List of Latin phrases
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This page includes English translations of less common Latin phrases (i.e., not always found in dictionaries), some of which are themselves translations from Greek.
For a list of more formal proverbs, see: List of Latin proverbs. Note that the difference between phrases and proverbs is often subjective. Please use this test to see whether a Latin sentence is a phrase or proverb: If the sentence is an old yet common saying that expresses some practical truth, then it is probably a proverb. If it is in the form of an incomplete sentence or does not contain some practical truth, then it is probably a phrase.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
;A bene placito
- "At your pleasure."
- "From the stronger" -- loosely, "even more so". Often used to lead from a less certain proposition to a more evident corollary. e.g. "It is unwise to invest in pyramid schemes, and, a fortiori, in e-mail pyramid schemes."
- "From feet to head."
- "From the latter" -- based on observation, the reverse of a priori.
- "From the former" -- presupposed, the reverse of a posteriori.
- "From the depths of (my) chest" -- i.e. "from my heart". Attributed to Julius Caesar.
- "From the beginning" -- compare in media res.
- "From the egg" -- i.e. from the beginning.
- "From the founding of the city (of Rome)" -- i.e. from 753 B.C, according to Livy's count; used as a reference point by the Romans for establishing dates, as we use A.D. today.
- "May the presentiment not be realized."
- "To appeal to the crowd" -- often used of politicians who make false or insincere promises appealing to popular interest.
- "For this" -- i.e. improvised, made up on the spot.
- "To the man" -- usually, an argument criticizing the opponent's person rather than his ideas; or also an argument designed to appeal to personal interest rather than objective fact.
- "To infinity" -- going on forever.
- "In the meantime" -- as in the term "charge d'affaires ad interim" for a diplomatic officer who acts in place of an ambassador.
- "To the Greek Kalends" -- said by Emperor Augustus, in Suetonius, with the sense of "never". Kalends were part of the Roman calendar, not of the Greek, so the "Greek kalends" are "a date that will never happen".
- "At ease" -- means "do as you please", "improvise", "just ramble on"; esp. in music partitures, theatrical scripts, etc..
- "Towards the light" -- the motto of the University of Lisbon.
- "To the greater glory of God" -- motto of the Jesuits.
- "To many years!" -- i.e. "Many happy returns!"
- "To the point of nausea".
- "By the value" -- e.g. ad valorem tax.
- "The Devil's advocate".
- "Troubled dreams."
- "The die is cast" -- said by Julius Caesar, in Suetonius, after his decision to defy Roman law by crossing the Rubicon with his troops. (Suetonius actually uses it in the future imperative "Alea iacta esto": "Be sure to cast the dice").
- "She flies with her own wings" - the Oregon state motto.
- "Nourishing mother" -- used for the university one has attended.
- "Another I" -- a pseudonym or a close associate who always acts on one's behalf.
- "Friend of the court" -- an adviser, or a person who can obtain or grant access to the favour of powerful people (like Romana curia). In current US legal usage, a brief submitted to the court by a third party.
- "In the year of the lord" -- indicates a year counted from the traditional date birth of Jesus Christ; also called the Common Era (C.E.).
- "In the year from the founding of the city (Rome)" -- see Ab urbe condita.
- "He [God] has approved our beginnings" - motto of the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States
- "A horrible year" -- used memorably by Queen Elizabeth II to describe what a bad year 1992 had been for her.
- "Before the letter" -- said after an expression that described something that existed before the expression itself was introduced or became common. For example, one could say that Alan Turing was a computer scientist ante litteram, since the profession of "computer scientist" was not recognised in Turing's day.
- "Before noon" -- in the period from midnight to noon.
- "Before lunch" -- i.e. before a meal. Used on pharmaceutical prescriptions.
- "The jackass of jackasses in the centuries of centuries" -- i.e. "The greatest jackass in eternity."
- "Golden Mean" -- in Horace's Odes, an ethical goal.
- "Accursed hunger for gold" -- from Vergil, Aeneis 3,57; later quoted by Seneca: quod non mortalia pectora coges, auri sacra fames ("What aren't you able to bring men to do, miserable hunger for gold!")
- "Caesar or nothing" -- i.e., all or nothing.
- "Victory or death."
- "Hail and farewell!"
B
;Bona fide
- "In good faith."
- "General welfare."
- "Common good of man."
C
;Cacoethes scribendi
- "Bad habit of writing" -- i.e. an insatiable urge to write. From Juvenal.
