List of Latin phrases

This page lists English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations, such as "i.e." and "et cetera". Some of these are themselves translations of Greek phrases.

A

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;A contrario

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:Contrariwise

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;A fortiori

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:"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. For example, "It is unwise to invest in pyramid schemes, and, a fortiori, in e-mail pyramid schemes."

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;A pedibus usque ad caput

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:"From feet to head." Equally, A capite ad calcem, "From head to heel"

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;A posteriori

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:"From the latter" — based on observation, the reverse of a priori. Used in mathematics, philosophy and logic to denote something that is known after a proof has been carried out.

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;A priori

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:"From the former" — presupposed, the reverse of a posteriori. Used in mathematics, philosophy and logic to denote something that is known before a proof has been carried out.

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:"An assumption that something is true without proof."-->

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;Ab hinc

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:"From here on."

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;Ab imo pectore

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:"From the depths of (my) chest" — i.e., "from my heart". Attributed to Julius Caesar.

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;Ab initio

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:"From the beginning" or "from the start" — compare in medias res; see also List of legal terms

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;Ab origine

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:"From the origin."

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;Ab ovo

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:"From the egg; from the very beginning"

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;Ab ovo usque ad mala

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:"From the eggs to the apples," i.e., from beginning to end (the Roman main meal traditionally began with an egg dish and ended with fruit). From Horace, Satire 1.3.

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;Ab urbe condita (A.U.C.)

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:"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.

Related Topics:
The founding - Rome - 753 B.C. - Livy's

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;Absit injuria verbis

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:"Without injury by (my) words" — i.e., "no offense".

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;Absit omen

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:"May the presentiment not be realized." or "May it not be an omen."

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;Abusus non tollit usum

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""The abuse does not preclude the right usage" (an axiom)

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;Acta est fabula, plaudite!

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:"The play is over (literally, story is done), applaud!" common ending phrase of ancient Roman comedies, applied by Sibelius to the 3rd, but final movement of his String Quartet no. 2 (a fourth movement being the conventional expectation)

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;Acta Sanctorum; Acta Sancti X

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:Deeds of the saints; Deeds of Saint X, a common title of a hagiography.

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;Ad absurdum

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:"To absurdity" — Taken to an absurd extreme (in logic)

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;Ad captandum vulgus

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:"To appeal to the crowd (literally, to the "taking" of the "common folk") — often used of politicians who make false or insincere promises appealing to popular interest.

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;Ad fontes

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:"To the sources" — a motto of Renaissance humanism.

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;Ad fundum

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:"To the bottom" or "To the end" — said during a generic toast, like "bottoms up!"

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;Ad hoc

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:"For this" — i.e., improvised, made up on the spot.

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;Ad hominem

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:"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, thus also "argumentum ad hominem".

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;Ad infinitum

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:"To infinity" — going on forever. Used to designate a property which repeats in all cases in mathematical proof.

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:The 17th century writer Jonathan Swift mocked the idea of self-similarity in natural philosophy with the following ditty:

Related Topics:
Jonathan Swift - Self-similarity

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::"So nat'ralists observe, a flea

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::Hath smaller fleas that on him prey,

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::And these have smaller fleas that bite 'em,

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::And so proceed ad infinitum."

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:which the Victorian mathematician Augustus de Morgan parodied again (see details under Ad infinitum).

Related Topics:
Victorian - Augustus de Morgan - Ad infinitum

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;Ad interim

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:"In the meantime" — as in the term "chargé d'affaires ad interim" for a diplomatic officer who acts in place of an ambassador.

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;Ad Kalendas Graecas

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:"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".

Related Topics:
Augustus - Suetonius - Kalends - Roman calendar

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;Ad libitum (ad lib)

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:"According to one's pleasure" — Latin ad, according to + libitum, past participle of libre, to please. Often used to indicate the liberty to "improvise", "just ramble on"; especially in music, theatrical scripts, etc...

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;Ad lucem

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:"Towards the light" — the motto of the University of Lisbon.

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;Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (A.M.D.G.)

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:"To the greater glory of God" — motto of the Society of Jesus.

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;Ad multos annos

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:"To many years!" — i.e., "Many happy returns!"

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;Ad nauseam

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:"To the point of nausea". Often used as a quasi-humorus alternative to Ad Infinitum in mathematical proof.

Related Topics:
Nausea - Ad Infinitum

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;Ad pedem litterae

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:"At the foot of the letter" — i.e., "exactly as it is written".

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;Ad perpetuam memoriam

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:"To the eternal memory "

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;Ad referendum

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:Subject to Reference.

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;Ad usum Delphini

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:"For usage 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 printed for his heir apparent, the Dauphin.

Related Topics:
Dauphin - Louis XIV

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;Ad usum proprium (ad us. propr.)

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:"For own usage"

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;Ad valorem

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:"By the value" — e.g., ad valorem tax.

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;Addendum

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:(an item) "to be added"

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;Adsum

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:"Here! present!"

