiarum (1623)
|
auctoritas
|
authority
|
Referred
to the general level of prestige a person had in Ancient Roman
society.
|
audax
at fidelis
|
bold
but faithful
|
Motto
of Queensland.
|
audeamus
|
let
us dare
|
Motto
of Otago
University Students' Association,
a direct response to the university's motto of sapere
aude
(dare to be wise).
|
audemus
jura nostra defendere
|
we
dare to defend our rights
|
State
motto
of Alabama,
adopted in 1923. Translated into Latin from a paraphrase of the
stanza "Men who their duties know / But know their rights,
and knowing, dare maintain" from the poem "What
Constitutes a State?" by 18th-century author William Jones.
|
audentes
fortuna iuvat
|
fortune
favors the bold
|
From
Virgil,
Aeneid
X, 284 (where the first word is in the archaic form audentis).
Allegedly the last words of Pliny
the Elder
before he left the docks at Pompeii
to rescue people from the eruption of Vesuvius
in 79. Often quoted as audaces fortuna iuvat. Also the
motto of the Portuguese
Army Commandos.
|
audere
est facere
|
to
dare is to do
|
The
motto of Tottenham
Hotspur Football Club,
the professional Association Football (soccer) team based in
London,
England.
|
audi
alteram partem
|
hear
the other side
|
A
legal principle of fairness. Also worded as audiatur et altera
pars (let the other side be heard too).
|
audio
hostem
|
I
hear the enemy
|
Motto
of 845 NACS Royal Navy
|
aurea
mediocritas
|
golden
mean
|
From
Horace's
Odes II, 10. Refers to the ethical goal of reaching a
virtuous middle ground between two sinful extremes. The golden
mean concept
is common to many philosophers, chiefly Aristotle.
|
auri
sacra fames
|
accursed
hunger for gold
|
From
Virgil,
Aeneid
3,57. Later quoted by Seneca
as "quod non mortalia pectora coges, auri sacra fames":
"What aren't you able to bring men to do, miserable hunger
for gold!"
|
auribus
teneo lupum
|
I
hold a wolf by the ears
|
A
common ancient proverb, this version from Terence.
Indicates that one is in a dangerous situation where both holding
on and letting go could be deadly. A modern version is "To
have a tiger by the tail."
|
aurora
australis
|
southern
dawn
|
The
Southern
Lights,
an aurora
that appears in the Southern
Hemisphere.
It is less well-known than the Northern Lights, or aurorea
borealis. The Aurora
Australis
is also the name of an Antarctic icebreaker
ship.
|
aurora
borealis
|
northern
dawn
|
The
Northern Lights, an aurora
that appears in the Northern
Hemisphere.
|
aurum
potestas est
|
gold
is power
|
Motto
of the fictional Fowl family in the Artemis
Fowl
series, written by Eoin
Colfer
|
auspicium
melioris aevi
|
hope
of a better age
|
Motto
of Raffles
Institution,
a secondary school in Singapore.
|
aut
Caesar aut nihil
|
either
Caesar
or nothing
|
Indicates
that the only valid possibility is to be emperor,
or a similarly prominent position. More generally, "all or
nothing". Adopted by Cesare
Borgia
as a personal motto.
|
aut
concilio aut ense
|
either
by meeting or by the sword
|
Thus,
either through reasoned discussion or through war. A former motto
of Chile,
replaced by post tenebras lux.
|
aut
pax aut bellum
|
either
peace or war
|
The
motto of the Gunn
Clan.
|
aut
viam inveniam aut faciam
|
Either
I shall find a way, or I shall make one
|
Hannibal.
|
aut
vincere aut mori
|
either
to conquer or to die
|
A
general pledge of "victory
or death"
(cf. victoria aut mors).
|
ave
atque vale
|
Hail
and farewell!
|
From
Catullus,
carmen 101, addressed to his deceased brother.
|
ave
Caesar morituri te salutant
|
Hail,
Caesar!
The ones who are about to die salute you!
|
From
Suetonius'
Lives
of the Twelve Caesars,
Claudius 21. The traditional greeting of gladiators prior
to battle. morituri is also translated as "we who are
about to die" based on the context in which it was spoken,
and this translation is sometimes aided by changing the Latin to
nos morituri te salutamus. Also rendered with imperator
instead of Caesar.
|
ave
Europa nostra vera Patria
|
Hail,
Europe, our true Fatherland!
|
Anthem
of Pan-Europeanist
|
Ave
Maria
|
Hail,
Mary
|
A
Roman
Catholic
prayer to Mary,
the mother of Jesus.
|
B
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
barba
tenus sapientes
|
wise
as far as the beard
|
From
Gerhard Gerhards' (1466–1536) [better known as Erasmus]
collection of annotated Adagia (1508). In appearance wise, but not
necessarily so.
|
Beata
Virgo Maria (BVM)
|
Blessed
Virgin Mary
|
A
common name in the Roman
Catholic Church
for Mary,
the mother of Jesus.
The genitive,
Beatae Mariae Virginis (BMV), occurs often as well,
appearing with such words as horae (hours), litaniae
(litany)
and officium
(office).
|
beatae
memoriae
|
of
blessed memory
|
See
in memoriam.
|
beati
pauperes spiritu
|
Blessed
in spirit [are] the poor.
|
Vulgate,
Matthew
5:3.
The full quote is "beati pauperes spiritu quoniam ipsorum
est regnum caelorum" ("Blessed in spirit [are] the
poor, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens" - one of the
Beatitudes).
|
beati
possidentes
|
blessed
[are] those who possess
|
Translated
from Euripides.
|
beatus
homo qui invenit sapientiam
|
blessed
is the man who finds wisdom
|
from
Proverbs
3:13;
set to music in a 1577 motet
of the same name by Orlando
di Lasso.
|
bella
gerant alii
|
let
others wage war
|
Originally
from the Habsburg
marriages of 1477 and 1496, written as bella gerant alii tu
felix Austria nube (let others wage war; you, fortunate
Austria, marry). Said by King
Matthias
|
bellum
omnium contra omnes
|
war
of all against all
|
A
phrase used by Thomas
Hobbes
to describe the state
of nature.
|
bibo
ergo sum
|
I
drink, therefore I am
|
|
bis
dat qui cito dat
|
he
gives twice, who gives promptly
|
Thus
a gift that is given quickly without hesitation is worth twice as
much.
|
bis
in die (bid)
|
twice
in a day
|
Medical
shorthand
for "twice a day".
|
bona
fide
|
in
good
faith
|
In
other words, "well-intentioned", "fairly". In
modern contexts, often has connotations of "genuinely"
or "sincerely". Bona fides is not the plural
(which would be bonis fidebus), but the nominative,
and means simply "good faith". Opposite of mala fide.
|
bona
notabilia
|
—
|
In
law, if a person dying has goods, or good debts, in another
diocese or jurisdiction within that province, besides his goods in
the diocese where he dies, amounting to a certain minimum value,
he is said to have bona notabilia; in which case, the
probat of his will belongs to the archbishop of that province.
|
bona
officia
|
good
services
|
A
nation's offer to mediate in disputes between two other nations.
|
bona
patria
|
—
|
A
jury or assize of countrymen, or good neighbors.
|
bona
vacantia
|
vacant
goods
|
United
Kingdom legal term for ownerless property that passes to The
Crown.
|
boni
pastoris est tondere pecus non deglubere
|
It
is of a good shepherd to shear his flock, not to flay them.
|
Tiberius
reportedly said this to his regional commanders, as a warning
against taxing the populace excessively.
|
bonum
commune communitatis
|
common
good of the community
|
Or
"general welfare". Refers to what benefits a society, as
opposed to bonum commune hominis, which refers to what is
good for an individual.
|
bonum
commune hominis
|
common
good of a man
|
Refers
to an individual's happiness, which is not "common" in
that it serves everyone, but in that individuals tend to be able
to find happiness in similar things.
|
busillis
|
—
|
Pseudo-Latin
meaning "baffling puzzle" or "difficult point".
John
of Cornwall
(ca. 1170) was once asked by a scribe what the word meant. It
turns out that the original text said in diebus illis magnis
plenæ (in those days there were plenty of great things),
which the scribe misread as indie busillis magnis plenæ
(in India there were plenty of large busillis). C
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
cacoethes
scribendi
|
bad
habit of writing
|
From
Satires
of Juvenal.
An insatiable urge to write. Hypergraphia
|
Caedite
eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius.
|
Kill
them. For the Lord knows those who are his.
|
Supposed
statement by Abbot Arnaud
Amalric
before the massacre of Béziers
during the Albigensian
Crusade,
recorded 30 years later, according to Caesar
of Heisterbach.
|
cadavera
vero innumera
|
truly
countless bodies
|
Used
by the Romans to describe the aftermath of the Battle
of the Catalaunian Plains.
|
caetera
desunt
|
the
rest is wanting
|
|
calix
meus inebrians
|
my
cup makes me drunk
|
|
camera
obscura
|
dark
chamber
|
An
optical device used in drawing, and an ancestor of modern
photography.
The source of the word camera.
|
canes
pugnaces
|
war
dogs"
or "fighting
dogs
|
|
canis
canem edit
|
dog
eats dog
|
Refers
to a situation where nobody is safe from anybody, each man for
himself.
|
capax
infiniti
|
capable
of the infinite
|
a
term referring (at least) to some Christian doctrines of the
incarnation of the Son of God when it asserts that humanity is
capable of housing full divinity within its finite frame. Related
to the Docetic heresy and sometimes a counterpoint to the Reformed
'extracalvinisticum.'
|
caput
inter nubila (condit)
|
head
in the clouds
|
So
aggrandized as to be beyond practical (earthly) reach or
understanding (from Virgil's
Aeneid
and the shorter form appears in John
Locke's
Two Treatises of Government)
|
Caritas
Christi
|
The
love of Christ
|
It
implies a command to love as Christ loved. Motto of St. Franicis
Xavier High School located in West
Meadowlark Park (Edmonton).
|
carpe
diem
|
seize
the day
|
An
exhortation to live for today. From Horace,
Odes I, 11.8. By far the most common translation is "seize
the day", though carpere normally means something more
like "pluck", and the allusion here is to picking
flowers. The phrase collige virgo rosas has a similar
sense.
|
carpe
noctem
|
seize
the night
|
An
exhortation to make good use of the night, often used when carpe
diem, q.v., would seem absurd, e.g., when observing a deep
sky object
or conducting a Messier
marathon.
|
Carthago
delenda est
|
Carthage
must be destroyed
|
From
Roman senator Cato
the Elder,
who ended every speech of his between the second and third Punic
Wars
with ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam, literally
"For the rest, I am of the opinion that Carthage is to be
destroyed." Other translations include "In conclusion, I
declare that Carthage must be destroyed." and "Furthermore,
I move for Carthage to be destroyed."
|
casus
belli
|
event
of war
|
Refers
to an incident that is the justification or case for war.
|
causa
mortis
|
cause
of death
|
|
cave
|
beware!
|
especially
used by doctors
of medicine,
when they want to warn each other (e.g.: "cave
nephrolithiases"
in order to warn about side effects of an uricosuric).
Spoken aloud in some British public schools by pupils to warn each
other of impending authority.
|
cave
canem
|
beware
of the dog
|
Found
written on floor mosaics depicting a dog, at the entrance of Roman
houses excavated at Pompeii.
|
cave
laborem
|
beware
of work
|
|
cave
nil vino
|
beware
of running out of wine
|
|
caveat
emptor
|
let
the buyer beware
|
The
purchaser is responsible for checking whether the goods suit his
need.
|
caveat
lector
|
let
the reader beware
|
Used
when the writer does not vouch for the accuracy of a text.
Probably a recent alteration of caveat emptor.
|
caveat
subscriptor
|
let
the signer beware
|
The
person signing a document is responsible for reading the
information about the what the document entails before entering
into an agreement.
|
caveat
venditor
|
let
the seller beware
|
The
person selling goods is responsible for providing information
about the goods to the purchaser.
|
caveat
utilitor
|
let
the user beware
|
The
user is responsible for checking whether the goods suit his need.
|
Cedant
arma togae
|
let
arms yield to the gown
|
"Let
military power yield to civilian power", Cicero,
De
Officiis.
See Toga,
it:Cedant
arma togae
|
celerius
quam asparagi cocuntur
|
more
swiftly than asparagus
is cooked
|
Or
simply "faster than cooking asparagus". A variant of the
Roman phrase velocius quam asparagi coquantur, using a
different adverb and an alternate mood and spelling of coquere.
|
cepi
corpus
|
I
got the body
|
In
law, it is a return made by the sheriff, upon a capias, or
other process to the like purpose; signifying, that he has taken
the body of the party.
|
certum
est quod certum reddi potest
|
It
is certain if it is capable of being rendered certain
|
Often
used in law when something is not known, but can be ascertained
(e.g. the purchase price on a sale which is to be determined by a
third-party valuer)
|
cessante
ratione legis cessat ipsa lex
|
When
the reason for the law ceases, the law itself ceases.
|
A
rule of law becomes ineffective when the reason for its
application has ceased to exist or does not correspond to the
reality anymore.
|
cetera
desunt
|
the
rest are missing
|
Also
spelled "caetera desunt".
|
ceteris
paribus
|
with
other things equal
|
Idiomatically
translated as "all other things being equal". A phrase
which rules out outside changes interfering with a situation.
|
charta
pardonationis se defendendo
|
a
paper of pardon to him who defended himself
|
The
form of a pardon for killing another man in self-defence. (see
manslaughter)
|
charta
pardonationis utlagariae
|
a
paper of pardon to the outlaw
|
The
form of a pardon of a man who is outlawed.
Also called perdonatio utlagariae.
|
Christianos
ad leones
|
[Throw
the] Christians to the lions!
|
|
Christo
et Doctrinae
|
For
Christ
and Learning
|
The
motto of Furman
University.
|
Christus
nos liberavit
|
Christ
has freed us
|
title
of volume I, book 5, chapter XI of Les
Misérables
by Victor
Hugo.
|
Christus
Rex
|
Christ
the King
|
A
Christian title for Jesus.
|
circa
(c.) or (ca.)
|
around
|
In
the sense of "approximately" or "about".
Usually used of a date.
|
circulus
in probando
|
Circle
made in testing (a premise)
|
Circular
reasoning. Similar term to circulus vitiosus.
|
circulus
vitiosus
|
vicious
circle
|
In
logic, begging
the question,
a fallacy
involving the presupposition of a proposition in one of the
premises (see petitio principii). In science, a positive
feedback
loop. In economics, a counterpart to the virtuous
circle.
|
citius
altius fortius
|
faster,
higher, stronger
|
Motto
of the modern Olympics.
|
Clamea
admittenda in itinere per atturnatum
|
|
A
writ whereby the king of England could command the justice in eyre
to admit one's claim by an attorney, who being employed in the
king's service, cannot come in person.
|
clausum
fregit
|
|
An
action of tresspass; thus called, by reason the writ demands the
person summoned to answer to wherefore he broke the close
(quare clausum fregit), i.e. why he committed such a
trespass.
|
claves
Sancti Petri
|
the
keys of Saint
Peter
|
A
symbol of the Papacy.
|
clavis
aurea
|
Golden
key
|
The
means of discovering hidden or mysterious meanings in texts,
particularly applied in theology
and alchemy.
|
clerico
admittendo
|
about
to be made a clerk
|
In
law, a writ directed to the bishop, for the admitting a clerk to a
benefice upon a ne admittas, tried, and found for the party
who procures the writ.
|
clerico
capto per statutum mercatorum
|
|
In
law, a writ for the delivery of a clerk out of prison, who is
imprisoned upon the breach of statute merchant.
|
clerico
convicto commisso gaolae in defectu ordinarii deliberando
|
|
In
law, a writ for the delivery of a clerk to his ordinary, that was
formerly convicted of felony; by reason that his ordinary did not
challenge him according to the privilege of clerks.
|
clerico
intra sacros ordines constituto non eligendo in officium
|
|
In
law, a writ directed to the bailiffs, etc, that have thrust a
bailiwick
or beadleship
upon one in holy orders; charging them to release him.
|
Codex
Iuris Canonici
|
Book
of Canon
Law
|
The
official code of canon law in the Roman
Catholic Church
(cf. Corpus Iuris Canonici).
|
Coelum
non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt
|
Those
who hurry cross the sea change the sky [upon them], not their
souls or state of mind
|
Hexameter
by Horace
(Epistulae
I,
11
v.27).
Seneca
shortens it to Animum debes mutare, non caelum (You must
change [your] disposition, not [your] sky) in his Letter
to Lucilium
XXVIII,
1
|
cogito
ergo sum
|
I
think, therefore I am.
|
A
rationalistic
argument used by French philosopher René
Descartes
to attempt to prove his own existence.
|
coitus
interruptus
|
interrupted
congress
|
Aborting
sexual
intercourse
prior to ejaculation—the
only permitted form of birth
control
in some religions.
|
coitus
more ferarum
|
congress
in the way of beasts
|
A
medical euphemism for the doggy-style
sexual position.
|
collige
virgo rosas
|
pick,
girl, the roses
|
"Gather
ye rosebuds while ye may", 1909, by John
William Waterhouse.
Exhortation
to enjoy fully the youth, similar to Carpe diem, from De
rosis nascentibus
(also titled Idyllium de rosis) attributed to Ausonius
or Virgil.
|
combinatio
nova
|
new
combination
|
It
is frequently abbreviated comb. nov.. It is used in the
life
sciences
literature when a new name is introduced, e.g. Klebsiella
granulomatis
comb. nov..
|
communibus
annis
|
"in
common years"
|
One
year with another; on an average. "Common" here does not
mean "ordinary", but "common to every situation"
|
communibus
locis
|
"in
common places"
|
A
term frequently used among philosophical and other writers,
implying some medium, or mean relation between several places; one
place with another; on a medium. "Common" here does not
mean "ordinary", but "common to every situation"
|
communis
opinio
|
generally
accepted view
|
|
compos
mentis
|
in
control of the mind
|
Describes
someone of sound mind. Sometimes used ironically. Also a legal
principle, non
compos mentis
(not in control of one's faculties), used to describe an insane
person.
|
concordia
cum veritate
|
in
harmony with truth
|
Motto
of the University
of Waterloo.
|
concordia
salus
|
salvation
through harmony
|
Motto
of Montreal.
It is also the Bank
of Montreal
coat of arms and motto.
|
condemnant
quod non intellegunt
|
They
condemn what they do not understand or They condemn because they
do not understand (the quod is ambiguous)
|
|
condicio
sine qua non
|
condition
without which not
|
A
required, indispensable condition. Commonly mistakenly rendered
with conditio (seasoning" or "preserving) in
place of condicio(arrangement" or "condition).
|
confer
(cf.)
|
bring
together
|
Thus,
"compare". Used as an abbreviation in text to recommend
a comparison with another thing (cf. citation
signal).
|
Confoederatio
Helvetica (C.H.)
|
Helvetian
Confederation
|
The
official name of Switzerland, hence the use of "CH"
for its ISO
country code,
".ch"
for its Internet
domain,
and "CHF"
for the ISO three-letter abbreviation of its currency, the Swiss
franc.
|
coniunctis
viribus
|
with
connected strength
|
Or
"with united powers". Sometimes rendered conjunctis
viribus.
|
Consuetudo
pro lege servatur
|
Custom
is kept before the law
|
An
inconsistently applied maxim. See also consuetudo est altera
lex (custom is another law) and consuetudo vincit communem
legem (custom overrules the common law)
|
consummatum
est
|
It
is completed.
|
The
last words of Jesus
on the cross
in the Latin translation of John
19:30.
|
contemptus
saeculi
|
scorn
for the times
|
Despising
the secular
world. The monk
or philosopher's
rejection of a mundane life and worldly values.
|
contra
spem spero
|
hope
against hope
|
Title
of a poem by Lesya
Ukrainka
|
contradictio
in terminis
|
contradiction
in terms
|
A
word that makes itself impossible
|
contraria
contrariis curantur
|
"the
opposite is cured with the opposite"
|
First
formulated by Hippocrates
to suggest that the diseases are cured with contrary remedies.
Antonym of Similia similibus curantur (the diseases are
recovered with similar remedies. )
|
contra
bonos mores
|
against
good morals
|
Offensive
to the conscience and to a sense of justice.
|
contra
legem
|
against
the law
|
|
cor
ad cor loquitur
|
heart
speaks to heart
|
From
Augustine's
Confessions,
referring to a prescribed method of prayer: having a "heart
to heart" with God. Commonly used in reference to a later
quote by John
Henry Cardinal Newman.
A motto of Newman Clubs.
|
cor
aut mors
|
Heart
or Death
|
(Your
choice is between) The Heart (Moral Values, Duty, Loyalty) or
Death (to stop exist, to no longer matter, to no longer be
respected as person of integrity.)
|
cor
meum tibi offero domine prompte et sincere
|
my
heart I offer to you Lord promptly and sincerely
|
motto
of Calvin
College
|
cor
unum
|
one
heart
|
A
popular school motto. Often used as names for religious and other
organisations such as the Pontifical
Council Cor Unum.
|
coram
Deo
|
in
the Presence of God
|
A
phrase from Christian
theology
which summarizes the idea of Christians
living in the Presence of, under the authority of, and to the
honor and glory of God.
|
coram
populo
|
in
the presence of the people
|
Thus,
openly.
|
coram
nobis,
coram vobis
|
in
our presence, in your presence
|
Two
kinds of writs
of error.
|
Corpus
Christi
|
Body
of Christ
|
The
name of a feast
in the Roman
Catholic Church
commemorating the Eucharist.