- "Event (that is cause or justification) for war."
- "Beware of the dog" -- found written on a floor mosaic depicting a dog, at the entrance of a Roman house excavated at Pompei [1].
- "Let the buyer beware" -- i.e. the purchaser of the goods is responsible for checking whether they suit his need.
- "Let the reader beware" -- i.e. the writer does not vouch for the accuracy of a text. Probably a recent calque on caveat emptor.
- "Let the seller beware" -- the seller of goods is responsible for providing information about the goods to the purchaser.
- "The rest is missing."
- "All other things being equal."
- "In conclusion, I think that..." -- Cato the Elder used to conclude his speeches, on any topic whatsoever, with Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam ("In conclusion, I think that Carthage must be destroyed").
- "Christ the King"
- "Around" -- in the sense of "approximately, about"; usually of a date, e.g. "Jesus was actually born circa 6 B.C"
- "Of sound mind" -- sometimes used rather humorously.
- "Condition without which not" -- i.e. "indispensable".
- "Helvetian Confederation" -- the official name of Switzerland, which explains the use of "ch" for its ISO country code and Internet domain.
- "Contempt of the secular (world)" -- the monk's or philosopher's rejection of mundane life and values.
- "Body of Christ."
- "Body of the crime" -- the body of facts that prove a crime.
- "Vile body" -- a person or thing fit only to be the object of an experiment.
- "Good for whom?" -- a maxim sometimes used in the detection of crime.
- "Whom does it benefit?" -- short form for cui prodest scelus, is fecit in Seneca's Medea; the murderer is the one who gains by the murder.
- "With sword and staff" -- from the Bible.
- "With a grain of salt" -- i.e. not to be taken too seriously.
- "Course of life" -- a resume.
D
;Damnant quod non intellegunt
- "They condemn what they do not understand."
- "In fact" -- Said of something that actually is the case. Often the implication is that it isn't the case of necessity (de jure) or that it is supposed not to be the case; e.g. "The Shogun was the de facto ruler of Japan".
- "By law."
- "Anew."
- "A god from a machine" -- a contrived or artificial solution, usually to a literary plot. Refers to the practice in Greek drama of lowering by machine an actor playing Zeus onto the stage — as though he were descending from Olympus — to resolve an awkward plot.
- "Bring with You" -- see subpoena duces tecum.
- "Sweet and useful."
E
- "From many, one" - the motto of the USA.
- "Behold the man!" -- in the Latin translation of the Gospel of John these words are spoken by Pilate as he presents Christ crowned with thorns to the crowd.
- "From merit" -- often used to refer to a retired professor.
- "To be, rather than to seem" -- motto of the U.S. state of North Carolina.
- "Let it be everlasting" -- used by the historian Fra Paolo Sarpi of his native Venice.
- "And others" -- used to abbreviate a list of names (Alii is actually masculine, so it can be used for men, or mixed men and women; the feminine et aliae is appropriate when the "others" are all female.)
- "And the rest" -- nowadays also "and others", "and so on", "and more".
- "I, also, am in Arcadia" -- see memento mori.
- "And thou, Brutus?" -- literal quotation from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. He renders as Latin in an English play what was originally quoted as Greek supposedly spoken by a Roman. But Plutarch quotes Caesar as saying, ''Kai su, teknon? -- Greek for "You too, my child?" (Greek would have been the language of Rome's elite at the time.) However it is unlikely that Caesar actually said these words.
- "From the heart" -- i.e. "sincerely".
- "From before" -- "beforehand", "before the event", i.e. based on prior assumptions.
- "From the Chair" -- a phrase applied to the Pope when he is speaking infallibly and, by extension, to others who speak with supreme authority or arrogance.
- "From God."
- "From the hypothesis" -- i.e. by hypothesis.
- "From the books (library) of..."
- "From nothing" -- Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions holds that God created the universe from nothing.
- "From the office" -- when someone holds one position by virtue of holding another, e.g. the U.S vice president is ex officio president of the Senate.
- "By (or for) one party" (a legal term)
- "After the fact."
- "Higher" -- i.e. "ever upward!"
- "For the sake of example", "for example."
- "They leave" -- see exit.
- "They all leave" -- see exit.
- "He/she leaves" -- used e.g. in theatrical stage directions.
- "Critical experiment" -- a decisive test of a scientific theory.