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;Advocatus Diaboli

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:"The Devil's Advocate" — said about someone who defends an unpopular view for the sake of discussion (and implying a lack of personal belief in the validity of the argument).

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;Aegri somnia

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:"A sick man's dreams" — from Horace, Ars Poetica, 7.

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;Aetatis suae

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:"At the age of"... as on portraits

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;Affidavit

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:"He asserted" (of a sworn statement: fides meaning "faith")

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;Agenda

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:"Things to be done; to-do list"

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;Agnus Dei

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:"Lamb of God"

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;Alea iacta est

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:"The die has been 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 die").

Related Topics:
Julius Caesar - Suetonius - Roman - Rubicon

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;Alias

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:"Otherwise"

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;Alibi

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:"Elsewhere"

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;Alis volat propiis

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:"She flies with her own wings" - the Oregon state motto.

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;Alma mater

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:"Nourishing mother" — term used for the university one attends/has attended. The word "matriculation" is 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.

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;Alter ego

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:"Another I" — a pseudonym or a close associate who always acts on one's behalf. Similarly, Alter ipse amicus, "A friend is another self."

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;Alterum Non L?dere

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:"Not to injure others." — One of Justinian's three basic concepts of law.

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;Alumnus/Alumna

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:Male/female "pupil" (pl. alumni/alumnae), from alere, "to nourish" — a graduate or former student of a school, college, or university.

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;Amicus curiae

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:"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 U.S. legal usage, a third party allowed to submit a brief (an amicus brief) to the court.

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;Amor vincit omnia

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:"Love conquers all" — Written on bracelet worn by the Lady of Bath in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

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;Anno Domini (A.D.)

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:"In the year of the lord" — indicates a year counted from the traditional date of birth of Jesus; also called the Common Era (C.E.) to remove religious implications.

Related Topics:
Jesus - Common Era

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;Anno urbis conditae (A.U.C.)

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:"In the year from the founding of the city (Rome)" — see Ab urbe condita.

Related Topics:
The founding - Rome

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;Annuit C?ptis

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:"He has approved our undertaking" - motto of the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States and on the back of the US one dollar bill

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;Annus horribilis

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:"A horrible year" — a 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 by others to refer to other years.

Related Topics:
Queen Elizabeth II - 1992

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;Annus mirabilis

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:"Year of wonders" — used particularly to refer to 1665-1666 during which Sir Isaac Newton made revolutionary inventions and discoveries in calculus, motion, optics and gravitation, and the title of a poem by John Dryden written in the same year; and also to 1905 when Albert Einstein made equally revolutionary discoveries of the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion and the special theory of relativity.

Related Topics:
1665 - 1666 - Isaac Newton - Calculus - Motion - Optics - Gravitation - Poem - John Dryden - 1905 - Albert Einstein - Photoelectric effect - Brownian motion - Special theory of relativity

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;Ante bellum

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:"before the war", as in "Status quo ante bellum, "As it was before the war"

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;Ante cibum (a.c.)

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:"Before meals" ()

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;Ante litteram

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:"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.

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;Ante meridiem (a.m.)

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:"Before noon" — in the period from midnight to noon.

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;Ante prandium (a.p.)

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:"Before lunch" — i.e., before a meal. Used on pharmaceutical prescriptions.

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;Aqua fortis

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:"Nitric acid" ("strong water")

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;Aqua vitæ

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:"Water of life" (spirits of wine, brandy)

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;Arbiter elegantiarum

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:"Judge of elegances" said of Petronius

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;Ars gratia artis

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:"Art for art's sake"

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;Asinus asinorum in saecula saeculorum.

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:"The jackass of jackasses in the centuries of centuries", or "the greatest jackass in eternity".

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;Audentis fortuna iuvat (or audentes fortuna iuvat)

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:"Fortune favors the bold"—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 CE; originally from Virgil, Aeneid X, 284. Sometimes quoted as audaces fortuna iuvat.

Related Topics:
Pliny the Elder - Pompeii - Vesuvius - Virgil - Aeneid

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;Audiatur et altera pars

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:"Let's hear also the other party"

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;Audio, video, disco

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:"I hear, I see, I learn"

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;Aurea mediocritas

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:"Golden Mean" — in Horace's Odes II, 10, an ethical goal.

Related Topics:
Golden Mean - Horace's ''Odes''

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;Auri sacra fames

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:"Accursed hunger for gold" — from Virgil, 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!")

Related Topics:
Virgil - Aeneis - Seneca

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;Auribus tenere lupum

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:"To have a wolf by the ears"

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;Aut Caesar aut nihil

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:"Caesar or nothing" — i.e., all or nothing. (Caesar is here used in the meaning emperor.) Adopted as his personal motto by Cesare Borgia.

Related Topics:
Caesar - Emperor - Cesare Borgia

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;Aut vincere aut mori

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:"Either conquer or die".

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;Ave atque vale

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:"Hail and farewell!" — from Catullus, carmen 101, addressed to his deceased brother.

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;Ave Europa, nostra vera Patria

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:"Hail Europe, our true Fatherland" — Anthem of pan-Europeanists

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