It is also the name of a city in Texas, Corpus
Christi, Texas,
and a controversial play.
|
corpus
delicti
|
body
of the offence
|
The
fact that a crime has been committed, a necessary factor in
convicting someone of having committed that crime; if there was no
crime, there can not have been a criminal.
|
Corpus
Iuris Canonici
|
Body
of Canon
Law
|
The
official compilation of canon law in the Roman
Catholic Church
(cf. Codex Iuris Canonici).
|
Corpus
Iuris Civilis
|
Body
of Civil Law
|
The
body of Roman
or civil
law.
|
corpus
vile
|
worthless
body
|
A
person or thing fit only to be the object of an experiment.
|
corrigenda
|
things
to be corrected
|
|
corruptio
optimi pessima
|
the
corruption of the best is the worst
|
|
corruptus
in extremis
|
corrupt
to the extreme
|
Motto
of the fictional Springfield Mayor Office in The
Simpsons
TV-Show
|
Corruptissima
re publica plurimae leges
|
When
the republic is at its most corrupt the laws are most numerous
|
Tacitus
|
Cras
amet qui nunquam amavit; quique amavit, cras amet
|
May
he love tomorrow who has never loved before; And may he who has
loved, love tomorrow as well
|
It's
the refrain from the 'Pervigilium Veneris', a poem which describes
a three day holiday in the cult of Venus, located somewhere in
Sicily, involving the whole town in religious festivities joined
with a deep sense of nature and Venus as the "procreatrix",
the life-giving force behind the natural world.
|
Credo
in Unum Deum
|
I
Believe in One God
|
The
first words of the The
Nicene Creed
and the Apostles'
Creed.
|
credo
quia absurdum est
|
I
believe it because it is absurd
|
A
very common misquote of Tertullian's
et mortuus est Dei Filius prorsus credibile quia ineptum est
(and the Son of God is dead: in short, it is credible because it
is unfitting), meaning that it is so absurd to say that God's son
has died that it would have to be a matter of belief, rather than
reason. The misquoted phrase, however, is commonly used to mock
the dogmatic
beliefs of the religious (see fideism).
This phrase is commonly shortened to credo quia absurdum,
and is also sometimes rendered credo quia impossibile est
(I believe it because it is impossible)or, as Darwin used it in
his autobiography, credo quia incredibile.
|
crescamus
in Illo per omina
|
May
we grow in Him through all things
|
Motto
of Cheverus
High School.
|
crescat
scientia vita excolatur
|
let
knowledge grow, let life be enriched
|
Motto
of the University
of Chicago.
|
crescit
eundo
|
it
grows as it goes
|
State
motto
of New
Mexico,
adopted in 1887 as the territory's motto, and kept in 1912 when
New Mexico received statehood. Originally from Lucretius'
De
rerum natura
book VI, where it refers in context to the motion of a thunderbolt
across the sky, which acquires power and momentum as it goes.
|
cruci
dum spiro fido
|
while
I live, I trust in the cross, Whilst I trust in the Cross I have
life
|
Motto
of the Sisters
of Loreto
(IBVM) and its associated schools.
|
cucullus
non facit monachum
|
The
hood does not make the monk
|
William
Shakespeare,
Twelfth
Night,
Scene I, Act V 48–50
|
cui
bono
|
Good
for whom?
|
"Who
benefits?" An adage
in criminal investigation which suggests that considering who
would benefit from an unwelcome event is likely to reveal who is
responsible for that event (cf. cui prodest). Also the
motto of the Crime
Syndicate of America,
a fictional supervillain group. The opposite is cui malo
(Bad for whom?).
|
cui
prodest
|
for
whom it advances
|
Short
for cui prodest scelus is fecit (for whom the crime
advances, he has done it) in Seneca's
Medea. Thus, the murderer is often the one who gains by the
murder (cf. cui bono).
|
cuius
est solum eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos
|
Whose
the land is, all the way to the sky and to the underworld
is his.
|
First
coined by Accursius of Bologna in the 13th century. A Roman
legal
principle of property
law
that is no longer observed in most situations today. Less
literally, "For whosoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to
the sky and down to the depths."
|
cuius
regio, eius religio
|
whose
region, his religion
|
The
privilege of a ruler to choose the religion of his subjects. A
regional prince's ability to choose his people's religion was
established at the Peace
of Augsburg
in 1555.
|
Cuiusvis
hominis est errare, nullius nisi insipientis in errore
perseverare.
|
Anyone
can err, but only the fool persists in his fault
|
— Marcus
Tullius Cicero, Philippica XII, ii, 5.
|
culpa
|
fault
|
Also
"blame" or "guilt".
In law, an act of neglect. In general, guilt, sin, or a fault. See
also mea
culpa.
|
cum
gladiis et fustibus
|
with
swords and clubs
|
From
the Bible. Occurs in Matthew
26:47
and Luke
22:52.
|
cum
gladio et sale
|
with
sword and salt
|
Motto
of a well-paid soldier. See salary.
|
cum
grano salis
|
with
a grain
of salt
|
Not
to be taken too seriously or as the literal truth.
Yes,
the brochure made it sound great, but such claims should be taken
cum grano salis.
|
cum
hoc ergo prompter hoc
|
with
this, therefore on account of this
|
"Correlation
does not imply causation."
|
cum
laude
|
with
praise
|
The
standard formula for academic Latin
honors
in the United States. Greater honors include magna cum laude
and summa cum laude.
|
cum
mortuis in lingua mortua
|
with
the dead in a dead language
|
Movement
from Pictures
at an Exhibition
by Modest
Mussorgsky
|
cura
personalis
|
care
for the whole person
|
|
cura
te ipsum
|
take
care of your own self
|
An
exhortation to physicians,
or experts in general, to deal with their own problems before
addressing those of others.
|
cur
Deus Homo
|
Why
the God/Man
|
The
question attributed to Anselm in his work of by this name, wherein
he reflects on why the Christ of Christianity must be both fully
Divine and fully Human. Often translated "why did God become
Man?"
|
curriculum
vitae
|
course
of life
|
A
résumé.
|
custos
morum
|
keeper
of morals
|
A
censor.
|
cygnis
insignis
|
distinguished
by its swans
|
Motto
of Western
Australia.
|
cygnus
inter anates
|
swan
among ducks
|
|
|
D
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
Da
mihi factum, dabo tibi ius
|
Give
me the fact(s), I'll give you the law
|
also:
Da mihi facta, dabo tibi ius; legal principle based on
Roman
law;
parties should present the facts of a case while the judge rules
on the law. Related to iura novit curia (the court knows
the law).
|
damnatio
memoriae
|
damnation
of memory
|
A
Roman custom in which disgraced Romans (particularly former
Emperors) were pretended to have never existed.
|
damnum
absque injuria
|
damage
without injury
|
A
loss that results from no one's wrongdoing. In Roman
law,
a man is not responsible for unintended, consequential injury to
another resulting from a lawful act. This protection does not
necessarily apply to unintended damage by negligence or folly.
|
data
venia
|
with
due respect" or "given the excuse
|
Used
before disagreeing with someone.
|
dat
deus incrementum
|
God
grants the increase
|
Motto
of Westminster
School,
a leading British independent school.
|
de
bonis asportatis
|
carrying
goods away
|
Trespass
de bonis asportatis was the traditional name for larceny,
or wrongful taking of chattels.
|
Decus
Et Tutamen
|
An
ornament and a safeguard
|
Inscription
on one
pound coins.
Originally on 17th century coins, it refers to the inscribed edge
as a protection against the clipping
of precious metal. The phrase originally comes from Virgil's
Aeneid.
|
descensus
in cuniculi cavum
|
The
descent into the cave of the rabbit
|
Down
the Rabbit Hole (see: Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland#Famous lines and expressions.
|
de
dato
|
of
the date
|
Used
in the context of "As we agreed in the meeting d.d.26th Mai
2006.
|
de
facto
|
in
fact
|
Said
of something that is the actual state
of affairs,
in contrast to something's legal or official standing, which is
described as de jure. De facto refers to the "way
things really are" rather than what is "officially"
presented as the fact.
Although
the emperor held the title and trappings of head of state, the
Shogun
was the de facto ruler of Japan.
|
de
fideli
|
with
faithfulness
|
A
clerk makes the declaration De fideli on when appointed, promising
to do his or her tasks faithfully as a servant of the court.
|
de
futuro
|
regarding
the future
|
Usually
used in the context of "at a future time"
|
de
gustibus non est disputandum
|
there
is not to be discussion regarding tastes
|
Less
literally "In matters of taste there is no dispute" or
simply "There's no arguing taste". Likely of Scholastic
origin (see Wiktionary).
A
related expression in English is "There's
no accounting for taste".
Bartlett's
Familiar Quotations, without attribution, renders the phrase as de
gustibus non disputandum; the verb "to be" is often
assumed in Latin, and is rarely required.
An
alternative form is de
gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum
– "There's no arguing about tastes and colors."
|
de
integro
|
again,
a second time
|
|
de
jure
|
by
law
|
"Official",
in contrast with de facto. Analogous to "in
principle", whereas de facto is to "in practice".
In other contexts, can mean "according to law", "by
right" or "legally". Also commonly written de
iure, the classical
form.
|
de
lege ferenda
|
from
law to be passed
|
|
de
lege lata
|
from
law passed" or "by law in force
|
|
de
minimis
non curat lex
|
The
law does not bother with the smallest things.
|
The
court does not want to bother with small, trivial things. A case
must have importance for the court to hear it. See "de
minimis not curat praetor".
|
de
minimis
non curat praetor
|
The
commander does not bother with the smallest things.
|
Also
"The chief magistrate does not concern himself with trifles."
Trivial matters are no concern of a high official (cf. aquila
non capit muscas, the eagle does not catch flies). Sometimes
rex (the king) or lex (the law) is used in place of
praetor,
and de minimis is a legal term referring to things unworthy
of the law's attention.
|
de
mortuis aut bene aut nihil
|
about
the dead, either well or nothing
|
Less
literally, "speak well of the dead or not at all" (cf.
de mortuis nil nisi bonum).
|
de
mortuis nil nisi bonum
|
about
the dead, nothing unless a good thing
|
From
de mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est, "nothing must
be said about the dead except the good", attributed by
Diogenes
Laertius
to Chilon.
In legal contexts, this quotation is used with the opposite
meaning, as defaming a deceased person is not a crime. In other
contexts, it refers to taboos
against criticizing the recently deceased.
|
de
nobis fabula narratur
|
about
us is the story told
|
Thus,
"their story is our story". Originally referred to the
end of Rome's dominance. Now often used when comparing any current
situation to a past story or historical event.
|
de
novo
|
from
the new
|
"Anew"
or "afresh". In law, a trial
de novo
is a retrial. In biology, de novo means newly-synthesized,
and a de
novo mutation
is a mutation that neither parent possessed or transmitted. In
economics, de novo refers to newly-founded companies, and
de novo banks are state
banks
that have been in operation for five years or less.
|
de
omnibus dubitandum
|
be
suspicious of everything, doubt everything
|
Karl
Marx's
favorite motto. He used this to explain his standpoint: "Critique
everything in a capitalist economy".
|
de
omni re scibili et quibusdam aliis
|
about
every knowable thing, and even certain other things
|
A
15th-century Italian scholar wrote the De omni re scibili
portion, and a wag added et quibusdam aliis.
|
De
Oppresso Liber
|
Free
From Having Been Oppressed
|
Commonly
mistranslated as "To Liberate the Oppressed". The motto
of the United
States Army Special Forces.
|
de
profundis
|
from
the depths
|
Out
of the depths of misery or dejection. From the Latin translation
of Psalm 130.
|
de
re
|
about
the matter
|
In
logic, de
dicto
statements (about the truth of a proposition) are distinguished
from de re statements (about the properties of a thing
itself).
|
Dei
Gratia Regina
|
By
the Grace of God, Queen
|
Also
Dei Gratia Rex (By the Grace of God, King). Abbreviated as
D G REG preceding Fidei Defensor (F D) on British
pounds,
and as D G Regina on Canadian
coins.
|
Dei
sub numine viget
|
under
God's Spirit she flourishes
|
Motto
of Princeton
University.
|
delectatio
morosa
|
peevish
delight
|
In
Catholic theology, a pleasure taken in sinful thought or
imagination, such as brooding on sexual images. It is distinct
from actual sexual desire, and involves voluntary and complacent
erotic fantasizing, without any attempt to suppress such thoughts.
|
deliriant
isti Romani
|
They
are mad, those Romans!
|
A
translation into Latin from René
Goscinny's
"ils sont fous, ces romains!", frequently issued
by Obelix
in the Asterix
comics.
|
Deo
ac veritati
|
God
and Truth
|
Motto
of Colgate
University.
|
Deo
domuique
|
for
God and for home
|
Motto
of Methodist
Ladies' College, Melbourne.
|
Deo
et Patriae
|
for
God and Country
|
Motto
of Regis
High School.
|
Deo
gratias
|
thanks
[be] to God
|
The
semi-Hispanicized form Deogracias is a Philippine first
name.
|
Deo
Optimo Maximo (DOM)
|
To
the Best and Greatest God
|
Derived
from the Pagan Iupiter Optimo Maximo (To the best and
greatest Jupiter).
Printed on bottles of Bénédictine
liqueur.
|
Deo
vindice
|
with
God as protector
|
Motto
of the Confederate
States of America.
An alternate translation is "With an avenging God".
|
Deo
volente
|
with
God willing
|
This
was often used in conjunction with a signature at the end of
letters. It was used in order to signify that "God willing"
this letter will get to you safely, "God willing" the
contents of this letter come true.
|
deus
caritas est
|
God
is Love
|
The
first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI.
|
deus
ex machina
|
a
god from a machine
|
From
the Greek
ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός (Apò mēchanēs
Theós). A contrived or artificial solution, usually to
a literary plot. Refers to the practice in Greek drama of lowering
by machine an actor playing a god or goddess, typically either
Athena
or (as in Euripides)
the Dioscuri
onto the stage to resolve an insuperable conflict in the plot.
|
Deus
vult
|
God
wills it!
|
The
principal slogan of the Crusades.
|
deus
otiosus
|
God
at leisure
|
|
Dicto
simpliciter
|
[From]
a maxim, simply
|
I.e.
"From a rule without exception." Short for A dicto
simpliciter, the a often being dropped by confusion
with the indefinite article. A dicto simpliciter occurs when an
acceptable exception is ignored or eliminated. For instance, the
appropriateness of using opiates is dependent on the presence of
extreme pain. To justify the recreational use of opiates by
referring to a cancer patient or to justify arresting said cancer
patient by comparing him to the recreational user would be a dicto
simpliciter.
|
dictum
meum pactum
|
my
word [is] my bond
|
Motto
of the London
Stock Exchange
|
diem
perdidi
|
I
have lost the day
|
From
the Roman Emperor Titus.
Passed down in Suetonius's
biography of him in Lives
of the Twelve Caesars
(8)
|
Diem
Ex Dei
|
Day
of God
|
|
Dies
Irae
|
Day
of Wrath
|
Refers
to the Judgment
Day
in Christian
eschatology.
The name of a famous 13th-century Medieval Latin hymn by Tommaso
da Celano,
used in the Mass for the dead.
|
Dies
non juridicum
|
Day
without judiciary
|
Days
under common
law
(traditionally Sunday) in which no legal process can be served and
any judgment is void. This concept was first codified by the
English
Parliament
in the reign of Charles
II.
|
differentia
specifica
|
specific
differences
|
|
dirigo
|
I
direct
|
In
Classical
Latin,
"I arrange". State
motto
of Maine.
Based on a comparison of the state of Maine to the star Polaris.
|
dis
aliter visum
|
it
seemed otherwise to the gods
|
In
other words, the gods have different plans than mortals, and so
events do not always play out as people wish them to.
|
dis
manibus sacrum (D.M.S.)
|
Sacred
to the ghost-gods
|
Refers
to the Manes,
Roman spirits of the dead. Loosely "To the memory of". A
conventional inscription preceding the name of the deceased on
pagan grave markings, often shortened to dis manibus
(D.M.), "for the ghost-gods". Preceded in some earlier
monuments by hic situs est (H. S. E.), "he lies here".
|
Disce
aut Discede
|
Learn
or Depart
|
Motto
of Royal
College, Colombo.
|
disce
quasi semper victurus vive quasi cras moriturus
|
Learn
as if always going to live; live as if tomorrow going to die.
|
Attributed
to St
Edmund of Abingdon.
|
discipuli
nostri bardissimi sunt
|
Our
students are the stupidest
|
|
disjecta
membra
|
scattered
limbs
|
That
is, "scattered remains". Paraphrased from Horace,
Satires,
I, 4, 62, where it was written "disiecti membra poetae"
(limbs of a scattered poet). Also written as disiecta membra.
|
ditat
Deus
|
God
enriches
|
State
motto
of Arizona,
adopted in 1911. Probably derived from the Vulgate's
translation of Genesis
14:23.
|
divide
et impera
|
divide
and rule
|
A
Roman
maxim adopted by Julius
Caesar,
Louis
XI
and Machiavelli.
Commonly rendered "divide
and conquer".
|
dixi
|
I
have spoken
|
A
popular eloquent
expression, usually used in the end of a speech. The implied
meaning is: "I have said all that I had to say and thus the
argument is settled".
|
["...",
...] dixit
|
["...",
...] said
|
Used
to attribute a statement or opinion to its author, rather than the
speaker.
|
do
ut des
|
I
give that you may give
|
Often
said or written for sacrifices, when one "gives" and
expects something back from the gods.
|
Docendo
discitur
|
It
is learned by teaching
|
Also
translated "One learns by teaching." Attributed to
Seneca
the Younger.
|
Docendo
disco, scribendo cogito
|
I
learn by teaching, think by writing.
|
|
dolus
specialis
|
special
intent
|
"The
... concept is particular to a few civil law systems and cannot
sweepingly be equated with the notions of ‘special’ or
‘specific intent’ in common law systems. Of course, the same
might equally be said of the concept of ‘specific intent,’ a
notion used in the common law almost exclusively within the
context of the defense of voluntary intoxication."—Genocide
scholar William Schabas3
|
Domine
dirige nos
|
Lord
guide us
|
Motto
of the City
of London.
|
Dominus
Illuminatio Mea
|
the
Lord is my light
|
Motto
of the University
of Oxford.
|
Dominus
vobiscum
|
Lord
be with you
|
Phrase
used during and at the end of Catholic sermons, and a general
greeting form among and towards members of Catholic organizations,
such as priests and nuns. See also pax vobiscum.
|
dona
nobis pacem
|
give
us peace
|
Often
set to music, either by itself or as part of the Agnus
Dei
prayer of the Mass (see above). Also an ending in the video game
Haunting
Ground.
|
donatio
mortis causa
|
giving
in expectation of death
|
A
legal concept where a person in imminent mortal danger need not
meet the requisite consideration
to create or modify a will.
|
draco
dormiens nunquam titillandus
|
a
sleeping dragon is never to be tickled
|
Motto
of the fictional Hogwarts
school in the Harry
Potter
series; translated more loosely in the books as "never tickle
a sleeping dragon".
|
dramatis
personae
|
the
parts of the play
|
More
literally, "the masks of the drama"; more figuratively,
"cast of characters". The characters represented in a
dramatic work.
|
Duae
tabulae rasae in quibus nihil scriptum est
|
Two
blank slates with nothing written upon them
|
Stan
Laurel,
inscription for the fanclub logo Sons
of the Desert.
|
Ducunt
volentem fata, nolentem trahunt
|
The
fates lead the willing and drag the unwilling
|
Attributed
to Lucius
Annaeus Seneca.
|
Ductus
exemplo
|
Leadership
by Example
|
This
is the motto for the United States Marine Corps' Officer
Candidates School located at Marine Corps Base Quantico; Quantico,
Virginia.
|
dulce
bellum inexpertis
|
war
is sweet to the inexperienced
|
War
may seem pleasant to those who have never been involved in it,
though the more experienced know better. A phrase from Erasmus
in the 16th century.
|
dulce
et decorum est pro patria mori
|
It
is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland.
|
From
Horace,
Odes III, 2, 13. Used by Wilfred
Owen
for the title of a poem about World War I, Dulce
et Decorum Est.
|
dulce
et utile
|
a
sweet and useful thing
|
Horace
wrote in his Ars
Poetica
that poetry must be dulce et utile (pleasant and
profitable), both enjoyable and instructive.
|
dulce
periculum
|
danger
is sweet
|
Horace,
Odes III, 25, 16. Motto of the Scottish clan Clan
MacAulay.
|
Dulcius
ex asperis
|
sweeter
after difficulties
|
Motto
of the Scottish
clan
Clan
Fergusson.4
|
dum
spiro spero
|
while
I breathe, I hope
|
State
motto
of South
Carolina.
From Cicero.
|
dum
Roma deliberat Saguntum perit
|
while
Rome debates, Saguntum
is in danger
|
Used
when someone has been asked for urgent help, but responds with no
immediate action. Similar to Hannibal ante portas, but
referring to a less personal danger.
|
dum
vivimus servimus
|
While
we live, we serve
|
motto
of Presbyterian
College.
|
dura
lex sed lex
|
the
law [is] harsh, but [it is] the law
|
|
dura
mater
|
tough
mother
|
Outer
covering of the brain.
|
dum
vita est, spes est
|
while
there is life, there is hope
|
|
dux
bellorum
|
War
leader
|
|
E
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
e
pluribus unum
|
'From
many, (comes) One.'
|
Usually
translated 'Out of many, (is) One.' Motto of the United
States of America.
Inscribed on the Capitol and many coins used in the United States
of America. Also used as the motto of S.L.
Benfica.
|
Ecce
Homo
|
'Behold
the Man'
|
From
the Latin Vulgate Gospel
according to St. John
(XIX.v)
(19.5,
Douay-Rheims),
where Pilate
speaks these words as he presents Christ,
crowned with thorns, to the crowd. It is also the title of
Nietzsche's
autobiography and of the theme music by Howard
Goodall
for the BBC comedy Mr.
Bean.
Oscar
Wilde
opened his defense with this phrase when on trial for pederasty.
|
editio
princeps
|
'first
edition'
|
The
first printed edition of a work.
|
e.g.
|
'for
the sake of example'
|
Abbreviation
for exempli
gratia,
below.