F
;Fiat justitia (et ruat cælum)
- "Let justice be done (though the heavens fall)."
- "Let there be light" -- from the Bible.
- "Defender of the Faith" -- a title given to Henry VIII of England by Pope Leo X on October 17, 1521 before Henry became an heresiarch. Appears on all British coins, usually abbreviated.
- "The wellspring and origin."
G
;Genius loci
- "The spirit of the place."
- "Glory to God in the highest."
H
- "You must have the body" -- i.e. you must justify an imprisonment. First two words of the Writ to bring a prisoner to court (Charles II of England, Habeas Corpus Act - 1679) and commonly used as the general term for a prisoner's legal right to have the charge against specifically identified.
- "We have a pope" -- used in a Catholic Church conclave to announce a successful ballot to elect a new pope.
- "Here lies..." -- written on gravestones or tombs.
- "Here is buried..."
- "For the sake of honor" -- said of an honorary title, e.g., Doctor of Science honoris causa.
- "Horrible to say" -- i.e. "an horrible thing to relate."
I
;Ibidem (Ibid.)
- "In the same place" -- usually in bibliographic citations.
- "That is" -- or sometimes "in this case," depending on the context. E.g., When celebrating this holiday (i.e. Christmas), hang a wreath on your door.
- "An empire within an empire" -- i.e. a fifth column, a group of people within an nation's territory who owe allegiance to some other leader.
- "(It) may be printed" -- an authorization to publish, granted by some censoring authority (originally a Catholic Bishop).
- "In the absence" -- e.g. of a trial carried out in the absence of the accused.
- "In flaming crime" -- i.e. "caught red-handed."
- "At the place" -- as e.g., "the water samples were analyzed in loco"
- "In place of the parents" -- Legal term, "assuming custodial/parental responsibility and authority".
- "Into the middle things" -- by Horace, refers to the poetic technique of beginning a narrative poem at a late point in the story, after much action has already taken place. Poems which use this technique inclued the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Paradise Lost. Compare ab initio.
- "In memory of" -- i.e. to remember or honor a deceased person.
- "In the nature of things."
- "In place", "In position" -- In the original place or arrangement.
- "In all" -- "totally, completely''.
- "In glass" -- an experiment or process performed in a non-natural laboratory setting, for example in a test tube.
- "In life" -- an experiment or process performed in a living specimen, as opposed to in vitro.
- "Incredible to say."
- "Among other things."
- "He, himself, has spoken" -- emphasizes that some assertion comes from some authority. See appeal to authority
- "By the fact itself."
- "By united efforts."
- "Right of the first night" -- the droit de seigneur.
L
;Lapsus calami
- "A slip of the pen."
- "A slip of the tongue."
- "Memory lapse."
- "Forced share" -- a legal term describing the portion of an deceased person's estate from which the immediate family cannot be disinherited.
- "Law of retaliation" -- cf. Retributive justice, an eye for an eye.
- "A classic place" -- a quote from a classical text used as an example of something.
- A mangled fragment from Cicero's De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum ("On the Ends (Limits) of Good and Evil," 45 BC), used as typographer's filler to show fonts (a.k.a greeked text).
M
;Magna cum laude
- "With great honor."
- "Great work" -- said (sometimes ironically) of someone's masterpiece.
- "In bad faith" -- said of an act done with knowledge of its illegality, or with intention to defraud or mislead someone.
- "Wrong in itself" -- a crime that is inherently wrong; cf. malum prohibitum.
- "Prohibited wrong" -- something that society decided to forbid, but is not inherently evil.
- "By my own (very great) fault" -- used in Christian prayers and confession.
- "Remember that you will die."
- "Wonderful to tell."
- "Way of working" -- usually used to describe a criminal's methods.
- "Method of adding" -- loosely "method of affirming", a logical rule of inference, saying that from proposition P and if P then Q one can conclude Q.
- "Method of subtracting" -- loosely "method of denying", a logical rule of inference, saying that from propositions not Q and if P then Q one can conclude not P.
- "Way to life" -- i.e. an accommodation between disagreeing parties to allow life to go on.
- "Much in little" -- e.g. "Latin phrases are often multum in parvo, because they convey much in few words."
- "Changing what is to be changed" -- i.e., "with the appropriate changes".
N
;Nemine contradicente
- "Without contradiction" - used especially in committees, where a matter may be passed nem con.
