• ab extra – from beyond/without
• actus reus – the physical element of the crime
• ad hoc – for a specific purpose -> phrase literally translates to “for this.”
• ad valorem – according to value
• agricola – ablative case objective of preposition cum
• agricolae – farmers
• almus – nourishing
• altus – high
• a mari usque ad mare – from sea to sea
• ambuläte – walk
• amicus – friend
• ante – before
• a posteriori – by inductive reasoning
• audi alteram partem – hear the other side
• ave – hail
• bene – well
• bona (a form of the Latin adjective bonus) – good
• bona fide – genuine (in good faith)
• caellum – heaven
• cathedra – armchair which later came to represent a teacher’s chair
• circum – around
• claudus – lame
• contra – against
• crescere – grow
• crux – cross
• cubile – bed / lectus?
• culpa – fault
• dãm – give
• de bello – about (on) the warm
• deus – god
• di/dis (e.g. disappear, digression) – apart/away/not
• donum – gift
• duc/duct (e.g. conduct, educate) – lead
• dulce et decorum est pro patria mori – it is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland –
• emptor – buyer
• et vir – and husband
• ex (a – proposition) – from
• ex animo – from the heart/sincerely
• excruciare ‘to torment or torture’, which was based on crux
• ex profeso – on purpose
• exspectäbam, imperfect tense – i was waiting for
• ex turpi causa – from a dishonourable cause an action does not arise
• fenestra – window
• fides – faith
• flumen – river
• hic – here
• honoris causa – for the sake of honor (any title)
• ibidem – in the same place
• ibis – there
• ignis – fire
• illi/illae – they
• in dubio pro reo – in doubt, on behalf of the (alleged) culprit
• in flagrante delicto – caught in the act
• in vitro – in glass
• inquit – he, she says/said
• inter – between
• janua – door
• “Laetus” covers a spectrum of loosely-related states: happy, lucky, fertile, plump, or stupid
• lanua – door
• liber – book/free
• liberi – children
• lōcus – a place
• magnus – great
• mal (e.g. malaria, malicious) bad/ill/wrong
• minimus – small
• mus (e.g. muscle, musculus) – mouse
• mut (e.g. immutable, mutant) – change
• nata – born
• nauta – sailor
• ne plus ultra – nothing more beyond
• non est parvus puer – does not buy
• non respondet – does not reply
• nymphae deam laudant – are praising
• omnis – every/all
• pecuniam numerat – he counts
• per capita – by head
• periculum in mora – danger in delay
• pipire – chirp
• post – after
• primus – first
• puella in horto ambulat – the girl walks in the garden
• pulcher – beautiful/handsome
• quod – because
• rideo – to laugh/smile
• rupt (e.g. bankrupt, interrupt) – break/burst
• sedet – sit
• sella – chair
• semper – always
• silva – forest
• stell – constellation, interstellar
• sui generis – belonging to its own category
• tabula rasa – In psychology, this term is used to describe a baby’s mind before it has acquired any knowledge -> blank slate
• tandem – at last
• tenebrae – Darkness
Darkness is a non-count noun to begin with, but Latin always makes it plural, “tenebrae.” Students remember this by likening it to the English word “shadows.”