Often
confused with id
est
(i.e.)[1].
e.g. is used to introduce one or more examples.
|
Ego
non
|
'not
I'
|
|
ego
te absolvo
|
'I
absolve you'
|
Part
of the absolution-formula
spoken by a priest
as part of the sacrament of Penance
(cf. absolvo).
|
ego
te provoco
|
'I
dare you'
|
|
emeritus
|
'veteran'
|
Also
'worn-out'. Retired from office. Often used to denote a position
held at the point of retirement, as an honor, such as professor
emeritus or provost emeritus. This does not necessarily
mean that the honoree is no longer active.
|
ens
causa sui
|
'existing
because of oneself'
|
Or
'being one's own cause'. Traditionally, a being that owes its
existence to no other being, hence God
or a Supreme
Being
(cf. Primum
Mobile).
|
ense
petit placidam sub libertate quietem
|
'by
the sword she seeks gentle peace under liberty'
|
State
motto
of Massachusetts,
adopted in 1775.
|
entitas
ipsa involvit aptitudinem ad extorquendum certum assensum
|
'reality
involves a power to compel sure assent'
|
A
phrase used in modern Western philosophy on the nature of truth.
|
eo
ipso
|
'by
that very act'
|
Technical
term used in philosophy and the law. It means 'by that very act';
similar to ipso
facto.
Example: "The fact that I am does not eo ipso mean
that I think." From Latin eo ipso, ablative
form of id ipsum, "that (thing) itself".
|
equo
ne credite
|
'do
not trust the horse'
|
Virgil,
Aeneid,
II.
48-49
(Latin)
|
eo
nomine
|
'by
that name'
|
|
ergo
|
'therefore'
|
Denotes
a logical conclusion (cf. cogito
ergo sum).
|
erga
omnes
|
'in
relation to everyone'
|
|
errare
humanum est
|
'to
err is human'
|
From
Seneca
the Younger.
The full quote is errare humanum est, sed perseverare
diabolicum: 'to err is human, but to persist is diabolical.'
|
erratum
|
'error'
|
Or
'mistake'. Lists of errors in a previous edition of a work are
often marked with the plural, errata ('errors').
|
esse
est percipi
|
'to
be is to be perceived'
|
George
Berkeley's
motto for his idealist
philosophical position that nothing exists independently of its
perception by a mind except minds themselves.
|
esse
quam videri
|
'to
be, rather than to seem'
|
Truly
being something, rather than merely seeming to be something. State
motto
of North
Carolina
and academic motto of several schools, including North
Carolina State University,
Berklee
College of Music,
and Columbia
College Chicago
as well as Connell's Point Public School and Cranbrook High School
in Sydney, Australia. From chapter 26 of Cicero's
De amicitia ('On Friendship'). Earlier than Cicero, the
phrase had been used by Sallust
in his Bellum Catilinae (54.6), where he wrote that Cato
esse quam videri bonus malebat ('he preferred to be good,
rather than to seem so'). Earlier still, Aeschylus
used a similar phrase in Seven Against Thebes, line 592, ou
gar dokein aristos, all' enai thelei ('his resolve is not to
seem the best, but in fact to be the best').
|
esto
perpetua
|
'may
it be perpetual'
|
Said
of Venice
by the Venetian historian Fra Paolo
Sarpi
shortly before his death. Also the state
motto
of Idaho,
adopted in 1867, and of S.
Thomas' College,
Sri Lanka.
|
et
alibi (et al.)
|
'and
elsewhere'
|
A
less common variant on et cetera used at the end of a list
of locations to denote unlisted places.
|
et
alii (et al.)
|
'and
others'
|
Used
similarly to et cetera ('and the rest'), to stand for a
list of names. Alii is actually masculine,
so it can be used for men, or groups of men and women; the
feminine, et aliae (or et aliæ), is
appropriate when the 'others' are all female. Et
alia
is neuter plural and thus properly used only for inanimate,
genderless objects, but some use it as a gender-neutral
alternative.5
APA
style
uses et al. if the work cited was written by more than six
authors; MLA
style
uses et al. for more than three authors.
|
et
cetera
(etc.) or (&c.)
|
'And
the rest'
|
In
modern usages, also used to mean 'and so on' or 'and more'.
|
et
facta est lux
|
And
light was made
|
From
Genesis
1:3 "and there was light".
|
et
hoc genus omne
|
'And
all that sort of thing'
|
Abbreviated
to e.h.g.o. or ehgo
|
etiam
si omnes... ego non
|
also
if all ones... not I
|
|
et
in Arcadia ego
|
'and
in Arcadia
[am] I'
|
In
other words, 'I, too, am in Arcadia'. See memento mori.
|
et
nunc reges intelligite erudimini qui judicati terram
|
'And
now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge
the earth.'
|
From
the
Book of Psalms,
II.x.
(Vulgate),
2.10
(Douay-Rheims).
|
et
si omnes... ego non
|
even
if all ones... not I
|
|
et
sequentes (et
seq.)
|
'and
the following'
|
Pluralized
as et sequentia ('and the following things'),
abbreviations: et seqq., et
seq..,
or sqq.
|
et
suppositio nil ponit in esse
|
'a
supposition puts nothing in being'
|
More
typically translated as either (a) "Sayin' it don't make it
so", or (b) "Hypothetically..."
|
et
tu, Brute?
|
'And
you, Brutus?'
|
Also
'Even you, Brutus?' or 'You too, Brutus?' Used to indicate a
betrayal by someone close. From Shakespeare's
Julius
Caesar,
based on the traditional dying words of Julius
Caesar.
However, these were almost certainly not Caesar's true last words;
Plutarch
quotes Caesar as saying, in Greek
(which was the language of Rome's elite at the time), καὶ σὺ
τέκνον; (Kaì sù téknon?), in
English 'You as well, (my) child?', quoting from Menander.
Some have speculated based on this that Brutus was Caesar's child,
though there is no substantial evidence of this.
|
et
uxor (et ux.)
|
'and
wife'
|
A
legal term.
|
ex
abundantia enim cordis os loquitur
|
'For
out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.'
|
From
the Gospel
according to St. Matthew,
XII.xxxiv
(Vulgate),
12.34
(Douay-Rheims)
and the Gospel
according to St. Luke,
VI.xlv
(Vulgate),
6.45
(Douay-Rheims).
Sometimes rendered without enim ('for').
|
ex
abundanti cautela
|
'from
abundant caution'
|
|
ex
aequo
|
'from
the equal'
|
'On
equal footing', i.e., 'in a tie'.
|
ex
animo
|
'from
the heart'
|
Thus,
'sincerely'.
|
ex
ante
|
'from
before'
|
'Beforehand',
'before the event'. Based on prior assumptions. A forecast.
|
Ex
Astris Scientia
|
'From
the Stars, Knowledge'
|
The
motto of the fictional Starfleet
Academy
on Star
Trek.
Adapted from ex luna scientia, which in turn was modeled
after ex scientia tridens.
|
ex
cathedra
|
'from
the chair'
|
A
phrase applied to the declarations or promulgations of the Pope
when, in communion with the college of cardinals, preserved from
the possibility of error by the action of the Holy Ghost (see
Papal
Infallibility),
he solemnly declares or promulgates ("from the chair"
that was the ancient symbol of the teacher and of the governor, in
this case of the church) a dogmatic teaching on faith or morals as
being contained in divine revelation, or at least being intimately
connected to divine revelation. Used, by extension, of anyone who
is perceived as speaking as though with supreme authority.
|
ex
Deo
|
'from
God'
|
|
ex
dolo malo
|
'from
fraud'
|
'From
harmful deceit'; dolus malus is the Latin legal term for
'fraud'. The full legal phrase is ex dolo malo non oritur actio
('an action does not arise from fraud'). When an action has its
origin in fraud or deceit, it cannot be supported; thus, a court
of law will not assist a man who bases his course of action on an
immoral or illegal act.
|
ex
facie
|
'from
the face'
|
Idiomatically
rendered 'on the face of it'. A legal term typically used to note
that a document's explicit terms are defective without further
investigation.
|
ex
fide fiducia
|
'from
faith [comes] confidence'
|
A
motto of St
George's College, Harare.
|
ex
gratia
|
'from
kindness'
|
More
literally 'from grace'. Refers to someone voluntarily performing
an act purely out of kindness, as opposed to for personal gain or
from being forced to do it. In law, an ex gratia payment is
one made without recognizing any liability
or legal obligation.
|
ex
hypothesi
|
'from
the hypothesis'
|
Thus,
'by hypothesis'.
|
ex
lege
|
'from
the law'
|
|
ex
libris
|
'from
the books'
|
Precedes
a person's name, with the meaning of 'from the library of...'
|
ex
luna scientia
|
'from
the moon, knowledge'
|
The
motto of the Apollo
13
moon mission, derived from ex scientia tridens.
|
ex
malo bonum
|
'good
out of evil'
|
From
St.
Augustine's
"Sermon LXI" where he contradicts Seneca's
dictum in Epistulae
87:22:
bonum ex malo non fit (good does not come from evil). Also:
the alias of the Anberlin
song, "Miserabile Visu" from their album New
Surrender.
|
ex
mea sententia
|
'in
my opinion'
|
|
ex
nihilo
nihil fit
|
'nothing
may come from nothing'
|
From
Lucretius,
and said earlier by Empedocles.
Its original meaning is 'work is required to succeed', but its
modern meaning is a more general 'everything has its origins in
something' (cf. causality).
It is commonly applied to the conservation
laws
in philosophy and modern science. Ex nihilo often used in
conjunction with the term creation, as in creatio ex
nihilo, meaning 'creation, out of nothing'. It is often used
in philosophy or theology in connection with the proposition that
God created the universe from nothing. It is also mentioned in the
final ad-lib
of the Monty
Python
song Always
Look on the Bright Side of Life.
|
ex
oblivione
|
'from
oblivion'
|
The
title of a short story by H.P.
Lovecraft.
|
ex
officio
|
'from
the office'
|
By
virtue of office or position; 'by right of office'. Often used
when someone holds one position by virtue of holding another. A
common misconception is that ex officio members of a
committee or congress may not vote, but this is not guaranteed by
that title.
|
ex
opere operantis
|
'from
the work of the one working'
|
A
theological phrase contrasted with ex
opere operato,
referring to the notion that the validity or promised benefit of a
sacrament
depends on the person administering it.
|
ex
opere operato
|
'from
the work worked'
|
A
theological phrase meaning that the act of receiving a sacrament
actually confers the promised benefit, such as a baptism
actually and literally cleansing one's sins.
The Catholic
Church
affirms that the source of grace is God, not just the actions or
disposition of the minister or the recipient of the sacrament.
|
ex
oriente lux
|
'from
the East, the light'
|
Originally
refers to the sun rising in the east, but alludes to culture
coming from the Eastern world.
Motto
of Viadrina
European University
and others.
|
ex
parte
|
'from
a part'
|
A
legal
term
meaning 'by one party' or 'for one party'. Thus, on behalf of one
side or party only.
|
ex
pede Herculem
|
'from
Hercules' foot'
|
From
the measure of Hercules' foot you shall know his size; from a
part, the whole.
|
ex
post
|
'from
after'
|
'Afterward',
'after the event'. Based on knowledge of the past. Measure of past
performance.
|
ex
post facto
|
'from
a thing done afterward'
|
Said
of a law with retroactive effect.
|
ex
professo
|
'with
due competence'
|
Said
of the person who perfectly knows his art or science.
|
ex
scientia tridens
|
'from
knowledge, sea power.'
|
The
United
States Naval Academy
motto. Refers to knowledge bringing men power over the sea
comparable to that of the trident-bearing
Greek god Poseidon.
|
ex
scientia vera
|
'from
knowledge, truth.'
|
The
motto of the College of Graduate Studies at Middle
Tennessee State University.
|
ex
silentio
|
'from
silence'
|
In
general, the claim that the absence of something demonstrates the
proof of a proposition. An argumentum ex silentio
('argument
from silence')
is an argument based on the assumption that someone's silence on a
matter suggests ('proves' when a logical
fallacy)
that person's ignorance of the matter or their inability to
counterargue validly.
|
ex
tempore
|
'from
time'
|
'This
instant', 'right away' or 'immediately'. Also written extempore.
|
ex
vi termini
|
'from
the force of the term'
|
Thus,
'by definition'.
|
ex
vivo
|
'out
of or from life'
|
Used
in reference to the study or assay of living tissue in an
artificial environment outside the living organism.
|
ex
voto
|
'from
the vow'
|
Thus,
in accordance with a promise. An ex voto is also an
offering made in fulfillment of a vow.
|
excelsior
|
'higher'
|
'Ever
upward!' The state
motto
of New
York.
Also a catch
phrase
used by Marvel
Comics
head Stan
Lee.
|
exceptio
firmat regulam in casibus non exceptis
|
'The
exception confirms the rule in cases which are not excepted'
|
A
juridical motto which means that exception,
as for example during a 'state
of exception',
does not put in danger the legitimacy of the rule in its
globality. In other words, the exception is strictly limited to a
particular sphere. See also exceptio strictissimi juris est
and exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis.
|
exceptio
probat regulam in casibus non exceptis
|
'The
exception confirms the rule in cases which are not excepted'
|
A
juridical motto often mistranslated as "the exception
that proves the rule".
See also firmat regulam in casibus non exceptis.
|
excusatio
non petita accusatio manifesta
|
'an
excuse that has not been sought is an obvious accusation'
|
More
loosely, 'he who excuses himself, accuses himself'—an unprovoked
excuse is a sign of guilt. In French,
qui s'excuse, s'accuse.
|
exeat
|
'may
he leave'
|
A
formal leave of absence (cf. exit).
|
exempli
gratia (e.g.)
|
'for
the sake of example'
|
Usually
shortened in English to 'for example' (see citation
signal).
Often confused with id
est
(i.e.).6 Exempli
gratia,'for example', is commonly abbreviated 'e.g.'; in this
usage it is sometimes followed by a comma, depending on style.7
|
exercitus
sine duce corpus est sine spiritu
|
'an
army without leader is like a body without spirit'
|
On a
plaque at the former military staff building of the Swedish
Armed Forces.
|
exeunt
|
'they
leave'
|
The
plural of exit. Also extended to exeunt omnes,
'everyone leaves'.
|
experientia
docet
|
'experience
teaches'
|
This
term has been used in dermatopathology
to express that there is no substitute for experience in dealing
with all the numerous variations that may occur with skin
conditions.8
The term has also been used in gastroenterology.9
|
experimentum
crucis
|
'crucial
experiment'
|
Literally
'experiment of the cross'.
A decisive test of a scientific theory.
|
experto
crede
|
'trust
the expert'
|
Literally
'believe one who has had experience'. An author's aside to the
reader.
|
expressio
unius est exclusio alterius
|
'the
expression of the one is the exclusion of the other'
|
'Mentioning
one thing may exclude another thing'. A principle of legal
statutory
interpretation:
the explicit presence of a thing implies intention to exclude
others; e.g., a reference in the Poor Relief Act 1601 to 'lands,
houses, tithes and coal mines' was held to exclude mines other
than coal mines. Sometimes expressed as expressum facit cessare
tacitum (broadly, 'the expression of one thing excludes the
implication of something else').
|
extant
|
'still
in existence; surviving'
|
adjective:
extant
law is still existing, in existence, existent, surviving,
remaining, undestroyed. Usage, when a law is repealed the extant
law governs.
|
extra
domus
|
'(placed)
outside of the house'
|
Refers
to a possible result of Catholic ecclesiastical legal proceedings
when the culprit is removed from being part of a group like a
monastery.
|
Extra
Ecclesiam nulla salus
|
'Outside
the Church there is no salvation'
|
This
expression comes from the writings of Saint Cyprian of Carthage, a
bishop of the third century. It is often used to summarise the
doctrine that the Catholic Church is absolutely necessary for
salvation.
|
Extra
omnes
|
'Out,
all of you.'
|
It
is issued by the Master
of the Papal Liturgical Celebrations
before a session of the Papal
Conclave
which will elect a new Pope.
When spoken, all those who are not Cardinals,
or those otherwise mandated to be present at the Conclave, must
leave the Sistine
Chapel.
|
extra
territorium jus dicenti impune non paretur
|
'he
who administers justice outside of his territory is disobeyed with
impunity'
|
Refers
to extraterritorial
jurisdiction. Often cited in law
of the sea
cases on the high
seas.
|
F
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
Faber
est suae quisque fortunae
|
Every
man is the artisan of his own fortune
|
Appius
Claudius Caecus.
Motto of Fort
Street High School
in Petersham, Sydney
, Australia.
|
fac
fortia et patere
|
do
brave deeds and endure
|
Motto
of Prince
Alfred College
in Adelaide,
Australia.
|
fac
simile
|
make
a similar thing
|
Origin
of the word facsimile, and, through it, of fax.
|
facta,
non verba
|
actions,
not words
|
Motto
of United
States Navy
Destroyer Squadron 22 and Joint
Task Force 2,
Star
of the Sea College,
Convent of Holy Child Jesus School, Layton Hill, Blackpool, and
Southwood
Boys' Grammar School
in Ringwood,
Victoria,
Australia
and Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester,
in England.
|
falsus
in uno, falsus in omnibus
|
false
in one thing, false in everything
|
A
Roman
legal
principle indicating that a witness who willfully falsifies one
matter is not credible on any matter. The underlying motive for
attorneys to impeach opposing witnesses in court: the principle
discredits the rest of their testimony if it is without
corroboration.
|
felo
de se
|
felon
from himself
|
An
archaic legal term for one who commits suicide,
referring to early English common
law
punishments, such as land seizure, inflicted on those who killed
themselves.
|
fere
libenter homines id quod volunt credunt
|
men
generally believe what they want to
|
People's
beliefs are shaped largely by their desires. Julius
Caesar,
The
Gallic War
3.18
|
festina
lente
|
hurry
slowly
|
An
oxymoronic
motto of Augustus.
It encourages proceeding quickly, but with calm and caution.
Equivalent to 'More haste, less speed'. Motto of The Madeira
School, McLean, Virginia.
|
fiat
iustitia et pereat mundus
|
let
justice be done, and the world shall perish
|
Motto
of Ferdinand
I, Holy Roman Emperor.
|
fiat
justitia ruat caelum
|
let
justice be done should the sky fall
|
Attributed
to Lucius
Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus.
|
fiat
lux
|
let
light be made
|
Less
literally, "let light arise" or "let
there be light"
(cf. lux sit). From the Latin translation of Genesis,
"dixitque Deus fiat lux et facta est lux" (and
God said, 'Let light be made', and light was made). The motto of
Parkland Composite High School, the University
of California,
University
of Washington,
Clark
University,
Waynesburg
University,
Angelo
State University,
University
of Lethbridge,
Rollins
College,
Hiram
College,
Alfred
University
and Kitsilano
Secondary School.
It is also the motto of the Conservatorium
High School
in Sydney, Australia. It is incorporated into the logo of the
University
of Liverpool
and Emmanuel College at the University
of Queensland.
|
Fiat
Voluntas Dei
|
May
God's will be done
|
|
Fiat
Voluntas Tua
|
Thy
will be done
|
The
motto of Archbishop Richard Smith of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton.
|
Fidei
Defensor
(Fid Def) or (fd)
|
Defender
of the Faith
|
A
title given to Henry
VIII of England
by Pope
Leo X
on October 17, 1521
before Henry became a heresiarch.
Still used by the British monarchs, it appears on all British
coins, usually abbreviated.
|
fidem
scit
|
"He
knows the faith"
|
Sometimes
mistranslated to "Keep the faith", when used in
contemporary English-language writings of all kinds to convey a
light-hearted wish for the reader's well-being. The humor comes
from the phrase's similarity in pronunciation to the words "Feed
'em shit".
|
fides
qua creditur
|
the
faith by which it is believed
|
the
personal faith which apprehends, contrasted with fides quae
creditur
|
fides
quae creditur
|
"the
faith which is believed
|
the
content of "the faith," contrasted with fides qua
creditur
|
fides
quaerens intellectum
|
"faith
seeking understanding
|
the
motto of Saint
Anselm,
found in his Proslogion
|
fidus
Achates
|
faithful
Achates
|
A
faithful friend. From the name of Aeneas's
faithful companion in Virgil's
Aeneid.
|
finis
vitae sed non amoris
|
The
end of Life is not the end of Love
|
|
omnibus
locis fit caedes
|
Let
there be slaughter everywhere
|
Julius
Caesar's
The
Gallic War,
7.67
|
flagellum
dei
|
scourge
of god
|
Referred
to Attila the Hun, when he led his armies to invade the Western
Roman Empire.
|
flectere
si nequeo superos, Achaeronta movebo
|
If I
cannot move heaven I will raise hell
|
Virgil's
Aeneid
- Book 7
|
floreat
etona
|
May
Eton Flourish
|
Motto
of Eton College
|
floruit
(fl.)
|
one
flourished
|
Indicates
the period when a historical figure whose birth and death dates
are unknown was most active.
|
fluctuat
nec mergitur
|
she
wavers and is not immersed
|
Motto
of Paris.
|
fons
et origo
|
the
spring and source
|
"The
fountainhead and beginning". The source and origin.
|
fortes
fortuna adiuvat
|
Fortune
favours the bold
|
|
fortes
in fide
|
strong
in faith
|
"Fortes
in Fide" is the Motto of Ateneo
de Davao University.
Used "Fortiores in Fide"(Stronger in Faith) during the
50th Anniversary in 1998]
|
fortis
cadere, cedere non potest
|
The
brave may fall, but cannot yield
|
Motto
of Fahnestock Family Arms.
|
fortis
est veritas
|
truth
is strong
|
Motto
on the coat
of arms
of Oxford,
England.
|
fortis
et liber
|
strong
and free
|
Motto
of Alberta.
|
fortiter
et fideliter
|
bravely
and faithfully
|
Motto
of The
King's School, Sydney.
|
G
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
gaudeamus
hodie
|
let
us rejoice today
|
|
gaudeamus
igitur
|
therefore
let us rejoice
|
First
words of a famous academic anthem used, among other places, in The
Student Prince.
|
gaudium
in veritate
|
joy
in truth
|
|
generalia
specialibus non derogant
|
universal
things do not detract from specific things
|
A
principle of legal statutory
interpretation:
If a matter falls under a specific provision and a general
provision, it shall be governed by the specific provision.
|
genius
loci
|
spirit
of place
|
The
unique, distinctive aspects or atmosphere of a place, such as
those celebrated in art, stories, folk tales, and festivals.