- "Nothing prevents" -- a notation, usually on a title page, indicating that a Catholic censor has reviewed the book and found nothing objectionable to faith or morals in its content.
- "Willing or not."
- "Touch me not" -- according to the Gospel of John, this was said by Christ to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection.
- "Not prosecuting" -- 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.
- "Of unsound mind."
- "Notwithstanding the verdict" -- a legal motion asking the court to reverse the jury's verdict on the grounds that the jury could not reasonably have reached such a verdict.
- "It does not follow" -- a statement that is the result of faulty logic.
- "I will not serve."
- "Note it well" -- i.e. "please note", "important note".
- "New Order of the Ages" -- motto on the Great Seal of the United States; from Vergil.
- "Closed number."
O
;O tempora, O mores!
;Oderint dum metuant- "Let them hate, so long as they fear" -- attributed by Seneca to the playwright Lucius Accius, and said to be a favourite saying of Caligula.
- "I hate (her), and I love (her)" -- from Catullus.
- "Theological hatred" -- a name for the special hatred generated in theological disputes.
- "In work (already) cited" -- used in academic works when referring again to the last source mentioned or used.
- "A snake in the grass" -- any hidden danger or unknown risk
P
;Panem et circenses
- "Bread and circuses" -- Juvenal, Satires 10, 81, describing all that was needed for the emperors to placate the Roman mob, and today used to describe any public entertainment.
- "Parent of the country."
- "With equal step" -- moving together, simultaneously, etc..
- "The mountains are in labour, and a ridiculous mouse shall be born" -- i.e. "much ado about nothing"; from Horace.
- "Throughout", "here and there", "frequently" -- of a word that occurs several times in a cited texts; also, in proof reading, of a change that is to be repeated everywhere needed.
- "Father of the family."
- "[The] Peace of America" -- a euphemism for the United States of America and its sphere of influence, adapted from Pax Romana (q.v.)
- "[The] Peace of Britain" -- a euphemism for the British Empire, adapted from Pax Romana (q.v.)
- "[The] Peace of Rome" -- the peace forcefully imposed by the Roman Empire.
- "Peace be with you (singular)."
- "Peace be with you (plural)."
- "Per year."
- "Per head" -- i.e. "per person".
- "By itself" or "in itself" -- i.e. without referring to anything else, intrinsically, taken without qualifications, etc. See for instance negligence per se.
- "Per branch" -- used in willss to indicate that each branch of the testator's family should inherit equally; contrast per capita.
- "Thing in perpetual motion."
- "Person not wanted" -- an unwanted or undesirable person. In diplomatic contexts, a person rejected by the host government.
- "Begging the principle" -- i.e. "begging the question"; a logical fallacy.
- "The greatest high priest" -- a traditional epithet of the pope.
- "After the fact."
- "After this, therefore because of this" -- a logical fallacy.
- "After noon" -- in the period from noon to midnight.
- "After death."
- "First among equals" -- a title of the Roman emperors.
- "For the (public) good" -- said of a lawyer's work that is not charged for.
- "For the rate" -- e.g. per hour.
- "For the time being" -- i.e. "temporary".
Q
;Quære
- "(You might) ask..." -- used to introduce questions, usually rhetorical or tangential questions.
- "What's new out of Africa?" (derived from an Aristotle quote).
- "A thing for a thing" -- i.e. a favor for a favor.
- "What now?" -- as a noun, a quidnunc is a busybody or a gossip.
- "Where are you going?" -- according to Christian legend, asked by St. Peter meeting Jesus on the Appian way in Rome.
- "Which see" -- used after a term or phrase that should be looked up elsewhere in the current document or book.
- "That which was to be demonstrated" -- often written (abbreviated) at the bottom of a mathematical proof.
- "Where the prover errs" (a pun on Quod erat demonstrandum).
- "For how much longer?" (Cicero, during a speech in front of the Roman senate regarding the conspiracy of Catilina).
R
;Rara avis
- "A rare bird" -- i.e. an extraodinary or unusual thing (from Juvenal's Satires: rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cycno, "a rare bird on the earth, and very like a black swan".)
- "Reduction to absurdity" -- a technique of argument that proves the thesis by showing that its opposite is absurd or logically untenable. This is an oft-used method of proof in mathematics and philosophy.
- "Let the People rule."
- "May he rest in peace" -- a benediction for the dead. Often inscribed on tombstones or other grave markers.