• terra – earth/soil/land
• unda – wave
• ultra (e.g. ultramodern, ultrasonic) – beyond/extreme/more than
• ultra vires – acting beyond one’s power
• “valete, omnes” – goodbye, all
• vince/vic (e.g. convince, victory) – conquer
• arena means sand
calculus means pebble
• camera means vaulted room
fibula means clasp
focus means hearth
gluten means glue
• home – domus
• hundred – centrum
• if – si
in wine there is truth – in vino veritas
• king – rex
• latter – posterior
• laugh – rid (e.g. deride, ridiculous)
• law – lex
lentil means lens
• letter – epistula
• life – vita
• light – lumen
• look around – Circumspectäte
• look at – spectà
• love – amor
• männer, method or way – modus
• much – multus
• nobody’s property – res nullius
• not well – nota bene
• nothing – nihil
• nothing more beyond – ne plus ultra
• no third (possibility) is given – tertium non datur
• nourished/former student – alumnus/alumna
• nourishing – almus
• office – officium
• on – a (e.g. afire, aside)
• one tenth – deci (e.g. decibel, decimate)
• on purpose – ex profeso
• order – lubeo
• out of/from – e
• outside/beyond – extra/extro (e.g. extraordinary, extrovert)
• peace – Pax
• pen – calamum
• pencil – plumbum
• the physical element of the crime – actus reus
• picture/painting – picturā
• praemium – prize, reward
• praise – laudate
• prepare to fight – para pugnãre
• pro bono – for the good
If someone cannot afford legal representation and the case is in the public’s interest or it promotes justice, sometimes a lawyer will take the case anyways, pro bono
• raptor means plunderer
• right – dexter
• salt – sal
• save, protect, keep – servo
• seven – Septem
• sharp – oxys
• shout – clamo
• sic – thus; so
• sinister means left
• sleep – somnus
• slowly – tarde
• snout – rhynchos
• solid ground – terra firma
• some(one)/something – aliqui/aliquid
• someone’s university, college or school -> phrase literally translates to “nourishing mother” – alma mater
• sorrow itself/pain for its own sake – lorem ipsum
• soul – anima
• stands – stat
• striped – striatus
• strong – forti
• style – stilus
• sweet – dulcis
• sword – gladius
• teach – doceo
• that settles it – dixi -> it is literally “I have spoken”, but it implies that the point cannot be changed or is not debatable
• therefore – ergo
• they – illi/illae
• they look at – spectant
• third – tertius
• this – hic
• thousand – mille
• through –per
• thus passes the glory of the world – sic transit gloria mundi
• times – tempus
• to ask – rogo
• to be able – posse
• to earn, merit or gain by service – emereo
• to err is human – errare humanum est
• to, for – ad
• to give – do
• to kill – nco
• to laugh/smile – rideo
• to look around – agere
• to love – amare
• to note – notare
• to one willing, no harm is done – volenti non fit injuria
• to place/put – pon (e.g. opponent, postpone)
• to prepare – porto
• to sickness/to the point of disgust – ad nauseum
• to sit – sedeo
• to the man/person – ad hominem
• to the shop keepers – tabernario
• to stand – stet is a form of the Latin verb stare, meaning “to stand.”
• to step/to go – gress/grad (e.g.. progress, gradual)
• ‘to torment or torture’ – excruciare, which was based on crux
• to/toward – ad
• to warn/advise – moneo
• tribe/people – gens
• truth – veritas
• unknown – incognita
• verbatim – word for word
• veteran – emeritus
• walk – ambuläte
• war – bellum
• were – erat
• what is said is done – dictum factum
• with – cum
• work – opus
• you are shouting – tace, marce! semper tú clamas
phrases
• An eagle doesn’t catch flies – aquila non capit muscas
• A particular way of operating -> modus operandi – the phrase translates literally to “method of working” and refers to the particular way a person performs a task or action. It’s often abbreviated to MOMO
• In doubt, on behalf of the (alleged) culprit – In dubio pro reo
• “I think, therefore I am” – “cojito, ergo sum”
• “Note well.” – take note -> In modern English, nota bene or its abbreviated form NB is used to call a reader’s attention to something important
• “Nourishing mother” – someone’s university, college or school – “alma mater”
“the die is cast”. phrase attributed to Julius Caesar – “alea jacta est”
“They loved Rome” phrase in the past perfect tense – “amaverunt romam”
curriculum vitae – Course of life
de jure and de facto – In law; In reality
These terms can also be thought of as “in principle” and “in practice”
In some Commonwealth countries, the British monarch is the de jure head of state, but in day-to-day politics, the elected prime minister is the de factoleader
“Festina lente” (a Latin phrase) – Make haste slowly
grosso modo – approximate method
ipso facto – by the fact itself
labor omnia vincit best reflects the actions of a Latin student who always studies
“out of many, one,” the motto held by the eagle on the great seal of the United States of America —-> “e pluribus unum”
hexafu 