Originally, the genius loci was literally the protective
spirit of a place, a creature usually depicted as a snake.
|
gesta
non verba
|
Deeds
not words
|
Motto
of James
Ruse Agricultural High School.
|
Gloria
in Excelsis Deo
|
Glory
to God in the Highest
|
Often
translated "Glory to God on High". The title and
beginning of an ancient Roman
Catholic
doxology,
the Greater Doxology. See also ad maiorem Dei gloriam.
|
Gloria
Patri
|
Glory
to the Father
|
The
beginning of the Lesser Doxology.
|
gloriosus
et liber
|
glorious
and free
|
Motto
of Manitoba
|
Gradibus
ascendimus
|
Ascending
by degrees
|
Motto
of Grey
College,
Durham
|
gradatim
ferociter
|
by
degrees, ferociously
|
Motto
of private spaceflight company Blue
Origin
|
Gratiae
veritas naturae
|
Truth
through God's mercy and nature
|
Motto
of Uppsala
University
|
graviora
manent
|
heavier
things remain
|
In
other words, "more severe things await" or simply "the
worst is yet to come".
|
gutta
cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo
|
a
water drop hollows a stone not by force, but by falling often
|
From
Ovid,
Epistulae ex Ponto IV, 10, 5.
|
H
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
habeas
corpus
|
You
should have the body
|
A
legal term from the 14th century or earlier. Refers to a number of
legal writs to bring a person before a court or judge, most
commonly habeas corpus ad subjiciendum (you may have the
body to bring up). Commonly used as the general term for a
prisoner's legal right to challenge the legality of their
detention.
|
habemus
papam
|
we
have a pope
|
Used
after a Roman
Catholic Church
papal
election
to announce publicly a successful ballot to elect a new pope.
|
Habent
sua fata libelli
|
Books
have their destiny [according to the capabilities of the reader]
|
|
hac
lege
|
with
this law
|
|
haec
olim meminisse iuvabit
|
one
day, this will be pleasing to remember
|
Commonly
rendered in English as "One day, we'll look back on this and
smile". From Virgil's
Aeneid
1.203. Also, motto of the Jefferson
Society.
|
Hannibal
ante portas
|
Hannibal
before the gates
|
Refers
to wasting time while the enemy is already here. Attributed to
Cicero.
|
Hannibal
ad portas
|
Hannibal
is at the gates
|
Roman
parents would tell their misbehaving children this, invoking their
fear of Hannibal.
|
haud
ignota loquor
|
I
speak not of unknown things
|
Thus,
"I say no things that are unknown". From Virgil's
Aeneid,
2.91.
|
hic
abundant leones
|
here
lions abound
|
Written
on uncharted territories of old maps.
|
hic
et nunc
|
here
and now
|
|
hic
jacet (HJ)
|
here
lies
|
Also
rendered hic iacet. Written on gravestones
or tombs, preceding the name of the deceased. Equivalent to hic
sepultus (here is buried), and sometimes combined into hic
jacet sepultus (HJS), "here lies buried".
|
hic
manebimus optime
|
here
we'll stay excellently
|
According
to Titus
Livius
the phrase was pronounced by Marcus
Furius Camillus,
addressing the senators
who intended to abandon the city, invaded by Gauls,
in 390 BCE circa. It is used today to express the intent to keep
one's position even if the circumstances appear adverse.
|
hic
sunt dracones
|
here
there are dragons
|
Written
on uncharted territories of old maps.
|
hic
sunt leones
|
here
there are lions
|
Written
on uncharted territories of old maps.
|
hinc
illae lacrimae
|
hence
those tears
|
From
Terence,
Andria, line 125. Originally literal, referring to the
tears shed by Pamphilus
at the funeral of Chrysis, it came to be used proverbally in the
works of later authors, such as Horace
(Epistula XIX, 41).
|
historia
vitae magistra
|
history,
the teacher of life
|
From
Cicero,
Tusculanas, 2, 16. Also "history is the mistress of
life".
|
hoc
age
|
do
this
|
Motto
of Bradford Grammar School, often purposefully mistranslated by
pupils as "Just do it!".
|
hoc
est bellum
|
This
is war
|
|
hoc
est Christum cognoscere, beneficia eius cognoscere
|
To
know Christ is to know his benefits
|
Famous
dictum by the Reformer Melanchthon in his Loci Communes of
1521
|
Hoc
Est Enim Corpus Meum
|
This
is my Body
|
The
words of Jesus reiterated in Latin during the Roman Catholic
Eucharist. "Hoc Est Corpus" May be the source of the
expression "hocus-pocus".citation
needed
|
homo
homini lupus
|
man
[is a] wolf to man
|
First
attested in Plautus'
Asinaria
(lupus est homo homini). The sentence was drawn on by Hobbes
in Leviathan
as a concise expression of his human nature view.
|
homo
sum humani a me nihil alienum puto
|
I am
a human being; nothing human is strange to me
|
From
Terence,
Heautontimoroumenos. Originally "strange" or
"foreign" (alienum) was used in the sense of
"irrelevant", as this line was a response to the speaker
being told to mind his own business, but it is now commonly used
to advocate respecting different cultures and being humane in
general. Puto (I consider) is not translated because it is
meaningless outside of the line's context within the play.
|
homo
unius libri (timeo)
|
(I
fear) a man of one book
|
Attributed
to Thomas
Aquinas
|
hominem
non morbum cura
|
Treat
the Man, not the Disease
|
Motto
of the Far Eastern University - Institute of Nursing
|
honor
virtutis praemium
|
esteem
is the reward of virtue
|
Motto
of Arnold School, Blackpool, England
|
honoris
causa
|
for
the sake of honor
|
Said
of an honorary
title,
such as "Doctor of Science honoris causa".
|
hora
fugit
|
the
hour flees
|
See
tempus
fugit.
|
hora
somni (h.s.)
|
at
the hour of sleep
|
Medical
shorthand
for "at bedtime".
|
horas
non numero nisi serenas
|
I do
not count the hours unless they are sunny
|
A
common inscription on sundials.
|
hortus
in urbe
|
A
garden in the city
|
Motto
of the Chicago
Park District,
a playful allusion to the city's motto, urbs in horto, q.v.
|
hortus
siccus
|
A
dry garden
|
A
collection of dry, preserved plants.
|
horribile
dictu
|
horrible
to say
|
That
is, "a horrible thing to relate". A pun on mirabile
dictu.
|
hostis
humani generis
|
enemy
of the human race
|
Cicero
defined pirates
in Roman
law
as being enemies of humanity in general.
|
hypotheses
non fingo
|
I do
not fabricate hypotheses
|
From
Newton,
Principia.
Less literally, "I do not assert that any hypotheses are
true".
|
I
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
ibidem
(ibid.)
|
in
the same place
|
Usually
used in bibliographic
citations to refer to the last source previously referenced.
|
idem
(id.)
|
the
same
|
Used
to refer to something that has already been cited. See also
ibidem.
|
idem
quod (i.q.)
|
the
same as
|
Not
to be confused with an intelligence
quotient.
|
id
est (i.e.)
|
that
is
|
"That
is (to say)", "in other words", or sometimes "in
this case", depending on the context.
Id
est, i.e., "that is", is commonly abbreviated
"i.e."; in this usage it can be followed by a comma, or
not, depending on style (American English and British English
respectively).
|
id
quod plerumque accidit
|
that
which generally happens
|
A
phrase used in legal language to indicate the most probable
outcome from an act, fact, event or cause.
|
Idus
Martiae
|
the
Ides
of March
|
In
the Roman
calendar,
the Ides of March refers to the 15th day of March. In modern
times, the term is best known as the date on which Julius
Caesar
was assassinated in 44 BC, the story of which was famously retold
in William
Shakespeare's
play Julius
Caesar.10
The term has come to be used as a metaphor for impending doom.
|
Iesus
Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (INRI)
|
Jesus
of Nazareth,
King of the Jews
|
Direct
quote from the Vulgate,
John 19:19. The inscription was written in Latin, Greek and
Aramaic at the top of the cross
on which Jesus was crucified.
(John 19:20)
|
igitur
qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
|
Therefore
whoever desires peace, let him prepare for war
|
Publius
Flavius Vegetius Renatus,
Epitoma
rei militaris
(See also in this list Si
vis pacem, para bellum)
|
igne
natura renovatur integra
|
through
fire, nature is reborn whole
|
An
alchemical
aphorism invented as an alternate meaning for the acronym INRI.
|
igni
ferroque
|
with
fire and iron
|
A
phrase describing scorched
earth
tactics. Also rendered as igne atque ferro, ferro
ignique, and other variations.
|
ignis
aurum probat
|
fire
tests gold
|
A
phrase referring to the refining of character through difficult
circumstances, it is also the motto of the Prometheus
Society
|
ignis
fatuus
|
foolish
fire
|
Will
o' the wisp.
|
ignorantia
juris non excusat
|
ignorance
of the law does not excuse
|
A
legal principle whereby ignorance of a law does not allow one to
escape liability.
|
ignoratio
elenchi
|
ignorance
of the issue
|
The
logical
fallacy
of irrelevant conclusion: making an argument that, while possibly
valid, doesn't prove or support the proposition it claims to. An
ignoratio elenchi that is an intentional attempt to mislead
or confuse the opposing party is known as a red
herring.
Elenchi is from the Greek elenchos.
|
ignotum
per ignotius
|
unknown
by means of the more unknown
|
An
explanation that is less clear than the thing to be explained.
Synonymous with obscurum per obscurius.
|
ignotus
(ign.)
|
unknown
|
|
imago
Dei
|
image
of God
|
From
the religious concept that man was created in "God's image".
|
imitatio
dei
|
imitation
of a god
|
A
principle, held by several religions, that believers should strive
to resemble their god(s).
|
imperium
in imperio
|
an
order within an order
|
1. A
group of people who owe utmost fealty to their leader(s),
subordinating the interests of the larger group to the authority
of the internal group's leader(s). 2. A "fifth
column"
organization operating against the organization within which they
seemingly reside.
|
imperium
sine fine
|
an
empire without an end
|
In
Virgil's
Aeneid,
Jupiter
ordered Aeneas
to found a city (Rome)
from which would come an everlasting, neverending empire, the
endless (sine fine) empire.
|
imprimatur
|
let
it be printed
|
An
authorization to publish, granted by some censoring authority
(originally a Catholic
Bishop).
|
in
absentia
|
in
the absence
|
Used
in a number of situations, such as in a trial carried out in the
absence of the accused.
|
in
actu
|
in
act
|
"In
the very act/In reality".
|
in
articulo mortis
|
at
the point of death
|
|
in
camera
|
in
the chamber
|
Figuratively,
"in secret". See also camera obscura.
|
in
casu
|
in
the event
|
"In
this case".
|
in
cauda venenum
|
the
poison is in the tail
|
Using
the metaphor
of a scorpion,
this can be said of an account that proceeds gently, but turns
vicious towards the end — or more generally waits till the end
to reveal an intention or statement that is undesirable in the
listener's eyes.
|
incertae
sedis
|
of
uncertain position (seat)
|
A
term used to classify a taxonomic group when its broader
relationships are unknown or undefined.
|
incredibile
dictu
|
incredible
to say
|
A
variant on mirabile dictu.
|
in
Deo speramus
|
in
God we hope
|
Motto
of Brown
University.
|
Index
Librorum Prohibitorum
|
Index
of Prohibited (or, Forbidden) Books
|
A
list of books considered heretical by the Roman
Catholic Church.
|
indivisibiliter
ac inseparabiliter
|
indivisible
and inseparable
|
Motto
of Austria-Hungary
prior to its separation into independent states in 1918.
|
in
dubio pro reo
|
in
doubt, on behalf of the [alleged] culprit
|
Expresses
the judicial principle that in case of doubt the decision must be
in favor of the accused (in that anyone is innocent until there is
proof to the contrary).
|
in
duplo
|
in
double
|
"In
duplicate".
|
in
effigie
|
in
the likeness
|
"In
(the form of) an image", "in effigy" as opposed to
"in the flesh" or "in person".
|
in
esse
|
in
existence
|
In
actual existence; as opposed to in posse.
|
in
extenso
|
in
the extended
|
"In
full", "at full length", "completely",
"unabridged".
|
in
extremis
|
in
the furthest reaches
|
In
extremity; in dire straits. Also "at the point of death"
(cf. in articulo mortis).
|
in
fidem
|
into
faith
|
To
the verification of faith.
|
in
fieri
|
in
becoming
|
Thus,
"pending".
|
in
fine (i.f.)
|
in
the end
|
At
the end.
The
footnote says "p. 157 in fine": "the end of
page 157".
|
Infinitus
est numerus stultorum.
|
Infinite
is the number of fools.
|
|
Infirma
mundi elegit Deus
|
God
chooses the weak of the world
|
The
motto of Venerable Vital-Justin
Grandin,
the bishop of the St.
Albert
Diocese, which in now the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton
|
in
flagrante delicto
|
in a
blazing wrong, while the crime is blazing
|
Equivalent
to the English idiom "caught red-handed": caught in the
act of committing a crime. Sometimes carried the connotation of
being caught in a "compromising position".
|
in
flore
|
in
blossom
|
Blooming.
|
in
foro
|
in
forum
|
Legal
term for "in court".
|
infra
dignitatem (infra dig)
|
beneath
one's dignity
|
|
in
girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
|
We
enter the circle at night and are consumed by fire
|
A
palindrome
said to describe the behavior of moths. Also the title of a film
by Guy
Debord.
|
in
hoc signo vinces
|
by
this sign you will conquer
|
Words
Constantine
claimed to have seen in a vision before the Battle
of Milvian Bridge.
Motto of Sigma Chi fraternity.
|
in
hunc effectum
|
for
this purpose
|
Describes
a meeting called for a particular stated purpose only.
|
in
illo tempore
|
in
that time
|
"at
that time", found often in Gospel lectures during Masses,
used to mark an undetermined time in the past.
|
in
inceptum finis est
|
[roughly]the
way you begin is how you will end
|
|
in
limine
|
at
the outset
|
Preliminary,
in law referring to a motion that is made to the judge before or
during trial, often about the admissibility of evidence believed
prejudicial
|
in
loco
|
in
the place
|
That
is, "at the place".
The
nearby labs were closed for the weekend, so the water samples were
analyzed in loco.
|
in
loco parentis
|
in
the place of a parent
|
A
legal
term
meaning "assuming parental (i.e., custodial) responsibility
and authority". Primary and secondary teachers are typically
bound by law to act in loco parentis.
|
in
luce Tua videmus lucem
|
in
Thy light we see light
|
Motto
of Valparaiso
University.
|
in
lumine tuo videbimus lumen
|
in
your light we will see the light
|
Motto
of Columbia
University
and Ohio
Wesleyan University.
|
in
manus tuas commendo spiritum meum
|
into
your hands I entrust my spirit
|
According
to Luke
23:46, the last words of Jesus
on the cross.
|
in
medias res
|
into
the middle of things
|
From
Horace.
Refers to the literary technique of beginning a narrative in the
middle of, or at a late point in, the story, after much action has
already taken place. Examples include the Iliad,
the Odyssey,
the Lusíadas
and Paradise
Lost.
Compare ab initio.
|
in
memoriam
|
into
the memory
|
Equivalent
to "in the memory of". Refers to remembering or honoring
a deceased person.
|
in
necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas
|
in
necessary things unity, in doubtful things liberty, in all things
charity
|
"Charity"
(caritas)
is being used in the classical sense of "compassion"
(cf. agape).
Motto of the Cartellverband
der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen.
Often misattributed to Augustine
of Hippo.
|
in
nuce
|
in a
nut
|
I.e.
"in potentiality." Comparable to "potential",
"to be developed".
|
In
omnia paratus
|
Ready
for anything.
|
Motto
of the so-called secret society of Yale in the television show
Gilmore
Girls.
|
in
omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum
libro
|
Everywhere
I have searched for peace and nowhere found it, except in a corner
with a book
|
Quote
by Thomas
a Kempis
|
in
partibus infidelium
|
in
the parts of the infidels
|
That
is, "in the land of the infidels", infidels
here referring to non-Christians.
After Islam
conquered a large part of the Roman Empire, the corresponding
bishoprics didn't disappear, but remained as titular
sees.
|
in
pectore
|
in
the heart
|
A
Cardinal
named in secret by the pope.
See also ab imo pectore.
|
in
personam
|
into
a person
|
"Directed
towards a particular person". In a lawsuit
in which the case is against a specific individual, that person
must be served with a summons
and complaint to give the court
jurisdiction
to try the case. The court's judgment
applies to that person and is called an "in personam
judgment." In personam is distinguished from in
rem,
which applies to property or "all the world" instead of
a specific person. This technical distinction is important to
determine where to file a lawsuit and how to serve a defendant.
In personam means that a judgment can be enforceable
against the person, wherever he or she is. On the other hand, if
the lawsuit is to determine title to property
(in rem), then the action must be filed where the property
exists and is only enforceable there.
|
in
posse
|
in
potential
|
In
the state of being possible; as opposed to in esse.
|
in
propria persona
|
in
one's own person
|
"Personally",
"in person".
|
In
re
|
in
the matter [of]
|
A
legal term used to indicate that a judicial proceeding may not
have formally designated adverse parties or is otherwise
uncontested. The term is commonly used in case citations of
probate
proceedings, for example, In re Smith's Estate; it is also
used in juvenile
courts,
as, for instance, In
re Gault.
|
In
rem
|
to
the thing
|
A
legal term used to indicate a court's jurisdiction over a "thing"
rather than a "legal person". As opposed to "ad
personam jurisdiction". Example: in tenant landlord disputes,
the summons and complaint may be nailed to the door of a rented
property. This is because the litigant seeks jurisdiction over
"the premises" rather than "the occupant".
|
in
rerum natura
|
in
the nature of things
|
See
also Lucretius'
De
Rerum Natura
(On the Nature of Things).
|
in
retentis
|
among
things held back
|
Used
to describe documents kept separately from the regular records of
a court for special reasons.
|
in
saeculo
|
in
the times
|
"In
the secular
world", that is, outside a monastery, or before death.
|
in
salvo
|
in
safety
|
|
in
silico (Dog
Latin)
|
in
silicon
|
Coined
in the early 1990s for scientific papers. Refers to an experiment
or process performed virtually, as a computer simulation. The term
is Dog
Latin
modeled after terms such as in vitro and in vivo.
The Latin word for silicon is silicium, so the correct
Latinization of "in silicon" would be in silicio,
but this form has little usage.
|
in
situ
|
in
the place
|
In
the original place, appropriate position, or natural arrangement.
In medical contexts, it implies that the condition is still in the
same place and has not worsened, improved, spread, etc. In situ
examinations of materials are performed under real conditions,
e.g. a neutron
diffraction
study of a metal under thermo-mechanical conditions rather than
post-mortem. In chemical contexts, in situ indicates that a
reagent
had been made in flask immediately prior to its use in the
reaction.
|
In
somnis veritas
|
In
dreams there is truth
|
|
In
spe
|
in
hope
|
"future"
(My mother-in-law in spe", i.e. "My future
mother-in-law), or "in embryonic form", as in "Locke's
theory of government resembles, in spe, Montesquieu's
theory of the separation of powers."
|
In
specialibus generalia quaerimus
|
To
seek the general in the specifics
|
That
is, to understand the most general rules through the most detailed
analysis.
|
instante
mense (inst.)
|
in
the present month
|
Formerly
used in formal correspondence to refer to the current month.
Sometimes abbreviated as instant. Used with ult. (last
month) and prox. (next month).
"Thank
you for your letter of the 17th inst."
|
in
statu nascendi
|
in
the state of being born
|
Just
as something is about to begin.
|
intaminatis
fulget honoribus
|
Untarnished,
she shines with honor
|
From
Horace’s
Odes (III.2.18). Motto of Wofford College.
|
integer
vitae scelerisque purus
|
unimpaired
by life and clean of wickedness
|
From
Horace.
Used as a funeral hymn.
|
inter
alia (i.a.)
|
among
other things
|
A
term used in formal extract minutes to indicate that the minute
quoted has been taken from a fuller record of other matters, or
when alluding to the parent group after quoting a particular
example.
|
inter
alios
|
among
others
|
Often
used to compress lists of parties to legal documents.
|
inter
arma enim silent leges
|
In
the face of arms, the law falls mute, more popularly rendered as
In a time of war, the law falls silent.
|
Said
by Cicero
in Pro
Milone
as a protest against unchecked political mobs that had virtually
seized control of Rome in the '60s and '50s BC. Famously quoted in
the essay "Resistance
to Civil Government"
by Henry
David Thoreau
as "The clatter of arms drowns out the voice of the law."
|
inter
caetera
|
among
others
|
Title
of a papal
bull.
|
inter
spem et metum
|
between
hope and fear
|
|
inter
vivos
|
between
the living
|
Said
of property transfers between living persons, as opposed to
inheritance; often relevant to tax laws.
|
in
toto
|
in
all
|
"Totally",
"entirely", "completely".
|
intra
muros
|
within
the walls
|
Thus,
"not public". Source of the word intramural. See
also intramuros.
|
intra
vires
|
within
the powers
|
That
is, "within the authority".
|
in
triplo
|
in
triple
|
"In
triplicate".
|
in
utero
|
in
the womb
|
|
in
utrumque paratus
|
Prepared
for either (event)
|
Motto
of the McKenzie clan.
|
in
vacuo
|
in a
void
|
"In
a vacuum". In isolation from other things.
|
In
varietate concordia
|
Literally,
In variety, concord (Loosely, In diversity, harmony [or,
friendship])
|
The
motto of the European
Union
and the Council
of Europe
|
in
vino veritas
|
in
wine [there is] truth
|
That
is, wine loosens the tongue.
(Referring
to alcohol's
disinhibitory effects.)
|
in
vitro
|
in
glass
|
An
experimental or process methodology performed in a "non-natural"
setting (e.g., in a laboratory using a glass test tube or Petri
dish), and thus outside of a living organism or cell. The
reference to glass is merely an historic one, as the current usage
of this term is not specific to the materials involved, but rather
to the "non-natural" setting employed. Alternative
experimental or process methodologies would include in vitro,
in silico, ex vivo and in vivo.