- "The thing speaks for itself" -- a phrase from the common law of torts that means negligence can be inferred from the fact that such an accident happened, without proof of exactly how.
- "Redder than the rose, whiter than the lilies, fairer than everything, I will always glory in thee."
S
;Salva veritate
- "With truth preserved."
- "Always faithful" -- motto of the United States Marine Corps, often abbreviated Semper Fi.
- "Always prepared." The motto of the United States Coast Guard.
- "[The] Senate and People of Rome" -- i.e. "The Aristocrats and the Commoners", the official name of the Roman Republic. "SPQR" was carried on battle standards by the Roman Legions.
- "Words a foot and a half long" -- long and complicated words that are used without necessity.
- "Thus", "just so" -- states that the preceding quoted material appears exactly that way in the source, usually despite errors of spelling, grammar, usage, or fact.
- "Without year" -- used in bibliographies to indicate that the date of publication of a document is unknown.
- "Without a (set) day" -- originally from old common law texts, where it indicates that a final, dispositive order has been made in the case: there is nothing left for the court to do, so no date for further proceedings is set.
- "Without place" -- used in bibliographies to indicate that the place of publication of a document is unknown.
- "Without name" -- used in bibliographies to indicate that the publisher of a document is unknown.
- "May the earth rest lightly on you" -- a benediction for the dead, often inscribed on tombstones or other gravestones.
- "The state that was (before)" -- the status of affairs or situation prior to some upsetting event.
- "Let it stand" -- marginal mark in proofreading to indicate that something deleted or marked for deletion should be retained.
- "Under a judge" -- said of a case that cannot be publicly discussed until it is finished.
- "Bring with you under penalty" -- legal writ requiring appearance with documents, etc..
- "Under penalty" -- of a request (usually by a court) that must be complied to on pain of punishment.
- "Under the rose" -- secretly (a rose was placed above a door to indicate that what was said in the room beyond was not to be repeated outside).
- Of its (own) kind -- in a class of its own.
- "I am what you will be / I was what you are" -- gravestone incriptions that remind the reader of the inevitability of death. Also see Tu fui, ego eris.
- "With the highest honor."
- "The supreme good."
- "They are all one."
T
;Tabula rasa
- "Scraped tablet" -- i.e. "a blank slate". Romans used to write on wax-covered wooden tablets, which were erased by scraping with the flat end of the stylus. John Locke used the term to describe the human mind at birth before it had acquired any knowledge.
- "Solid ground."
- "Unknown land."
- "Empty land."
- "You, also" -- see memento mori.
- "I was you, you will be me" -- i.e. "What you are, I was; what I am, you will be."; a gravestone inscription to remind the reader that death is unavoidable.
- "You too, son" (Julius Caesar; see Et tu, Brute).
U
;Ubi revera or Ubi re vera
- "When, in reality..."
- Where they make a wasteland, they call it peace" -- Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, Agricola, ch. 30.
- "Last reason" -- the last resort. Louis XIV, King of France, had Ultima Ratio Regum, "The last resort of kings", engraved on the cannons of his armies.
- "To the city (of Rome) and to the globe" -- standard opening of Roman proclamations; also a traditional blessing by the Pope.
- "So that they might drink, since they refused to eat" -- from a story by Suetonius (Vit. Tib. 2.2) and Cicero (De Natura Deorum, 2.3). The phrase was said by Roman admiral Publius Claudius Pulcher, right before the battle of Drepana, as he threw overboard the sacred chickens which had refused to eat the grain offered them — an unwelcome omen of bad luck. So the sense is "if they do not perform as expected, they must suffer the consequences".
V
;Vade mecum
- "Go with me" -- a vade-mecum or vademecum is an item one carries around, especially a handbook.
- "Step back!" (Publius Terent, Formio I, 4, 203).
- "I came, I saw, I conquered" -- the full text of a message sent by Julius Caesar to the Roman senate, to describe his battle against King Pharnakles of Pontus near Zela in 47 BC.
- "Against" -- as in "Good versus Evil".
- "By way (of)."
- "Middle path" -- the Church of England was said to be a via media between the errors of Roman Catholicism and the extremes of Protestantism.
- "A reverse of order or meaning"
- "To allow (the reader) to see" -- in the sense of "that is", "namely". Used to introduce examples or a listing of something just named.
- "May he/she/it live, grow, and flourish!"
- "Long live the Queen!"
- "Long live the King!"
See also
External links