In
vitro fertilization
is not literally done "in glass", but rather is a
technique to fertilize egg cells outside of a woman's body. By
definition, it is thus an ex vivo process.
|
in
vivo
|
in
life" or "in a living thing
|
An
experiment or process performed on a living specimen.
|
in
vivo veritas
|
in a
living thing [there is] truth
|
An
expression used by biologists
to express the fact that laboratory findings that do not include
testing on an organism (in
vitro)
are not always reflected when applied to an organism (in
vivo).
A pun on in
vino veritas.
|
invictus
maneo
|
I
remain unvaquished
|
Motto
of the Armstrong Clan.
|
Iohannes
est nomen eius
|
John
is its name / Juan es su Nombre
|
Motto
of the Seal of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
|
ipsa
scientia potestas est
|
knowledge
itself is power
|
Famous
phrase written by Sir Francis
Bacon
in 1597.
|
ipse
dixit
|
he
himself said it
|
Commonly
said in Medieval debates referring to Aristotle,
who was considered the supreme authority on matters of philosophy.
Used in general to emphasize that some assertion comes from some
authority, i.e., as an appeal
to authority,
and the term ipsedixitism
has come to mean any unsupported rhetorical assertion that lacks a
logical argument. Originally coined by Cicero
in his De
Natura Deorum
(I, 10) to describe the behavior of the students of Pythagoras.
|
ipsissima
verba
|
the
very words themselves
|
"Strictly
word for word" (cf. verbatim). Often used in Biblical
Studies to describe the record of Jesus' teaching found in the New
Testament (specifically, the four Gospels).
|
ipsissima
voce
|
the
very 'voice' itself
|
To
approximate the main thrust or message without using the exact
words.
|
ipso
facto
|
by
the fact itself
|
Or
"by that very fact".
|
Ira
Deorum
|
Wrath
of the Gods
|
Like
the vast majority of inhabitants of the ancient world, the ancient
Romans
practiced pagan
rituals, believing it important to achieve a state of Pax
Deorum (Peace of the Gods) instead of Ira Deorum (Wrath
of the Gods): earthquakes, floods, famine, etc.
|
ira
furor brevis est
|
Wrath
(anger) is but a brief madness
|
|
ita
vero
|
thus
indeed
|
A
useful phrase, as the Romans had no word for "yes",
preferring to respond to questions with the affirmative or
negative of the question (i.e., "Are you hungry?" was
answered by "I am hungry" or "I am not hungry",
not "Yes" or "No).
|
Ite,
missa est
|
Go,
it is sent" (or, more loosely: "You have been dismissed
|
The
deacon's
statement to the congregation as part of the concluding ceremonies
of the ritual of the Roman Catholic Mass.
Scholars are not all agreed about what it intends.
|
Iter
Legis
|
The
path of the law
|
The
path a law takes from its conception to its implementation.
|
iugulare
mortuos
|
to
cut the throat of corpses
|
From
Gerhard Gerhards' (1466-1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection
of annotated Adagia (1508). It can mean attacking the work or
personality of deceased person. Alternatively, it can be used to
describe criticism of an individual already heavily criticised by
others.
|
iura
novit curia
|
the
court knows the laws
|
A
legal principle in civil law countries of the Roman-German
tradition (e.g., in Spain,Germany,
Italy
and Brazil)
that says that lawyers need not to argue the law, as that is the
office of the court. Sometimes miswritten as iura novat curia
(the court renews the laws).
|
iuris
ignorantia est cum ius nostrum ignoramus
|
it
is ignorance of the law when we do not know our own rights
|
|
ius
accrescendi
|
right
of accrual
|
Commonly
referred to as "right of survivorship": a rule in
property law that surviving joint tenants have rights in equal
shares to a decedent's property.
|
ius
ad bellum
|
law
towards war
|
Refers
to the laws that regulate the reasons for going to war. Typically,
this would address issues of self-defense or preemptive strikes.
|
ius
cogens
|
compelling
law
|
Refers
to a fundamental principle of international law considered to have
acceptance among the international community of states as a whole.
Typically, this would address issues not listed or defined by any
authoritative body, but arise out of case law and changing social
and political attitudes. Generally included are prohibitions on
waging aggressive war, crimes against humanity, war crimes,
piracy, genocide, slavery, and torture.
|
ius
in bello
|
law
in war
|
Refers
to the "laws" that regulate the conduct of combatants
during a conflict. Typically, this would address issues of who or
what is a valid target, how to treat prisoners, and what sorts of
weapons can be used. The word jus is also commonly spelled
ius.
|
ius
primae noctis
|
law
of the first night
|
The
droit
de seigneur.
|
iustitia
omnibus
|
justice
for all
|
Motto
of the District
of Columbia.
|
iuventitus
veho fortunas
|
I
bear the fortunes of youth
|
Motto
of Dollar
Academy.
|
iuventuti
nil arduum
|
to
the young nothing is difficult
|
Motto
of Canberra
Girls' Grammar School.
|
L
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
Labor
omnia vincit
|
Hard
work conquers all
|
State
motto
of Oklahoma
and many other institutions. Derived from a phrase in Virgil's
Eclogue
X (10.59: omnia vincit Amor — "Love conquers
all").
|
Laborare
pugnare parati sumus
|
To
work, (or) to fight; we are ready
|
Motto
of the California Maritime Academy
|
Labore
et honore
|
By
labour and honour
|
Motto
of several schools
|
Laboremus
pro patria
|
Let
us work for the fatherland
|
Motto
of the Carlsberg
breweries
|
Laboris
gloria Ludi
|
Work
hard, Play hard
|
Motto
of the Camborne School of Mines, Cornwall, UK
|
lapsus
linguae
|
slip
of the tongue
|
A
"proglossis", "tip of the tongue" or "apex
of the tongue". Often used to mean "linguistic error"
or "language mistake". It and its written-word variant,
lapsus calami (slip of the pen) can sometimes refers to a
typographical
error
as well.
Ex.:
"I'm sorry for mispronouncing your name. It wasn't
intentional; it was a lapsus linguae".
|
lapsus
memoriae
|
slip
of memory
|
Source
of the term memory lapse.
|
Laudator
Temporis Acti
|
praiser
of time past
|
One
who is discontent with the present but instead prefers things of
the past. See "the Good
old days".
|
Laudetur
Jesus Christus
|
Praise
(Be) Jesus Christ
|
Often
used as a salutation,
but also used after prayers
or the reading of the gospel.
|
laus
Deo
|
praise
be to God
|
This
is written on the East side at the peak of the Washington
Monument
in Washington,
D.C.
|
lectori
salutem
|
greetings
reader
|
Often
abbreviated to L.S., used as opening words for a letter.
|
lege
artis
|
according
to the law of the art
|
Describes
something genuine, true, real, tested, proven, not assumed, not
placebo. Used especially in a medical context. The 'art' referred
to in the phrase is medicine.
|
legem
terrae
|
the
law of the land
|
|
leges
humanae nascuntur, vivunt, et moriuntur
|
laws
of man are born, live and die
|
|
leges
sine moribus vanae
|
laws
without morals [are] vain
|
From
Horace's
Odes: the official motto of the University
of Pennsylvania.
|
legitime
|
lawfully
|
A
legal term describing a "forced share", the portion of a
deceased person's estate
from which the immediate family cannot be disinherited.
From the French
héritier legitime (rightful heir).
|
lex
artis
|
law
of the skill
|
The
rules that regulate a professional duty.
|
lex
orandi, lex credendi
|
the
law of prayer is the law of faith
|
|
lex
dei vitae lampas
|
the
law of God is the lamp of life
|
Motto
of the Presbyterian
Ladies' College, Melbourne
|
lex
ferenda
|
the
law that should be borne
|
The
law as it ought to be.
|
lex
hac edictali
|
the
law here proclaims
|
The
rule whereby a spouse cannot by deed inter vivos or bequeath by
testament to his or her second spouse more than the amount of the
smallest portion given or bequeathed to any child.
|
lex
in casu
|
law
in the event
|
A
law that only concerns one particular case.
|
lex
lata
|
the
law that has been borne
|
The
law as it is.
|
lex
loci
|
law
of the place
|
|
lex
non scripta
|
law
that has not been written
|
Unwritten
law, or common
law.
|
lex
parsimoniae
|
law
of succinctness
|
also
known as Ockhams
Razor.
|
lex
rex
|
the
law [is] king
|
A
principle of government
advocating a rule by law rather than by men. The phrase originated
as a double
entendre
in the title of Samuel
Rutherford's
controversial book Lex, Rex (1644), which espoused a theory
of limited
government
and constitutionalism.
|
lex
scripta
|
written
law
|
Statute
law. Contrasted with lex non scripta.
|
lex
talionis
|
the
law of retaliation
|
Retributive
justice
(cf. an
eye for an eye).
|
lex
tempus
|
time
is the law
|
Name
of musical composition by popular Maltese electronic
music
artist Ray
Buttigieg
|
libera
te tutemet (ex inferis)
|
Free
yourself (from hell)
|
Used
in the movie Event
Horizon
(1997), where it is translated as "save yourself (from
hell)". It is initially misheard as liberate me (free
me), but is later corrected. Libera te is often mistakenly
merged into liberate, which would necessitate a plural
pronoun instead of the singular tutemet (which is an
emphatic form of tu, you).
|
Libertas
Justitia Veritas
|
Liberty
Justice Truth
|
Motto
of the Korea
University.
|
Libertas
Quae Sera Tamen
|
freedom
which [is] however late
|
Thus,
"liberty even when it comes late". Motto
of Minas
Gerais,
Brazil.
|
libra
(lb)
|
scales
|
Literally
"balance". Its abbreviation, lb, is used as a unit of
weight, the pound.
|
loco
citato (lc)
|
in
the place cited
|
More
fully written in loco citato. See also opere citato.
|
locus
classicus
|
a
classic place
|
The
most typical or classic case of something; quotation which most
typifies its use.
|
locus
deperditus
|
place
of (irremediable) loss
|
Used
in philology to indicate that subsequent mistakes in the tradition
of the text have made a passage so corrupted as to discourage any
attempt of correction. The passage is marked by a crux
desperationis ("†"). Somehow close in meaning to
the modern English expression lost in translation.
|
locus
minoris resistentiae
|
place
of less resistance
|
A
medical term to describe a location on or in a body that offers
little resistance to infection, damage, or injury. For example, a
weakened place that tends to be reinjured.
|
lorem
ipsum
|
sorrow
itself, pain for its own sake
|
A
mangled fragment from Cicero's
De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum (On the Limits of Good and
Evil, 45 BC), used as typographer's
filler to show fonts
(a.k.a. greeking). An approximate literal translation of
lorem ipsum might be "sorrow itself", as the term
is from dolorum ipsum quia, meaning "sorrow because of
itself", or less literally, "pain for its own sake".
|
luceat
lux vestra
|
Let
your light shine
|
May
be found in Matthew
Ch. 5 V. 16. Popular as a school motto.
|
lucem
sequimur
|
We
follow the light
|
Motto
of the University
of Exeter,
United Kingdom
|
luctor
et emergo
|
I
struggle and emerge
|
Motto
of both the Dutch
province of Zeeland
to denote its battle against the sea, and the Athol
Murray College of Notre Dame
in Wilcox,
Saskatchewan.
|
lucus
a non lucendo
|
[it
is] a grove by not being light
|
From
late 4th-century grammarian Honoratus Maurus, who sought to mock
implausible word origins such as those proposed by Priscian.
A pun
based on the word lucus (dark grove) having a similar
appearance to the verb lucere (to shine), arguing that the
former word is derived from the latter word because of a lack of
light in wooded groves. Often used as an example of absurd
etymology.
|
lupus
in fabula
|
the
wolf in the story
|
With
the meaning "speak of the wolf, and he will come".
Occurs in Terence's
play Adelphoe.
|
lupus
non mordet lupum
|
a
wolf does not bite a wolf
|
|
lux
et lex
|
light
and law
|
Motto
of the liberal arts school, Franklin
& Marshall College.
Light in reference to Benjamin
Franklin's
many innovations and discoveries. Law in reference to John
Marshall
as one of the most notable Supreme
Court
Justices.
|
lux
et veritas
|
light
and truth
|
A
translation of the Hebrew Urim
and Thummim.
Motto of Yale
University
and Indiana
University.
An expanded form, lux et veritas floreant (let light and
truth flourish), is the motto of the University
of Winnipeg
|
lux
ex tenebris
|
light
from darkness
|
Motto
of the 67th
Network Warfare Wing,
a unit within the United
States Air Force.
|
lux
hominum vita
|
life
the light of men
|
Motto
of the University
of New Mexico
|
lux
in Domino
|
light
in the Lord
|
Motto
of the Ateneo
de Manila University
|
lux
libertas
|
light,
liberty
|
Motto
of the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
|
lux
mentis lux orbis
|
Light
of the mind, light of the world
|
Motto
of Sonoma
State University
|
lux
sit
|
let
there be light
|
A
more literal Latinization of the phrase "let there be light",
the most common translation of fiat lux ("let light
arise", literally "let light be made"), which in
turn is the Latin
Vulgate Bible
phrase chosen for the Genesis
line (And God said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light).
Motto of the University
of Washington.
|
lux
tua nos ducat
|
Your
Light Guides Us
|
Motto
of St. Julian's School, Carcavelos, Portugal11
|
M
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
magister
dixit
|
the
teacher has said it
|
Canonical
medieval reference to Aristotle, precluding further discussion
|
Magna
Carta
|
Great
Charter
|
A
set of documents between Pope
Innocent III,
King John
of England,
and English barons.
|
magna
cum laude
|
with
great praise
|
A
common Latin
honor,
above cum laude and below summa cum laude.
|
Magna
Europa est Patria Nostra
|
Great
Europe is Our Fatherland
|
Political
motto of pan-Europeanists (cf. ave Europa nostra vera Patria)
|
magna
est vis consuetudinis
|
great
is the power of habit
|
|
magno
cum gaudio
|
with
great joy
|
|
magnum
opus
|
great
work
|
Said
of someone's masterpiece
|
maiora
premunt
|
greater
things are pressing
|
Used
to indicate that it is the moment to address more important,
urgent, issues.
|
mala
fide
|
in
bad faith
|
Said
of an act done with knowledge of its illegality, or with intention
to defraud or mislead someone. Opposite of bona fide.
|
mala
tempora currunt
|
bad
times are upon us
|
Also
used ironically, e.g.: New teachers know all tricks used by pupils
to copy from classmates? Oh, mala tempora currunt!.
|
male
captus bene detentus
|
wrongly
captured, properly detained
|
An
illegal arrest will not prejudice the subsequent detention/trial.
|
Malo
periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
|
I
prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery
|
|
malum
discordiae
|
apple
of discord
|
Alludes
to the apple of Eris
in the Judgement
of Paris,
the mythological cause of the Trojan
War.
It is also a pun
based on the near-homonymous
word malum (evil). The word for "apple" has a
long ā vowel in Latin and the word for "evil" a
short a vowel, but they are normally written the same.
|
malum
quo communius eo peius
|
the
more common an evil is, the worse it is
|
|
malum
in se
|
wrong
in itself
|
A
legal term meaning that something is inherently wrong (cf. malum
prohibitum).
|
malum
prohibitum
|
wrong
due to being prohibited
|
A
legal term meaning that something is only wrong because it is
against the law.
|
manu
militari
|
with
a military hand
|
Using
armed forces in order to achieve a goal
|
manu
propria
(m.p.)
|
with
one's own hand
|
With
the implication of "signed by one's hand". Its
abbreviated form is sometimes used at the end of typewritten or
printed documents or official notices, directly following the name
of the person(s) who "signed" the document exactly in
those cases where there isn't an actual handwritten signature.
|
manus
celer Dei
|
the
swift hand of God
|
Originally
used as the name of a ship in the Marathon
game series, its usage has spread. In the PlayStation
game, Blood
Omen: Legacy of Kain,
the phrase was written in blood on the walls of a vampire's
feeding room. It is assumed that one of the dying victims wrote it
with his fingers. After the game's main character surveys the
bloody room, associative logic dictates that the phrase was to
deify both the vampire's wrath on shackled, powerless humans and
the boundless slaughter of his victims.
|
manus
manum lavat
|
one
hand washes the other
|
famous
quote from The
Pumpkinification of Claudius,
ascribed to Seneca
the Younger.12
It implies that one situation helps the other.
|
mare
clausum
|
closed
sea
|
In
law, a sea under the jurisdiction of one nation and closed to all
others.
|
mare
liberum
|
free
sea
|
In
law, a sea open to international shipping navigation.
|
mare
nostrum
|
our
sea
|
A
nickname given to the Mediterranean
Sea
during the height of the Roman
Empire,
as it encompassed the entire coastal basin.
|
Mater
Dei
|
Mother
of God
|
A
name given to describe the Virgin
Mary,
who gave birth to Jesus,
who is also called the "Son
of God."
|
Mater
Facit
|
Mother
Does It
|
Used
as a joke to say Mother Fuck It, though it really means "mother
does it"
|
Mater
semper certa est
|
The
mother is always certain
|
a
Roman-law principle which has the power of praesumptio iuris et de
iure, meaning that no counter-evidence can be made against this
principle (literally: Presumed there is no counter evidence and by
the law). Its meaning is that the mother of the child is always
known.
|
mater
familias
|
the
mother of the family
|
The
female head of a family. See pater
familias.
|
materia
medica
|
medical
matter
|
The
branch of medical science concerned with the study of drugs used
in the treatment of disease. Also, the drugs themselves.
|
me
vexat pede
|
it
annoys me at the foot
|
Less
literally, "my foot itches". Refers to a trivial
situation or person that is being a bother, possibly in the sense
of wishing to kick that thing away.
|
Mea
Culpa
|
My
Fault
|
Used
in Christian prayers and confession to denote the inherently
flawed nature of mankind. Can also be extended to mea maxima
culpa (my greatest fault). Analogous to the nonstandard modern
English slang "my bad".
|
Mea
navis aëricumbens anguillis abundat
|
My
hovercraft is full of eels
|
A
relatively common recent Latinization inspired by the Dirty
Hungarian Phrasebook
sketch by Monty
Python.
|
Media
vita in morte sumus
|
In
the midst of our lives we die
|
A
well-known sequence, falsely attributed to Notker
during the Middle Ages. It was translated by Cranmer
and became a part of the burial
service
in the funeral
rites of the Anglican
Book
of Common Prayer.
|
Mediolanum
captum est
|
Milan
has been captured
|
Used
erroneously as Mediolanum
Capta Est
by the black metal band Mayhem
as an album title. Mediolanum
was an ancient city in present-day Milan,
Italy.
|
meliora
|
better
things
|
Carrying
the connotation of "always better". The motto of the
University
of Rochester.
|
Melita,
domi adsum
|
Honey,
I'm home!
|
A
relatively common recent Latinization from the joke phrasebook
Latin
for All Occasions.
Grammatically correct, but the phrase would be anachronistic
in ancient
Rome.
|
memento
mori
|
remember
that [you will] die
|
Figuratively
"be mindful of dying" or "remember your mortality",
and also more literally rendered as "remember to die",
though in English this ironically misses the original intent. An
object (such as a skull) or phrase intended to remind people of
the inevitability of death. A more common theme in Christian than
in Classical art. The motto of the Trappist
order.
|
memento
vivere
|
a
reminder of life
|
Also,
"remember that you have to live." Literally rendered as
"remember to live."
|
memores
acti prudentes futuri
|
mindful
of what has been done, aware of what will be
|
Thus,
both remembering the past and foreseeing the future. From the
North
Hertfordshire
District Council coat of arms.
|
mens
agitat molem
|
the
mind moves the mass
|
From
Virgil.
Motto of Rossall
School,
the University
of Oregon,
the University
of Warwick
and the Eindhoven
University of Technology.
|
mens
et manus
|
mind
and hand
|
Motto
of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
|
mens
rea
|
guilty
mind
|
Also
"culprit mind". A term used in discussing the mindset of
an accused criminal.
|
mens
sana in corpore sano
|
a
sound mind in a sound body
|
Or
"a sensible mind in a healthy body".
|
meminerunt
omnia amantes
|
lovers
remember all
|
|
metri
causa
|
for
the sake of the meter
|
Excusing
flaws in poetry "for the sake of the meter"
|
Miles
Gloriosus
|
Glorious
Soldier
|
Or
"Boastful Soldier". Miles
Gloriosus
is the title of a play of Plautus.
A stock character in comedy, the braggart soldier. (It is said
that at Salamanca,
there is a wall, on which graduates inscribe their names, where
Francisco
Franco
had a plaque installed reading FRANCISCUS FRANCUS MILES
GLORIOSUS.)
|
minatur
innocentibus qui parcit nocentibus
|
he
threatens the innocent who spares the guilty
|
|
mirabile
dictu
|
wonderful
to tell
|
|
mirabile
visu
|
wonderful
by the sight
|
A
Roman phrase used to describe a wonderful event/happening.
|
miscerique
probat populos et foedera jungi
|
He
approves of the mingling of the peoples and their bonds of union
|
Latin
Aeneid
of Virgil,
Book IV, line 112, "he" referring to the great Roman
god, who approved of the settlement of Romans in Africa. Old Motto
of Trinidad
and Tobago,
and used in the novel A
Bend in the River
by V.
S. Naipaul.
|
miserabile
visu
|
terrible
by the sight
|
A
terrible happening or event.
|
miserere
nobis
|
have
mercy upon us
|
A
phrase within the Gloria in Excelsis Deo and the Agnus
Dei, to be used at certain points in Christian religious
ceremonies.
|
missit
me Dominus
|
the
Lord has sent me
|
A
phrase used by Jesus
Christ.
|
mittimus
|
we
send
|
A
warrant of commitment to prison, or an instruction for a jailer to
hold someone in prison.
|
mobilis
in mobili
|
moving
in a moving thing" or, poetically, "changing through the
changing medium
|
The
motto of the Nautilus
from the Jules Verne novel 20000
Leagues Under the Sea.
oBOO
|
modus
operandi
(M.O.)
|
method
of operating
|
Usually
used to describe a criminal's methods.
|
modus
ponens
|
method
of placing
|
Loosely
"method of affirming", a logical
rule
of inference
stating that from propositions if P then Q and P,
then one can conclude Q.
|
modus
tollens
|
method
of removing
|
Loosely
"method of denying", a logical
rule
of inference
stating that from propositions if P then Q and not Q,
then one can conclude not P.
|
modus
morons (Dog
Latin)
|
—
|
Dog
Latin
based on wordplay
with modus
ponens
and modus
tollens,
referring to the common logical
fallacy
that if P then Q and not P, then one can conclude
not Q (cf. denying
the antecedent
and contraposition).
|
modus
vivendi
|
method
of living
|
An
accommodation between disagreeing parties to allow life to go on.
A practical compromise.
|
montaini
semper liberi
|
mountaineers
[are] always free
|
State
motto
of West
Virginia,
adopted in 1872.
|
Montis
Insignia Calpe
|
Badge
of the Rock of Gibraltar
|
|
mortui
vivos docent
|
(Let
the) dead teach the living
|
Used
to justify dissections of human cadavers in order to understand
the cause of death.
|
more
ferarum
|
like
beasts
|
used
to describe any sexual act in the manner of beasts
|
morituri
nolumus mori
|
we
who are about to die don't want to
|
From
Terry Pratchett's The
Last Hero
|
morituri
te salutant
|
those
who are about to die salute you
|
Used
once in Suetonius'
De
Vita Caesarum
5, (Divus Claudius),
chapter 2113,
by the condemned prisoners manning galleys about to take part in a
mock naval battle on Lake
Fucinus
in AD 52. Popular misconception ascribes it as a gladiator's
salute. See also: Ave
Caesar morituri te salutant
and Naumachia.
|
mors
certa, hora incerta
|
death
is certain, its hour is uncertain
|
|
mors
tua vita mea
|
your
death, my life
|
From
medieval Latin, it indicates that battle for survival, where your
defeat is necessary for my victory, survival.
|
mors
vincit omnia
|
death
conquers all" or "death always wins
|
An
axiom often found on headstones.
|
mortuum
flagellas
|
you
are flogging a dead
|
From
Gerhard Gerhards' (1466-1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection
of annotated Adagia (1508). Criticising one who will not be
affected in any way by the criticism.
|
mos
maiorum
|
the
custom of our ancestors
|
an
unwritten code of laws and conduct, of the Romans. It
institutionalized cultural traditions, societal mores, and general
policies, as distinct from specific laws.
|
motu
proprio
|
on
his own initiative
|
Or
"by his own accord." Identifies a class of papal
documents, administrative papal bulls.
|
mulgere
hircum
|
to
milk a male goat
|
From
Gerhard Gerhards' (1466-1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection
of annotated Adagia (1508). Attempting the impossible.
|
multa
paucis
|
Say
much in few words
|
|
multis
e gentibus vires
|
from
many peoples, strength
|
Motto
of Saskatchewan.
|
multum
in parvo
|
much
in little
|
Conciseness.
The motto of Rutland,
a county in central England.
Latin
phrases are often multum in parvo, conveying much in few
words.
|
mundus
vult decipi
|
the
world wants to be deceived
|
From
James
Branch Cabell.
|
munit
haec et altera vincit
|
this
one defends and the other one conquers
|
Motto
of Nova
Scotia.
|
mutatis
mutandis
|
with
those things changed which needed to be changed
|
Thus,
"with the appropriate changes".
|
N
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
nasciturus
pro iam nato habetur, quotiens de commodis eius agitur
|
The
unborn is deemed to have been born to the extent that his own
inheritance is concerned
|
Refers
to a situation where an unborn child is deemed to be entitled to
certain inheritance rights.
|
natura
abhorret a vacuo
|
nature
abhors a vacuum
|
|
natura
non contristatur
|
nature
is not saddened
|
That
is, the natural
world
is not sentimental or compassionate.
|
natura
non facit saltum ita nec lex
|
nature
does not make a leap, thus neither does the law
|
Shortened
form of "sicut natura nil facit per saltum ita nec lex"
(just as nature does nothing by a leap, so neither does the law),
referring to both nature and the legal system moving gradually.
|
natura
non facit saltus
|
nature
makes no leaps
|
A
famous aphorism
of Linnaeus
stating that all organisms bear relationships on all sides, their
forms changing gradually from one species to the next. From
Philosophia
Botanica.
|
naturalia
non sunt turpia
|
What
is natural is not dirty.
|
Based
on Servius'
commentary on Virgil's
Georgics
(3:96): "turpis non est quia per naturam venit."
|
naturam
expellas furca, tamen usque recurret.
|
You
may drive out Nature with a pitchfork, yet she still will hurry
back.
|
You
must take the basic nature of something into account. - Horace,
Epistles, Book I, epistle iv, line 24.
|
navigare
necesse est vivere non est necesse
|
to
sail is necessary; to live is not necessary
|
Attributed
by Plutarch
to Gnaeus
Pompeius,
who, during a severe storm, commanded sailors to bring food from
Africa to Rome.
|
ne
plus ultra
|
nothing
more beyond
|
Also
nec plus ultra or non plus ultra. A descriptive
phrase meaning the best or most extreme example of something. The
Pillars
of Hercules,
for example, were literally the nec plus ultra of the
ancient Mediterranean world. Charles
V's
heraldic emblem reversed this idea, using a depiction of this
phrase inscribed on the Pillars—as plus
ultra,
without the negation. This represented Spain's
expansion
into the New World.
|
ne
sutor ultra crepidam
|
Cobbler,
no further than the sandal!
|
Thus,
don't offer your opinion on things that are outside your
competence. It is said that the Greek painter Apelles
once asked the advice of a cobbler on how to render the sandals of
a soldier he was painting. When the cobbler started offering
advice on other parts of the painting, Apelles rebuked him with
this phrase in Greek, and it subsequently became a popular Latin
expression.
|
nec
dextrorsum, nec sinistrorsum
|
Neither
to the right nor to the left
|
Do
not get distracted. This Latin phrase is also the motto for Bishop
Cotton Boys School
and the Bishop Cotton Girls High school, both located in
Bangalore, India.
|
nec
spe, nec metu
|
without
hope, without fear
|
|
nec
tamen consumebatur
|
and
yet it was not consumed
|
Refers
to the Burning
Bush
of Exodus
3:2. Motto of many Presbyterian
churches throughout the world, including Australia.
|
nec
temere nec timide
|
neither
reckless nor timid
|
The
motto of the Dutch 11th air manoeuvre brigade 11
Luchtmobiele Brigade
|
neca
eos omnes, deus suos agnoscet
|
kill
them all, god will know his own.
|
said
by Arnaud Amaury, the Abbot
of Citeaux,
the Papal
Legate.
Recorded by a monk
who was present at the time. The Abbot had been asked by the
military commander of the crusade,
the Earl
of Leicester,
how best to deal with the heretics
and this is how he replied. The phrase has been adapted to "Kill
them all, let God sort 'em out" and is a commonly used
military proverb
to this day.
|
nemine
contradicente (nem. con.)
|
with
no one speaking against
|
Less
literally, "without dissent". Used especially in
committees, where a matter may be passed nem. con., or
unanimously.
|
nemo
dat quod non habet
|
no
one gives what he does not have
|
Thus,
"none can pass better title than they have".
|
nemo
est supra legis
|
nobody
is above the law
|
|
nemo
iudex in sua causa
|
no
man shall be a judge in his own cause
|
Legal
principle that no individual can preside over a hearing in which
he holds a specific interest or bias.
|
nemo
malus felix
|
peace
visits not the guilty mind
|
Also
translated to "no peace for the wicked." Refers to the
inherent psychological issues that plague bad/guilty people.
|
nemo
me impune lacessit
|
no
one provokes me with impunity
|
Motto
of the Order
of the Thistle,
and consequently of Scotland,
found stamped on the milled edge of certain British pound
sterling
coins. It is also the motto of the Montressors in the Edgar
Allan Poe
short story "The
Cask of Amontillado"
|
nemo
mortalium omnibus horis sapit
|
No
mortal is wise at all times
|
The
wisest may make mistakes.
|
nemo
nisi per amicitiam cognoscitur
|
No
one learns except by friendship
|
Used
to imply that one must like a subject in order to study it.
|
nemo
saltat sobrius
|
Nobody
dances sober
|
The
short and more common form of "Nemo enim fere saltat sobrius,
nisi forte insanit", "Nobody dances sober, unless he is
completely insane."
|
nemo
tenetur seipsum accusare
|
no
one is bound to accuse himself
|
A
maxim banning mandatory self-incrimination.
Near-synonymous with accusare nemo se debet nisi coram Deo.
Similar phrases include: nemo tenetur armare adversarium contra
se (no one is bound to arm an opponent against himself),
meaning that a defendant is not obligated to in any way assist the
prosecutor to his own detriment; nemo tenetur edere instrumenta
contra se (no one is bound to produce documents against
himself, meaning that a defendant is not obligated to provide
materials to be used against himself (this is true in Roman
law
and has survived in modern criminal
law,
but no longer applies in modern civil
law);
and nemo tenere prodere seipsum (no one is bound to betray
himself), meaning that a defendant is not obligated to testify
against himself.
|
nervos
belli, pecuniam infinitam
|
Endless
money forms the sinews of war
|
In
war, it is essential to be able to purchase supplies and to pay
troops (as Napoleon put it, "An army marches on its
stomach").
|
nihil
ad rem
|
nothing
to do with the point
|
That
is, in law, irrelevant and / or inconsequential.
|
nihil
dicit
|
he
says nothing
|
In
law, a declination by a defendant to answer charges or put in a
plea.
|
nihil
novi
|
nothing
of the new
|
Or
just "nothing new". The phrase exists in two versions:
as nihil novi sub sole (nothing new under the sun), from
the Vulgate,
and as nihil novi nisi commune consensu (nothing new unless
by the common consensus), a 1505 law of the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth
and one of the cornerstones of its Golden
Liberty.
|
nihil
obstat
|
nothing
prevents
|
A
notation, usually on a title page, indicating that a Roman
Catholic
censor
has reviewed the book and found nothing objectionable to faith or
morals in its content. See also imprimatur.
|
Nihil
sine Deo
|
Nothing
without God
|
The
motto of the Kingdom
of Romania,
while ruled by the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
dynasty (1878–1947).
|
nil
admirari
|
be
surprised at nothing
|
Motto
of the Fitzgibbon family. See John
FitzGibbon, 1st Earl of Clare
|
nil
desperandum
|
nothing
must be despaired at
|
That
is, "never despair".
|
nil
nisi bonum
|
(about
the dead say) nothing unless (it is) good
|
Short
for nil
nisi bonum de mortuis dicere.
That is, "Don't speak ill of anyone who has died". Also
"Nil magnum nisi bonum" (nothing is great unless good),
motto of St
Catherine's School, Toorak.
|
nil
nisi malis terrori
|
no
terror, except to the bad
|
The
motto of King's
School, Macclesfield.
|
nil
per os
(n.p.o.)
|
nothing
through the mouth
|
Medical
shorthand
indicating that oral foods and fluids should be withheld from the
patient.
|
nil
satis nisi optimum
|
nothing
[is] enough unless [it is] the best
|
Motto
of Everton
Football Club,
residents of Goodison
Park,
Liverpool.
|
nil
sine labore
|
nothing
without labour
|
Motto
of Brisbane
Grammar School
, Brisbane
Girls Grammar School
and Victoria
School
|
nil
sine numine
|
nothing
without the divine will
|
Or
"nothing without providence".
State
motto
of Colorado,
adopted in 1861. Probably derived from Virgil's
Aeneid
Book II, line 777, "non haec sine numine devum eveniunt"
(these things do not come to pass without the will of the gods).
See also numina.
|
nil
volentibus arduum
|
Nothing
[is] arduous for the willing
|
Nothing
is impossible for the willing
|
nisi
Dominus frustra
|
if
not the Lord, [it is] in vain
|
That
is, "everything is in vain without God".
Summarized from Psalm
127, "nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum in vanum
laboraverunt qui aedificant eam nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem
frustra vigilavit qui custodit" (unless the Lord builds
the house, they work on a useless thing who build it; unless the
Lord guards the community, he keeps watch in vain who guards it).
The motto of Edinburgh.
|
nisi
prius
|
unless
previously
|
In
England, a direction that a case be brought up to Westminster
for trial before a single judge and jury. In the United States, a
court where civil actions are tried by a single judge sitting with
a jury, as distinguished from an appellate
court.
|
nolens
volens
|
unwilling,
willing
|
That
is, "whether unwillingly or willingly". Sometimes
rendered volens nolens, aut nolens aut volens or
nolentis volentis. Similar to willy-nilly, though
that word is derived from Old
English
will-he nil-he ([whether] he will or [whether] he will
not).
|
noli
me tangere
|
do
not touch me
|
Commonly
translated "touch me not". According to the Gospel
of John,
this was said by Jesus
to Mary
Magdalene
after his resurrection.
|
noli
turbare circulos meos
|
Do
not disturb my circles!
|
That
is, "Don't upset my calculations!" Said by Archimedes
to a Roman soldier who, despite having been given orders not to,
killed Archimedes at the conquest of Syracuse.
The soldier was executed for his act.
|
nolite
te bastardes carborundorum (Dog
Latin)
|
"Don't
let the bastards grind you down
|
From
The
Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret
Atwood
— the protagonist (Offred) finds the phrase inscribed on the
inside of her wardrobe. One of many variants of Illegitimi
non carborundum.
|
nolle
prosequi
|
to
be unwilling to prosecute
|
A
legal
motion
by a prosecutor
or other plaintiff
to drop legal charges, usually in exchange for a diversion
program
or out-of-court
settlement.
|
nolo
contendere
|
I do
not wish to contend
|
That
is, "no contest". A plea that can be entered on behalf
of a defendant in a court that states that the accused doesn't
admit guilt, but will accept punishment for a crime. Nolo
contendere pleas cannot be used as evidence in another trial.
|
nomen
dubium
|
doubtful
name
|
A
scientific name of unknown or doubtful application.
|
nomen
est omen
|
the
name is a sign
|
Thus,
"true to its name".
|
nomen
nescio (N.N.)
|
I do
not know the name
|
Thus,
the name or person in question is unknown.
|
nomen
nudum
|
naked
name
|
A
purported scientific name that does not fulfill the proper formal
criteria and therefore cannot be used unless it is subsequently
proposed correctly.
|
non
bis in idem
|
not
twice in the same thing
|
A
legal principle forbidding double
jeopardy.
|
non
causa pro causa
|
not
the cause for the cause
|
Also
known as the "questionable
cause"
or "false cause". Refers to any logical
fallacy
where a cause is incorrectly identified.
|
non
compos mentis
|
not
in control of the mind
|
See
compos mentis. Also rendered non compos sui (not in
control of himself). Samuel
Johnson,
author of the first English dictionary, theorized that the word
nincompoop
may derive from this phrase.
|
Non
ducor, duco
|
I am
not led; I lead
|
Motto
of São
Paulo
city, Brazil.
See also pro Brasilia fiant eximia.
|
non
constat
|
it
is not certain
|
Used
to explain scientific
phenomena and religious advocations, for example in medieval
history,
for rulers to issue a 'Non Constat' decree, banning the worship of
a holy figure. In legal context, occasionally a backing for
nulling information that was presented by an attorney.
Without any tangible proof, Non constat information is difficult
to argue for.
|
non
facias malum ut inde fiat bonum
|
you
should not make evil in order that good may be made from it
|
More
simply, "don't do wrong to do right". The direct
opposite of the phrase "the
ends justify the means".
|
non
impediti ratione congitatonis
|
unencumbered
by the thought process
|
Motto
of radio show Car
Talk.
|
non
in legendo sed in intelligendo legis consistunt
|
the
laws depend not on being read, but on being understood
|
|
non
liquet
|
it
is not proven
|
Also
"it is not clear" or "it is not evident". A
sometimes controversial decision handed down by a judge when they
feel that the law is not complete.
|
non
mihi solum
|
not
for myself alone
|
Motto
of Anderson Junior College, Singapore.
|
non
nobis solum
|
not
for ourselves alone
|
Appears
in Cicero's
De
Officiis
Book
1:22
in the form non nobis solum nati sumus (we are not born for
ourselves alone). Motto of Lower
Canada College,
Montreal.
|
non
obstante veredicto
|
not
standing in the way of a verdict
|
A
judgment
notwithstanding verdict,
a legal motion asking the court
to reverse the jury's
verdict on the grounds that the jury could not have reached such a
verdict reasonably.
|
non
olet
|
it
doesn't smell
|
See
pecunia
non olet.
|
non
omnis moriar
|
I
shall not all die
|
"Not
all of me will die", a phrase expressing the belief that a
part of the speaker will survive beyond death.
|
non
plus ultra
|
nothing
further beyond
|
the
ultimate
|
non
possumus
|
not
possible
|
|
non
progredi est regredi
|
to
not go forward is to go backward
|
|
non
prosequitur
|
he
does not proceed
|
A
judgment in favor of a defendant when the plaintiff failed to take
the necessary steps in an action within the time allowed.
|
non
scholae sed vitae discimus
|
We
learn not for school, but for life.
|
from
Seneca. Also, motto of the Istanbul
Bilgi University.
|
non
quis sed quid
|
not
who but what
|
Used
in the sense "what matters is not who says it but what he
says" – a warning against ad
hominem
arguments. Also, motto of Southwestern
University.
|
non
sequitur
|
it
does not follow
|
In
general, a non
sequitur
is a comment which is absurd due to not making sense in its
context (rather than due to being inherently nonsensical or
internally inconsistent), often used in humor. As a logical
fallacy,
a non
sequitur
is a conclusion that does not follow from a premise.
|
non
serviam
|
I
will not serve
|
Possibly
derived from a Vulgate
mistranslation of the Book
of Jeremiah.
Commonly used in literature as Satan's
statement of disobedience to God,
though in the original context the quote is attributed to Israel,
not Satan.
|
non
sibi
|
Not
for self.
|
A
slogan used by many schools and universities.
|
non
sibi, sed suis
|
Not
for one's self but for one's own.
|
A
slogan used by many schools and universities. Including Tulane
University.
|
Non
sibi, sed patria
|
Not
for self, but for Country.
|
Motto
of the USS
Halyburton (FFG-40)
|
Non
silba, sed anthar; Deo vindice
|
Not
for self, but for others; God will vindicate.
|
A
slogan used by the Ku
Klux Klan.
|
non
sum qualis eram
|
I am
not such as I was
|
Or
"I am not the kind of person I once was". Expresses a
change in the speaker.
|
non
teneas aurum totum quod splendet ut aurum
|
Do
not hold as gold all that shines as gold.
|
Also,
"All that glitters is not gold." Parabolae. Also used by
Shakespeare
in The
Merchant of Venice
|
non
timebo mala
|
I
will fear no evil
|
This
is the phrase printed on the Colt, in Supernatural.
|
non
vi, sed verbo
|
Not
through violence, but through the word alone
|
Martin
Luther
on Catholic church reform. (see Protestant
Reformation)
|
nosce
te ipsum
|
know
thyself
|
From
Cicero,
based on the Greek
γνῶθι σεαυτόν (gnothi seauton), inscribed on
the Temple
of Apollo at Delphi.
A non-traditional Latin rendering, temet nosce (thine own
self know), is translated in The
Matrix
as "know thyself".
|
nosus
decipio
|
we
cheat
|
As
translated in Amazing
Grace (2006 film),
"we cheat." From verb decipere: to ensnare, trap,
beguile, deceive, cheat.
|
noster
nostri
|
Literally
"Our ours"
|
Approximately
"Our hearts beat as one."
|
nota
bene (n.b.)
|
mark
well
|
That
is, "please note" or "note it well".
|
Novus
Ordo Seclorum
|
New
Order of the Ages
|
From
Virgil.
Motto on the Great
Seal of the United States.
Similar to Novus Ordo Mundi (New
world order).
|
nulla
dies sine linea
|
Not
a day without a line drawn.
|
Pliny
the Elder
attributes this maxim to Apelles,
an ancient Greek artist.
|
nulla
poena sine lege
|
no
penalty without a law
|
Refers
to the legal principle that one cannot be punished for doing
something that is not prohibited by law, and is related to Nullum
crimen, nulla poena sine praevia lege poenali.
|
Nulla
tenaci invia est via
|
For
the tenacious, no road is impassable.
|
Motto
of the Dutch car builder Spyker.
|
nullam
rem natam
|
no
thing born
|
That
is, "nothing". It has been theorized that this
expression is the origin of Italian
nulla, French
rien, and Spanish
and Portuguese
nada, all with the same meaning.
|
nulli
secundus
|
second
to none
|
Motto
of the Coldstream
Guardsand
Nine Squadron Royal Australian Corps of Transport.
|
nullius
in verba
|
On
the word of no man
|
Motto
of the Royal
Society.
|
nullum
crimen, nulla poena sine lege
|
no
crime, no punishment without law
|
Legal
principle meaning that one cannot be penalised for doing something
that is not prohibited by law. It also means that penal law cannot
be enacted retroactively. See also Nullum
crimen et nulla poena sine lege
and Nullum
crimen, nulla poena sine praevia lege poenali
|
nullum
magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit
|
There
has been no great wisdom without an element of madness
|
|
numerus
clausus
|
closed
number
|
A
method to limit the number of students who may study at a
university.
|
nunc
dimittis
|
now
you are sending away
|
In
the Gospel
of Luke,
spoken by Simeon
while holding the baby Jesus
when he felt he was ready to be dismissed into the afterlife (he
had seen the light). Often used in the same way the phrase Eureka
is used, as a jubilant exclamation of revelation.
|
nunc
est bibendum
|
now
is the time to drink
|
Carpe-Diem-type
phrase from the Odes
of Horace,
"Nunc est bibendum, nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus"
(Now is the time to drink, now the time to dance footloose upon
the earth).
|
nunc
pro tunc
|
now
for then
|
Something
that has retroactive effect, is effective from an earlier date.
|
nunc
scio quid sit amor
|
now
I know what love is
|
From
Virgil,
Eclogues
VIII.
|
nunquam
minus solus quam cum solus
|
never
less alone than when alone.
|
|
nunquam
non paratus
|
never
unprepared
|
Motto
of the Scottish clan Johnston
|
O
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
O
homines ad servitutem paratos
|
Men
fit to be slaves!
|
Attributed
(in Tacitus,
Annales,
III, 65) to the Emperor
Tiberius,
in disgust at the servile attitude of Roman
senators.
Used of those who should be leaders but instead slavishly follow
the lead of others.
|
O
tempora O mores
|
Oh,
the times! Oh, the morals!
|
Also
translated "What times! What customs!" From Cicero,
Catilina
I, 1, 2.
|
obiit
(ob.)
|
one
died
|
"He
died" or "she died", an inscription on gravestones.
ob. also sometimes stands for obiter (in passing or
incidentally).
|
obit
anus, abit onus
|
The
old woman dies, the burden is lifted
|
Arthur
Schopenhauer.
|
obiter
dictum
|
a
thing said in passing
|
In
law, an observation by a judge on some point of law not directly
relevant to the case before him, and thus neither requiring his
decision nor serving as a precedent, but nevertheless of
persuasive authority. In general, any comment, remark or
observation made in passing.
|
obscuris
vera involvens
|
the
truth being enveloped by obscure things
|
From
Virgil.
|
obscurum
per obscurius
|
the
obscure by means of the more obscure
|
An
explanation that is less clear than what it tries to explain.
Synonymous with ignotum per ignotius.
|
oculus
dexter (O.D.)
|
right
eye
|
Ophthalmologist
shorthand.
|
oculus
sinister (O.S.)
|
left
eye
|
Ophthalmologist
shorthand.
|
oderint
dum metuant
|
let
them hate, so long as they fear
|
Favorite
saying of Caligula, attributed originally to Lucius Accius, Roman
tragic poet (170 BC).
|
odi
et amo
|
I
hate and I love
|
The
opening of Catullus
85.
The entire poem reads, "odi et amo quare id faciam
fortasse requiris / nescio sed fieri sentio et excrucior"
(I hate and I love. Why do I do this, you perhaps ask. / I do not
know, but I feel it happening and am tormented.).
|
odi
profanum vulgus et arceo
|
I
hate the unholy rabble and keep them away
|
From
Horace.
|
odium
theologicum
|
theological
hatred
|
A
name for the special hatred generated in theological
disputes.
|
oleum
camino
|
(To
pour) oil on the fire
|
From
Gerhard Gerhards' (1466-1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection
of annotated Adagia (1508).
|
omnes
vulnerant, postuma necat or omnes feriunt, ultima necat
|
All
[the hours] wound, last one kills
|
Usual
in clocks, reminding the reader of death.
|
omne
ignotum pro magnifico
|
every
unknown thing [is taken] for great
|
Or
"everything unknown appears magnificent".
|
omnia
dicta fortiora si dicta Latina
|
everything
said [is] stronger if said in Latin
|
Or
"everything sounds more impressive when said in Latin".
A more common phrase with the same meaning is quidquid Latine
dictum sit altum videtur.
|
omnia
mutantur, nihil interit
|
Everything
changes, nothing perishes
|
Or
"Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost" (Ovid
(43 BC – 17 AD), Metamorphoses,
book
XV, line 165)
|
omnia
vincit amor
|
Love
conquers all
|
Virgil
(70 BC - 19 BC), Eclogue
X,
line 69
|
omne
vivum ex ovo
|
Every
living thing is from an egg
|
A
foundational concept of modern biology,
opposing the theory of spontaneous
generation.
|
omnia
munda mundis
|
everything
[is] pure to the pure [men]
|
From
The
New Testament.
|
omnia
praesumuntur legitime facta donec probetur in contrarium
|
all
things are presumed to be lawfully done, until it is shown [to be]
in the reverse
|
In
other words, "innocent until proven guilty".
|
omnibus
idem
|
the
same to all
|
The
motto of P.C.
Hooft,
usually accompanied by a sun, which shines for (almost) everyone.
|
Omnis
Vir Tigris
|
"Everyone
A Tiger"
|
Motto
of the 102nd
Intelligence Wing
|
omnium
gatherum
|
gathering
of all
|
A
miscellaneous collection or assortment. Often used facetiously.
|
onus
probandi
|
burden
of proof
|
|
onus
procedendi
|
burden
of procedure
|
Burden
of a party to adduce evidence that a case is an exception to the
rule
|
opera
omnia
|
all
works
|
The
collected works of an author.
|
opera
posthuma
|
posthumous
works
|
Works
published after the author's death.
|
operari
sequitur esse
|
the
act of doing something follows the act of being
|
Scholastic
phrase, used to explain that there is no possible act if there is
not being: being is absolutely necessary for any other act.
|
opere
citato (op.
cit.)
|
in
the work that was cited
|
Used
in academic works when referring again to the last source
mentioned or used.
|
opere
et viritate
|
in
action and truth
|
Doing
what you believe is morally right through everyday actions.
|
opere
laudato (op. laud.)
|
|
See
opere citato
|
operibus
anteire
|
leading
the way with deeds
|
To
speak with actions instead of words.
|
ophidia
in herba
|
a
snake in the grass
|
Any
hidden danger or unknown risk.
|
opus
anglicanum
|
English
work
|
Fine
embroidery. Especially used to describe church vestments.
|
Opus
Dei
|
The
Work of God
|
Opus
Dei
is a Catholic institution founded by Saint Josemaría
Escrivá. Its mission is to help people turn their work and
daily activities into occasions for growing closer to God, for
serving others, and for improving society.
|
ora
et labora
|
pray
and work
|
The
Motto of Order
of Saint Benedict
as well as the motto for St.
Joseph's Institution,
Dalhousie
Law School,
Halifax Nova Scotia, and Infant
Jesus Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School,
Tangasseri, India, and other institutions.
|
ora
pro nobis
|
pray
for us
|
|
oratio
directa
|
direct
speech
|
An
expression from Latin grammar. cf. "oratio obliqua."
|
oratio
obliqua
|
indirect
speech
|
An
expression from Latin grammar. cf. "oratio directa."
|
orbis
non sufficit
|
the
world does not suffice" "the world is not enough
|
Originates
from Juvenal's
Tenth Satire,
referring to Alexander
the Great.
James
Bond's
adopted family motto in the novel On
Her Majesty's Secret Service.
It made a brief appearance in the film adaptation of
the same name
and was later used as the title of the nineteenth James Bond film,
The
World Is Not Enough.
|
orbis
unum
|
One
world
|
Seen
in The
Legend of Zorro.
|
ordo
ab chao
|
Out
of chaos, comes order
|
The
phrase is one of the oldest mottos of Craft
Freemasonry.citation
needed
|
orta
recens quam pura nites
|
newly
risen, how brightly you shine
|
Motto
of New
South Wales.
|
P
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
pace
|
"in
peace"
|
"With
all due respect to", "with due deference to", "by
leave of", or "no offense to". Used to politely
acknowledge someone who disagrees with the speaker or writer.
|
pace
tua
|
"your
peace"
|
Thus,
"with your permission".
|
pacta
sunt servanda
|
"agreements
must be kept"
|
Also
"contracts must be honoured". Indicates the binding
power of treaties.
|
palma
non sine pulvere
|
"no
reward without effort"
|
Also
"dare to try"; motto of numerous schools.
|
panem
et circenses
|
"bread
and circuses"
|
From
Juvenal, Satire
X,
line 81. Originally described all that was needed for emperors to
placate the Roman mob. Today used to describe any entertainment
used to distract public attention from more important matters.
|
para
bellum
|
"prepare
for war"
|
From
"Si vis pacem para bellum" if you want peace prepare
for war since if you are ready for war your enemies will not
attack. Can be used to denote support or approval for a war or
conflict.
|
parens
patriae
|
"parent
of the nation"
|
A
public
policy
requiring courts to protect the best
interests
of any child involved in a lawsuit. See also Pater Patriae.
|
Pari
passu
|
"with
equal step"
|
Thus,
"moving together", "simultaneously", etc.
|
parva
sub ingenti
|
"the
small under the huge"
|
Implies
that the weak are under the protection of the strong, rather than
that they are inferior. Motto
of Prince
Edward Island.
|
Parvis
imbutus tentabis grandia tutus
|
"When
you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great
things"
|
Motto
of Barnard
Castle School,
sometimes translated as "Once you have accomplished small
things, you may attempt great ones safely"
|
passim
|
"here
and there"
|
Less
literally, "throughout" or "frequently". Said
of a word that occurs several times in a cited text. Also used in
proofreading,
where it refers to a change that is to be repeated everywhere
needed.
|
pater
familias
|
"father
of the family"
|
Or
"master of the house". The eldest male in a family, who
held patria potestas ("paternal power"). In Roman
law,
a father had enormous power over his children, wife, and slaves,
though these rights dwindled over time. Derived from the phrase
pater familias, an Old
Latin
expression preserving the archaic -as ending for the
genitive
case.
|
Pater
Patriae
|
"Father
of the Nation"
|
Also
rendered with the gender-neutral parens patriae ("parent
of the nation").
|
pater
peccavi
|
"father,
I have sinned"
|
The
traditional beginning of a Roman
Catholic
confession.
|
Pater
Omnipotens
|
"Father
Almighty"
|
A
more direct translation would be "omnipotent
father".
|
Patriam
fecisti diversis de gentibus unam
|
"From
differing peoples you have made one native land"
|
|
pauca
sed matura
|
"few,
but ripe"
|
From
The
King and I
by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Said to be one of Carl
Gauss's
favorite quotations.
|
pauca
sed bona
|
"few,
but good"
|
Similar
to "quality over quantity"; though there may be few of
something, at least they are of good quality.
|
pax
aeterna
|
"eternal
peace"
|
A
common epitaph.
|
Pax
Americana
|
"American
Peace"
|
A
euphemism for the United
States
of America and its sphere of influence. Adapted from Pax
Romana.
|
Pax
Britannica
|
"British
Peace"
|
A
euphemism for the British
Empire.
Adapted from Pax Romana.
|
Pax
Christi
|
"Peace
of Christ"
|
Used
as a wish before the H.Communion in the RC Mass, also the name of
the peace movement Pax
Christi
|
pax
Dei
|
"peace
of God"
|
Used
in the Peace
and Truce of God
movement in 10th-Century France.
|
Pax
Deorum
|
"Peace
of the Gods"
|
Like
the vast majority of inhabitants of the ancient world, the Romans
practiced pagan
rituals, believing it important to achieve a state of Pax
Deorum (The Peace of the Gods) instead of Ira Deorum
(The Wrath of the Gods).
|
Pax
Domine
|
"Peace,
lord"
|
lord
or master; used as a form of address when speaking to clergy or
educated professionals.
|
pax
et bonum
|
"peace
and the good"
|
Motto
of St. Francis
of Assisi
and, consequently, of his monastery in Assisi,
in the Umbria
region of Italy.
Translated in Italian
as pace e bene.
|
pax
et lux
|
"peace
and light"
|
Motto
of Tufts
University.
|
pax
in terra
|
"Peace
on earth"
|
Used
to exemplify the desired state of peace on earth.
|
Pax
Europea
|
"European
peace"
|
A
euphemism for Europe
after World
War II
|
pax
maternum, ergo pax familiarum
|
"peace
of mothers, therefore peace of families"
|
If
the mother is peaceful, then the family is peaceful. The reverse
of the Southern American saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't
nobody happy."
|
Pax
Mongolica
|
"Mongolian
Peace"
|
A
period of peace and prosperity in Asia during the Mongol
Empire.
|
Pax
Romana
|
"Roman
Peace"
|
A
period of relative prosperity and lack of conflict in the early
Roman
Empire.
|
Pax
Sinica
|
"Chinese
Peace"
|
A
period of peace in East
Asia
during times of strong Chinese
hegemony.
|
Pax
tecum
|
"Peace
be with you"
|
(Singular)
|
pax
vobiscum
|
"peace
[be] with you"
|
A
common farewell. The "you"
is plural ("you all"), so the phrase must be used when
speaking to more than one person; pax tecum is the form
used when speaking to only one person.
|
Peccavi
|
"I
have sinned"
|
Telegraph
message and pun from Charles
Napier,
British general, upon completely subjugating the Indian province
of Sindh in 1842. This is, arguably, the most terse military
despatch ever sent. The story is apocryphal.
|
pecunia
non olet
|
"the
money doesn't smell"
|
According
to Suetonius,
when Emperor Vespasian
was challenged by his son Titus
for taxing
the public lavatories,
the emperor held up a coin before his son and asked whether it
smelled or simply said non olet ("it doesn't smell").
From this, the phrase was expanded to pecunia non olet, or
rarely aes non olet ("copper doesn't smell").
|
pecunia,
si uti scis, ancilla est; si nescis, domina
|
"if
you know how to use money, money is your slave; if you don't,
money is your master"
|
Written
on an old Latin tablet in downtown Verona (Italy).
|
pendent
opera interrupta
|
"the
work hangs interrupted"
|
From
the Aeneid
of Virgil,
Book IV.
|
per
|
"By,
through, by means of"
|
See
specific phrases below.
|
per
angusta ad augusta
|
"through
difficulties to greatness"
|
The
motto of numerous educational establishments.
|
per
annum
(pa.)
|
"through
a year"
|
Thus,
"yearly"—occurring every year.
|
per
ardua
|
"through
adversity"
|
Motto
of the British RAF
Regiment
|
per
ardua ad alta
|
"through
hard work, great things are achieved"
|
Motto
of University
of Birmingham.
|
per
ardua ad astra
|
"through
struggles to the stars"
|
Motto
of the air force of several nations and of several schools. The
phrase is used by Latin Poet Virgil in the Aeneid; also used in H.
Rider Haggard's
novel The
People of the Mist.
|
per
aspera ad astra
|
"through
hardships to the stars"
|
From
Seneca
the Younger.
Motto of NASA
and the South
African Air Force.
A common variant, ad astra per aspera ("to the stars
through hardships"), is the state
motto
of Kansas.
Ad
Astra
("To the Stars") is the title of a magazine published by
the National
Space Society.
De Profundus Ad Astra ("From the depths to the stars.")
is the motto of the LASFS.
|
per
capsulam
|
"through
the small box"
|
That
is, "by letter".
|
per
capita
|
"through
the heads"
|
"Per
head", i.e., "per person". The singular is per
caput ("through a head").
|
per
contra
|
"through
the contrary"
|
Or
"on the contrary" (cf. a contrario).
|
per
curiam
|
"through
the senate"
|
Legal
term meaning "by the court", as in a per
curiam decision.
|
Per
crucem vincemus
|
"through
the cross we shall conquer"
|
Motto
of St
John Fisher Catholic High School, Dewsbury.
|
per
definitionem
|
"through
the definition"
|
Thus,
"by definition".
|
per
diem
(pd.)
|
"through
a day"
|
Thus,
"per day". A specific amount of money an organization
allows an individual to spend per day, typically for travel
expenses.
|
Per
Mare per Terram
|
"By
Sea and by Land"
|
Motto
of the Royal
Marines
and (with small difference) of Clan
Donald.
|
per
mensem (pm.)
|
"through
a month"
|
Thus,
"per month", or "monthly".
|
per
os
(p.o.)
|
"through
the mouth"
|
Medical
shorthand
for "by mouth".
|
per
pedes
|
"by
feet"
|
Used
of a certain place can be traversed or reached by foot, or to
indicate that one is travelling by foot as opposed to by a
vehicle.
|
per
procura (p.p.) or (per pro)
|
"through
the agency"
|
Also
rendered per procurationem. Used to indicate that a person
is signing a document on behalf of another person. Correctly
placed before the name of the person signing, but often placed
before the name of the person on whose behalf the document is
signed, sometimes through incorrect translation of the alternative
abbreviation per pro. as "for and on behalf of".
|
per
quod
|
"by
reason of which"
|
In a
UK legal context: "by reason of which" (as opposed to
per se which requires no reasoning). In American
jurisprudence often refers to a spouse's claim for loss of
consortium.
|
per
rectum (pr)
|
"through
the rectum"
|
Medical
shorthand.
See also per os.
|
per
se
|
"through
itself"
|
Also
"by itself" or "in itself". Without referring
to anything else, intrinsically, taken without qualifications,
etc. A common example is negligence
per se.
See also malum
in se.
|
per
stirpes
|
"through
the roots"
|
Used
in wills
to indicate that each "branch" of the testator's
family should inherit equally. Contrasted with per capita.
|
per
unitatem vis
|
"through
unity, strength"
|
Motto
of Texas
A&M University Corps of Cadets.
|
per
veritatem vis
|
"through
truth, strength"
|
Motto
of Washington
University in St. Louis.
|
per
volar sunatasic
|
"born
to fly upwards"*
|
Motto
of St
Aidan's Anglican Girls' School
and St
Margaret's Anglican Girls School
*This is a historical misconception. The phrase is not from
latin but from 'Dante
Purgatorio XII 94-96'.
"Per Volar Su Nata" - Original meaning from the Sisters
of the Sacred Advent was "Born to Soar" .
|
perpetuum
mobile
|
"thing
in perpetual
motion"
|
A
musical term. Also used to refer to hypothetical perpetual motion
machines.
|
persona
non grata
|
"person
not pleasing"
|
An
unwelcome, unwanted or undesirable person. In diplomatic
contexts, a person rejected by the host government. The reverse,
persona grata ("pleasing person"), is less
common, and refers to a diplomat acceptable to the government of
the country to which he is sent.
|
petitio
principii
|
"request
of the beginning"
|
Begging
the question,
a logical
fallacy
in which a proposition to be proved is implicitly or explicitly
assumed in one of the premises.
|
pia
desideria
|
"pious
longings"
|
Or
"dutiful desires".
|
pia
fraus
|
"pious
fraud"
|
Or
"dutiful deceit". Expression from Ovid.
Used to describe deception which serves Church purposes.
|
pia
mater
|
"pious
mother"
|
Or
"tender mother". Translated into Latin from Arabic.
The delicate innermost of the three membranes that cover the brain
and spinal cord.
|
pinxit
|
"one
painted"
|
Thus,
"he painted this" or "she painted this".
Formerly used on works of art, next to the artist's name.
|
pluralis
majestatis
|
"plural
of majesty"
|
The
first-person plural pronoun when used by an important personage to
refer to himself or herself; also known as the "royal we".
|
plus
Ultra
|
"further
beyond"
|
The
national motto of Spain and a number of other institutions. Motto
of the Colombian National Armada.
|
pollice
compresso favor iudicabatur
|
"goodwill
decided by compressed thumb"
|
Life
was spared with a thumb tucked inside a closed fist, simulating a
sheathed weapon. Conversely, a thumb up meant to unsheath your
sword.
|
pollice
verso
|
"with
a turned thumb"
|
Used
by Roman crowds to pass judgment on a defeated gladiator. The type
of gesture used is uncertain. Also the name of a famous painting
depicting gladiators by Jean-Léon
Gérôme.
|
pons
asinorum
|
"bridge
of asses"
|
Any
obstacle that stupid people find hard to cross. Originally used of
Euclid's
Fifth Proposition in geometry.
|
Pontifex
Maximus
|
"Greatest
High Priest"
|
Or
"Supreme Pontiff". Originally an office in the Roman
Republic,
later a title held by Roman
Emperors,
and later a traditional epithet of the pope.
The pontifices were the most important priestly college of
the ancient Roman
religion;
their name is usually thought to derive from pons facere
("to make a bridge"), which in turn is usually linked to
their religious authority over the bridges of Rome, especially the
Pons
Sublicius.
|
posse
comitatus
|
"force
of the county"
|
Thus,
to be able to be made into part of a retinue or force. In common
law, posse
comitatus
is a sheriff's right to compel people to assist law enforcement in
unusual situations.
|
post
aut propter
|
"after
it or by means of it"
|
Causality
between two phenomena is not established (cf. post hoc, ergo
propter hoc).
|
post
cibum (p.c.)
|
"after
food"
|
Medical
shorthand
for "after meals" (cf. ante cibum).
|
Post
Coitum Omne Animal Triste Est
|
"After
sexual intercourse every animal is sad"
|
Latin
proverb.
|
post
coitus
|
"After
sex"
|
After
sexual intercourse.
|
post
hoc ergo propter hoc
|
"after
this, therefore because of this"
|
A
logical
fallacy
where one assumes that one thing happening after another thing
means that the first thing caused the second. The title of a West
Wing
episode.
|
post
festum
|
"after
the feast"
|
Too
late, or after the fact.
|
post
meridiem (p.m.)
|
"after
midday"
|
The
period from noon
to midnight
(cf. ante meridiem).
|
post
mortem (pm)
|
"after
death"
|
Usually
rendered postmortem. Not to be confused with post
meridiem.
|
Post
mortem auctoris (p.m.a.)
|
"after
the author's death"
|
The
phrase is used in legal terminology in the context of intellectual
property rights, especially copyright, which commonly lasts until
a certain number of years after the author's death.
|
post
prandial
|
"after
the time before midday"
|
Refers
to the time after any meal. Usually rendered postprandial.
|
post
scriptum (p.s.)
|
"after
what has been written"
|
A
postscript.
Used to mark additions to a letter, after the signature. Can be
extended to post post scriptum (p.p.s.), etc.
|
post
tenebras lux,
post tenebras spero lucem
|
"after
darkness, [I hope for] light"
|
Motto
of the Protestant
Reformation
inscribed on the Reformation
Wall
in Geneva
from Vulgata,
Job
17:12.
Former motto of Chile;
motto of Robert
College
of Istanbul.
|
Praemonitus
praemunitus
|
"forewarned
is forearmed"
|
|
praesis
ut prosis ne ut imperes
|
"Lead
in order to serve, not in order to rule"
|
Motto
of Lancaster
Royal Grammar School.
|
prima
facie
|
"at
first sight"
|
Used
to designate evidence
in a trial
which is suggestive, but not conclusive, of something (e.g., a
person's guilt).
|
prima
luce
|
"at
dawn"
|
Literally
"at first light"
|
Primas
sum: primatum nil a me alienum puto
|
"I
am a primate; nothing about primates is outside of my bailiwick"
|
A
sentence by the American anthropologist Earnest
Albert Hooton
and the slogan of primatologists and lovers of the primates.
|
primum
mobile
|
"first
moving thing"
|
Or
"first thing able to be moved". See primum movens.
|
primum
movens
|
"prime
mover"
|
Or
"first moving one". A common theological
term, such as in the cosmological
argument,
based on the assumption that God
was the first entity to "move" or "cause"
anything. Aristotle
was one of the first philosophers to discuss the "uncaused
cause", a hypothetical originator—and violator—of
causality.
|
primum
non nocere
|
"first,
to not harm"
|
A
medical precept. Often falsely attributed to the Hippocratic
Oath,
though its true source is probably a paraphrase from Hippocrates'
Epidemics, where he wrote, "Declare the past, diagnose
the present, foretell the future; practice these acts. As to
diseases, make a habit of two things: to help, or at least to do
no harm."
|
primus
inter pares
|
"first
among equals"
|
A
title of the Roman
Emperors
(cf. princeps).
|
principia
probant non probantur
|
"principles
prove; they are not proved"
|
Fundamental
principles
require no proof; they are assumed a priori.
|
prior
tempore potior iure
|
"earlier
in time, stronger in law"
|
A
legal principle that older laws take precedent over newer ones.
Another name for this principle is lex posterior.
|
pro
bono
|
"for
the good"
|
The
full phrase is pro bono publico ("for the public
good"). Said of work undertaken voluntarily at no expense,
such as public
services.
Often used of a lawyer's
work that is not charged for.
|
pro
Brasilia fiant eximia
|
"let
exceptional things be made for Brazil"
|
Motto
of São
Paulo
state, Brazil.
See also non ducor duco.
|
Pro
deo et patria
|
"For
God and Country"
|
Motto
of St.
John's High School,
Chandigarh, India, American
University,
Washington, DC, St
Peter's College,
South Australia, and Iona
Presentation College, Perth.
|
pro
forma
|
"for
form"
|
Or
"as a matter of form". Prescribing a set form or
procedure, or performed in a set manner.
|
pro
gloria et patria
|
"for
gloria and fatherland"
|
Motto
of Prussia
|
pro
hac vice
|
"for
this occasion"
|
Request
of a state court to allow an out-of-state lawyer to represent a
client.
|
Pro
multis
|
"for
many"
|
It
is part of the Rite of Consecration of the wine
in the Western
Christian
tradition, as part of the Mass.
|
pro
patria
|
"for
country"
|
Pro
Patria Medal:- for operational service (minimum 55 days) in
defence of the Republic South Africa or in the prevention or
suppression of terrorism; issued for the Border War
(counter-insurgency operations in South West Africa 1966-89) and
for campaigns in Angola (1975-76 and 1987-88). Motto of the Royal
Canadian Regiment and Royal
South Australia Regiment
|
pro
patria Vigalans
|
"watchful
for the country"
|
Motto
of the United States Army Signal Corps.
|
pro
rata
|
"for
the rate"
|
i.e.,
proportionately.
|
pro
rege et lege
|
"for
king and the law"
|
Found
on the Leeds
coat of arms
|
pro
re nata (prn)
|
"for
a thing that has been born"
|
Medical
shorthand
for "as the occasion arises" or "as needed".
Also "concerning a matter having come into being" Used
to describe a meeting of a special Presbytery
or Assembly called to discuss something new, and which was
previously unforeseen (literally: "concerning a matter having
been born").
|
pro
studio et labore
|
"for
study and work"
|
|
pro
se
|
"for
oneself"
|
to
defend oneself in court without counsel ("pro per"
-persona-in California)
|
pro
tanto
|
"for
so much"
|
Denotes
something that has only been partially fulfilled. A philosophical
term indicating the acceptance of a theory or idea without fully
accepting the explanation
|
pro
tempore
|
"for
the time"
|
Equivalent
to English phrase "for the time being". Denotes a
temporary current situation.
|
probatio
pennae
|
"testing
of the pen"
|
A
Medieval
Latin
term for breaking in a new pen.
|
procol
harum
|
"beyond
these things"
|
1960's
progressive group
|
propria
manu (p.m.)
|
"by
one's own hand"
|
|
propter
vitam vivendi perdere causas
|
"to
destroy the reasons for living for the sake of life"
|
That
is, to squander life's purpose just in order to stay alive, and
live a meaningless life. From Juvenal,
Satyricon VIII, verses 83–84.
|
provehito
in altum
|
"launch
forward into the deep"
|
Motto
of Memorial
University of Newfoundland,
as well as of the band 30
Seconds to Mars..
|
proxime
accessit
|
"he
came next"
|
The
runner-up.
|
proximo
mense (prox.)
|
"in
the following month"
|
Formerly
used in formal correspondence to refer to the next month. Used
with ult. ("last month") and inst. ("this month").
|
pulvis
et umbra sumus
|
"we
are dust and shadow"
|
From
Horace,
Carmina book IV, 7, 16.
|
punctum
saliens
|
"leaping
point"
|
Thus,
the essential or most notable point.
|
Q
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
qua
patet orbis
|
"as
far as the world extends"
|
Motto
of the Royal Netherlands
Marine Corps
|
quaecumque
sunt vera
|
"whatsoever
is true"
|
Motto
of Northwestern
University.
Also motto of the University
of Alberta
as quaecumque vera. Taken from Phillipians
4:8 of the Bible
|
quaecumque
vera doce me
|
"Teach
me whatsoever is true"
|
Motto
of St.
Joseph's College, Edmonton
at the University
of Alberta.
|
quae
non prosunt singula multa iuvant
|
"what
alone is not useful helps when accumulated"
|
Ovid,
Remedia amoris
|
quaere
|
"seek"
|
Or
"you might ask..." Used to suggest doubt or to ask one
to consider whether something is correct. Often introduces
rhetorical or tangential questions.
|
quaerite
primum regnum Dei
|
"seek
ye first the kingdom of God"
|
Also
quaerite primo regnum dei. Motto
of Newfoundland
and Labrador.
Motto of Shelford
Girls' Grammar,
St
Columb's College,
and Philharmonic
Academy of Bologna.
|
qualis
artifex pereo
|
"As
what kind of artist do I perish?"
|
Or
"What an artist dies in me!" Attributed to Nero
by Suetonius.
|
quamdiu
bene gesserit
|
Legal
Latin: "as long as he shall have behaved well"
|
I.e.,
"[while on] good behavior." From which Frank
Herbert
extracted the name for the Bene
Gesserit
sisterhood in the Dune
novels.
|
quando
omni flunkus, mortati
|
"When
all else fails, play dead"
|
Mock-Latin
phrase said at the end of The
Red Green Show.
|
quantum
libet (q.l.)
|
"as
much as pleases"
|
Medical
shorthand
for "as much as you wish".
|
quantum
sufficit (qs)
|
"as
much as is enough"
|
Medical
shorthand
for "as much as needed" or "as much as will
suffice".
|
quaque
hora (qh)
|
"every
hour"
|
Medical
shorthand.
Also quaque die (qd), "every day", quaque mane
(qm), "every morning", and quaque nocte (qn),
"every night".
|
quare
clausum fregit
|
"wherefore
he broke the close"
|
An
action of tresspass; thus called, by reason the writ demands the
person summoned to answer to wherefore he broke the close
(quare clausum fregit), i.e. why he committed such a
trespass.
|
quater
in die (qid)
|
"four
times a day"
|
Medical
shorthand.
|
quem
deus vult perdere, dementat prius
|
"Whom
the gods would destroy,
they first make insane"
|
|
quem
di diligunt adulescens moritur
|
"he
whom the gods love dies young"
|
Other
translations of diligunt include "prize especially"
or "esteem". From Plautus,
Bacchides,
IV, 7, 18. In this comic play, a sarcastic servant says this to
his aging master. The rest of the sentence reads: dum valet
sentit sapit ("while he is healthy, perceptive and
wise").
|
questio
quid iuris
|
"I
ask what law?"
|
From
the Summoner's section of Chaucer's
General Prologue to the
Canterbury Tales,
line 648.
|
qui
bono
|
"who
with good"
|
Common
nonsensical Dog
Latin
misrendering of the Latin phrase cui
bono
("who benefits?").
|
qui
pro quo
|
literally
qui instead of quo (medieval
Latin)
|
Unused
in English, but common in other modern languages (for instance
Italian,
Polish
and French).
Used as a noun,
indicates a misunderstanding.
|
qui
tacet consentire videtur
|
"he
who is silent is taken to agree"
|
Thus,
silence gives consent. Sometimes accompanied by the proviso "ubi
loqui debuit ac potuit", that is, "when he ought to
have spoken and was able to".
|
qui
tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac parte sequitur
|
"he
who brings an action for the king as well as for himself"
|
Generally
known as 'qui tam,' it is the technical legal term for the unique
mechanism in the federal False Claims Act that allows persons and
entities with evidence of fraud against federal programs or
contracts to sue the wrongdoer on behalf of the Government.
|
qui
totum vult totum perdit
|
"he
who wants everything loses everything"
|
Attributed
to Seneca.
|
qui
transtulit sustinet
|
"he
who transplanted still sustains"
|
Or
"he who brought us across still supports us", meaning
God.
State
motto
of Connecticut.
Originally written as sustinet qui transtulit in 1639.
|
quia
suam uxorem etiam suspiciore vacare vellet
|
"because
he should wish even his wife to be free from suspicion"
|
Attributed
to Julius
Caesar
by Plutarch,
Caesar 10. Translated loosely as "because even the
wife of Caesar may not be suspected". At the feast of Bona
Dea,
a sacred festival for females only, which was being held at the
Domus Publica, the home of the Pontifex
Maximus,
Caesar, and hosted by his second wife, Pompeia,
the notorious rhetorian Clodius
arrived in disguise. Caught by the outraged noblewomen, Clodius
fled before they could kill him on the spot for sacrilege. In the
ensuing trial, allegations arose that Pompeia and Clodius were
having an affair, and while Caesar asserted that this was not the
case and no substantial evidence arose suggesting otherwise, he
nevertheless divorced, with this quotation as explanation.
|
quid
agis
|
"What's
going on?"
|
What's
happening? What's going on? What's the news? What's up?
|
quid
est veritas
|
"What
is truth?"
|
In
the Vulgate
translation of John
18:38, Pilate's
question to Jesus.
A possible answer is an anagram of the phrase: est vir qui
adest, "it is the man who is here."
|
quid
novi ex Africa
|
"What
of the new out of Africa?"
|
Less
literally, "What's new from Africa?" Derived from an
Aristotle
quotation.
|
quid
pro quo
|
"what
for what"
|
Commonly
used in English, it is also translated as "this for that"
or "a thing for a thing". Signifies a favor exchanged
for a favor. The traditional latin expression for this meaning was
do
ut des
|
quid
nunc
|
"What
now?"
|
Commonly
shortened to quidnunc. As a noun, a quidnunc is a
busybody or a gossip. Patrick
Campbell
worked for The
Irish Times
under the pseudonym
"Quidnunc".
|
quidquid
Latine dictum sit altum videtur
|
"whatever
has been said in Latin seems deep"
|
Or
"anything said in Latin sounds profound". A recent
ironic Latin phrase to poke fun at people who seem to use Latin
phrases and quotations only to make themselves sound more
important or "educated". Similar to the less common
omnia dicta fortiora si dicta Latina.
|
Quieta
non movere
|
"don't
move settled things"
|
|
quis
custodiet ipsos custodes?
|
"Who
will guard the guards themselves?"
|
Commonly
associated with Plato
who in the Republic
poses this question; and from Juvenal's
On
Women,
referring to the practice of having eunuchs
guard women and beginning with the word sed ("but").
Usually translated less literally, as "Who watches the
watchmen?" This translation is a common epigraph,
such as of the Tower
Commission
and Alan
Moore's
Watchmen
comic book series.
|
quis
leget haec?
|
"Who
will read this?"
|
|
quis
ut Deus
|
"Who
[is] as God?"
|
Usually
translated "Who is like unto God?" Questions who would
have the audacity to compare himself to a Supreme Being.
|
quo
amplius eo amplius
|
"Something
more beyond plenty"
|
Apocryphally
credited to Borges, House on Nob Hill (unauthorized
Morgenstern translation, c. 1962)
|
quo
errat demonstrator
|
"where
the prover errs"
|
A
pun on ''quod
erat demonstrandum''.
|
quo
fata ferunt
|
"where
the fates bear us to"
|
Motto
of Bermuda.
|
quo
usque tandem
|
"For
how much longer?"
|
From
Cicero's
Ad
Catilinam
speech to the Roman
Senate
regarding the conspiracy of Catiline:
quo usque tandem abutere Catilina patientia nostra ("For
how much longer, Catiline, will you abuse our patience?").
|
quo
vadis
|
"Where
are you going?"
|
According
to Vulgate
translation of John
13:36, Saint
Peter
asked Jesus
Domine, quo vadis ("Lord, where are you going?").
The King
James Version
has the translation "Lord, whither goest thou?"
|
quod
erat demonstrandum (Q.E.D.)
|
"which
was to be demonstrated"
|
The
abbreviation is often written at the bottom of a mathematical
proof.
Sometimes translated loosely into English as "The Five Ws",
W.W.W.W.W., which stands for "Which Was What We Wanted".
|
quod
erat faciendum (Q.E.F)
|
"which
was to be done"
|
Or
"which was to be constructed". Used in translations of
Euclid's Elements
when there was nothing to prove, but there was something be
constructed, for example a triangle with the same size as a given
line.
|
quod
est (q.e.)
|
"which
is"
|
|
quod
gratis asseritur, gratis negatur
|
"what
is asserted without reason may be denied without reason"
|
If
no grounds have been given for an assertion, there is no need to
provide grounds for contradicting it.
|
quod
licet Iovi non licet bovi
|
"what
is permitted to Jupiter
is not permitted to an ox"
|
If
an important person does something, it does not necessarily mean
that everyone can do it (cf. double
standard).
Iovi (also commonly rendered Jovi) is the dative
form of Iupiter ("Jupiter" or "Jove"),
the chief god of the Romans.
|
quod
me nutrit me destruit
|
"what
nourishes me destroys me"
|
Thought
to have originated with Elizabethan playwright Christopher
Marlowe.
Generally interpreted to mean that that which motivates or drives
a person can consume him or her from within. This phrase has
become a popular slogan or motto for pro-ana
websites, anorexics
and bulimics.
In this case the phrase is literally describing food.
|
quod
natura non dat Salmantica non praestat
|
"what
nature does not give, Salamanca
does not provide"
|
Refers
to the Spanish University
of Salamanca,
meaning that education cannot substitute the lack of brains.
|
Quod
scripsi, scripsi.
|
"What
I have written I have written."
|
Pilate
to the chief priests (John
19:22).
|
quod
vide (q.v.)
|
"which
see"
|
Used
after a term or phrase that should be looked up elsewhere in the
current document or book. For more than one term or phrase, the
plural is quae vide (qq.v.).
|
quomodo
vales
|
"how
are you?"
|
|
quorum
|
"of
whom"
|
The
number of members whose presence is required under the rules to
make any given meeting constitutional.
|
quos
amor verus tenuit tenebit
|
"Those
whom true love has held, it will go on holding"
|
Seneca.
|
Quot
capita tot sensus
|
"As
many heads, so many opinions"
|
"There
are as many opinions as there are heads." --Terence.
|
quot
homines tot sententiae
|
"how
many people, so many opinions"
|
Or
"there are as many opinions as there are people".
|
R
Latin
|
Translation
|
Notes
|
radix
malorum est cupiditas
|
"the
root of evils is desire"
|
Or
"greed
is the root
of all evil".
Theme of the Pardoner's
Tale
from The
Canterbury Tales.
|
Rara
avis (Rarissima avis)
|
"Rare
bird" ("very rare bird")
|
An
extraordinary or unusual thing. From Juvenal's
Satires: rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno
("a rare bird in the lands, and very like a black swan").
|
ratio
decidendi
|
"reasoning
for the decision"
|
The
legal, moral, political, and social principles used by a court to
compose a judgment's rationale.
|
ratio
legis
|
"reasoning
of law"
|
A
law's foundation or basis.
|
ratione
soli
|
"by
account of the ground"
|
Or
"according to the soil". Assigning property rights to a
thing based on its presence on a landowner's property.
|
re
|
"[in]
the matter of"
|
More
literally, "by the thing". From the ablative
of res ("thing" or "circumstance").
Often used in e-mail
replies. It is a common misconception that the "Re:" in
correspondence is an abbreviation for regarding or reply;
this is not the case. The use of Latin re, in the sense of
"about, concerning", is English usage.
|
rebus
sic stantibus
|
"with
matters standing thus"
|
The
doctrine that treaty
obligations hold only as long as the fundamental conditions and
expectations that existed at the time of their creation hold.
|
recte
et fideliter
|
"Upright
and Faithful"
|
Also
"just and faithful" and "accurately and
faithfully". Motto of Ruyton
Girls' School
|
reductio
ad absurdum
|
"leading
back to the absurd"
|
A
common debate technique, and a method of proof in mathematics and
philosophy, that proves the thesis by showing that its opposite is
absurd or logically untenable. In general usage outside
mathematics and philosophy, a reductio ad absurdum is a
tactic in which the logic of an argument is challenged by reducing
the concept to its most absurd extreme. Translated from
Aristotle's
"ἡ εις άτοπον απαγωγη" (hi eis
atopon apagogi, "reduction to the impossible").
|
reductio
ad infinitum
|
"leading
back to the infinite"
|
An
argument that creates an infinite series of causes that does not
seem to have a beginning. As a fallacy, it rests upon Aristotle's
notion that all things must have a cause, but that all series of
causes must have a sufficient cause, that is, an unmoved mover. An
argument which does not seem to have such a beginning becomes
difficult to imagine.
|
regnat
populus
|
"the
people rule"
|
State
motto
of Arkansas,
adopted in 1907. Originally rendered in 1864 in the plural,
regnant populi ("the peoples rule"), but
subsequently changed to the singular.
|
Regnum
Mariae Patrona Hungariae
|
"Kingdom
of Mary, the Patron of Hungary"
|
Former
motto
of Hungary.
|
remit
|
|
That
which is sent back - a question sent for report or reconsideration
by a court to a lower court or to a committee.
|
repetita
juvant
|
"repeating
does good"
|
Usually
said as a jocular remark to defend the speaker's (or writer's)
choice to repeat some important piece of information to ensure
reception by the audience.
|
repetitio
est mater studiorum
|
"repetition
is the mother of study"
|
|
requiescat
in pace (R.I.P.)
|
"let
him rest in peace"
|
Or
"may he rest in peace". A benediction for the dead.
Often inscribed on tombstones or other grave markers. "RIP"
is commonly mistranslated as "Rest In Peace", though the
two mean essentially the same thing.
|
rerum
cognoscere causas
|
"to
learn the causes of things"
|
Motto
of the University
of Sheffield,
the University
of Guelph,
and London
School of Economics.
|
res
gestae
|
"things
done"
|
A
phrase used in law representing the belief that certain statements
are made naturally, spontaneously and without deliberation during
the course of an event, they leave little room for
misunderstanding/misinterpretation upon hearing by someone else (
i.e. by the witness who will later repeat the statement to the
court) and thus the courts believe that such statements carry a
high degree of credibility.
|
res
ipsa loquitur
|
"the
thing speaks for itself"
|
A
phrase from the common
law
of torts
meaning that negligence can be inferred from the fact that such an
accident happened, without proof of exactly how. A clause
sometimes (informally) added on to the end of this phrase is sed
quid in infernos dicit ("but what the hell does it
say?"), which serves as a reminder that one must still
interpret the significance of events that "speak for
themselves".
|
res
judicata
|
"judged
thing"
|
A
matter which has been decided by a court. Often refers to the
legal concept that once a matter has been finally decided by the
courts, it cannot be litigated again (cf. non bis in idem
and double
jeopardy).
|
respice
adspice prospice
|
"look
behind, look here, look ahead"
|
i.e.,
"examine the past, the present and future". Motto of
CCNY.
|
respice
finem
|
"look
back at the end"
|
i.e.,
"have regard for the end" or "consider the end".
Generally a memento
mori,
a warning to remember one's death.
|
respondeat
superior
|
"let
the superior respond"
|
Regarded
as a legal maxim in agency law, referring to the legal liability
of the principal with respect to an employee. Whereas a hired
independent contract acting tortiously may not cause the principal
to be legally liable, a hired employee acting tortiously will
cause the principal (the employer) to be legally liable, even if
the employer did nothing wrong.
|
restitutio
in integrum
|
"restoration
to original condition"
|
Principle
behind the awarding of damages in common law negligence claims
|
res
nullius
|
"nobody's
property"
|
Goods
without an owner. Used for things or beings which belong to nobody
and are up for grabs, e.g., uninhabited and uncolonized lands,
wandering wild animals, etc. (cf. terra nullius, "no
man's land").
|
rex
regum fidelum et
|
"king
even of faithful kings"
|
Latin
motto that appears on the crest of the Trinity
Broadcasting Network
of Paul
and Jan
Crouch.
|
rigor
mortis
|
"stiffness
of death"
|
The
rigidity of corpses when chemical reactions cause the limbs to
stiffen about 3–4 hours after death. Other signs of death
include drop in body temperature (algor
mortis,
"cold of death") and discoloration (livor
mortis,
"bluish color of death").
|
risum
teneatis, amici?
|
"Can
you help laughing, friends?"
|
An
ironic or rueful commentary, appended following a fanciful or
unbelievable tale.
|
Roma
invicta
|
"Unconquerable
Rome
|
Inspirational
motto inscribed on the Statue of Rome.
|
Romanes
eunt domus
|
"Romanes
go the house"
|
An
intentionally garbled Latin phrase from Monty
Python's Life of Brian.
Its intended meaning is "Romans, go home!", but is
actually closer to "'People called Romanes they go the
house'", according to a centurion | |
|