Dictionary of Latin Phrases
The most commonly used Latin Phrases and their English translations; phrases like ad hominem, in vino veritas, summa cum laude, cui bono, and ipso facto will be found below. Also see our
Dictionary of Famous Quotations.
Thank you, Janis Fausey, you were a wonderful teacher!
Ab actu ad posse valet illatio — From what has happened we may infer what may happen.
Aberrare a scopo — To miss the mark.
Abeunt studia in mores — Pursuits assiduously prosecuted become habits.
Ab extra — From without.
Ab igne ignem — Fire from fire.
Ab incunabilis — From the cradle.
Ab initio — From the beginning.
Ab intra — From within.
Ab irato — In a fit of passion.
Ab origine — From the beginning.
Ab ovo — From the beginning (literally from the egg).
Ab ovo usque ad mala — From the beginning to the end (literally from the egg to the apples).
Absit invidia — Envy apart.
Absit omen — May the omen augur no evil.
Absque argento omnia vana — Without money all is vain.
Abstineto a fabis — Having nothing to do with elections (literally Abstain from beans, the ballot at Athens having been by beans).
Ab uno disce omnes — From a single instance you may infer the whole.
Ab urbe condita (A.U.C.) — From the building of the city, i.e., of Rome.
A capite ad calcem — From head to heel.
Acti labores jucundi — The remembrance of past labours is pleasant.
Actum est de republicâ — It is all over with the republic.
Ad amussim — Made exactly by rule.
Ad aperturam — Wherever a book may be opened.
Ad arbitrium — At pleasure.
Ad astra — To the stars.
Ad calamitatem quilibet rumor valet — When a disaster happens, every report confirming it obtains ready credence.
Ad captandum vulgus — To catch the rabble.
Ad eundem — To the same degree. Said of a graduate passing from one university to another.
Ad extremum — At last.
Ad finem — To the end.
Ad Græcas kalendas — At the Greek calends, i.e., never.
Ad gustum — To one's taste.
Ad hoc — For this purpose.
Ad hominem — Personal (literally to the man).
Adhuc sub judice lis est — The affair is not yet decided.
A die — From that day.
Ad infinitum — To infinity.
Ad interim — Meanwhile.
Ad internecionem — To extermination.
Ad libitum — At pleasure.
Ad majorem Dei gloriam — To the greater glory of God (M. of the Jesuits).
Ad modum — In the manner.
Ad nauseam — To disgust; sickening.
Ad omnem libidinem projectus homo — A man addicted to every lust.
Ad patres — Dead; to death (literally to the fathers).
Ad perditam securim manubrium adjicere — To throw the helve after the hatchet, i.e., to give up in despair.
Ad referendum — For further consideration.
Ad rem — To the point (literally to the thing).
Adscriptus glebæ — Attached to the soil.
Ad summum — To the highest point.
Ad unguem — To a nicety (literally to the nail).
Ad unum omnes — All to a (literally one) man.
Ad utrumque paratus — Prepared for either case.
Ad valorem — According to the value.
Ad vitam aut culpam — Till some misconduct be proved (literally for life or fault).
Ad vivum — To the life.
Ægrescit medendo — The remedy is worse than the disease (literally the disorder increases with the remedy).
Ætatem non tegunt tempora — Our temples do not conceal our age.
Affirmatim — In the affirmative.
A fin — To the end.
A fond — Thoroughly (literally to the bottom).
A fortiori — With stronger reason.
Age quod agis — Attend to (literally do) what you are doing.
A Jove principium — Beginning with Jove.
A latere — From the side of (sc. the Pope).
Albæ gallinæ filius — The son of a white hen.
Album calculum addere — To give a white stone, i.e., to vote for, by putting a white stone into an urn, a black one indicating rejection.
Alea belli — The hazard of war.
Alea jacta est — The die is cast.
Alea judiciorum — The hazard or uncertainty of law.
Alere flammam — To feed the flame.
Ales volat propriis — A bird flies to its own.
Alias — Otherwise.
Alia tentanda via est — We must try another way.
Alibi — Elsewhere.
Alieni temporis flores — Flowers of other days.
Alii sementem faciunt, alii metentem — Some do the sowing, others the reaping.
Aliorum medicus, ipse ulceribus scates — A physician to others, while you yourself are full of ulcers.
Alio sub sole — Under another sky (literally sun).
Aliud et idem — Another and the same.
Alma mater — A benign mother; applied to one's university, also to the "all-nourishing" earth.
Alter ego — Another or second self.
Alter idem — Another exactly the same.
Alter remus aquas, alter mihi radat arenas — Let me skim the water with one oar, and with the other touch the sands, i.e., so as not to go out of my depth.
Alterum tantum — As much more.
Ambigendi locus — Reason for questioning or doubt.
A mensâ et thoro — From bed and board; divorced.
Amentium, haud amantium — Of lunatics, not lovers.
Amicus animæ dimidium — A friend the half of life.
Amicus curiæ — A friend to the court, i.e., an uninterested adviser in a case.
Amicus humani generis — A friend of the human race.
Amicus Plato, sed magis amica veritas — Plato is my friend, but truth is my divinity (literally more a friend).
Amicus usque ad aras — A friend to the very altar, i.e., to the death.
Amore sitis uniti — Be ye united in love.
Amor gignit amorem — Love begets love.
Amor patriæ — Love of one's country.
Amor proximi — Love for one's neighbour.
Anacharsis among the Scythians — A wise man among unwise.
An dives sit omnes quærunt, nemo an bonus — Every one inquires if he is rich; no one asks if he is good.
[Greek: Anêr ho pheugôn kai palin machêsetai] — The man who runs away will fight again.
Anglicè — In English.
Anguis in herbâ — A snake in the grass.
Anima mundi — The soul of the world.
Animus homini, quicquid sibi imperat, obtinet — The mind of man can accomplish whatever it resolves on.
Anno domini — In the year of our Lord.
Anno mundi — In the year of the world.
Annus mirabilis — The year of wonders.
Ante lucem — Before daybreak.
Ante meridiem — Before noon.
Ante omnia — Before everything else.
Ante victoriam ne canas triumphum — Don't celebrate your triumph before you have conquered.
Apage, Satana — Begone, Satan!
[Greek: Hapax legomenon] — A word that occurs only once in an author or book.
Aperte mala cum est mulier, tum demum est bona — A woman when she is openly bad, is at least honest.
Apio opus est — There is need of parsley, i.e., to strew on the grave, meaning that one is dying.
A posse ad esse — From possibility to actuality.
A posteriori — From the effect to the cause; by induction.
A priori — From the cause to the effect; by deduction.
Aranearum telas texere — To weave spiders' webs, i.e., a tissue of sophistry.
Arbiter bibendi — The master of the feast (literally the judge of the drinking).
Arbiter elegantiarum — The arbitrator of elegances; the master of the ceremonies.
Arbiter formæ — Judge of beauty.
Arcana imperii — State, or government, secrets.
[Greek: Archê andra deixei] — Office will prove the man.
[Greek: Archôn oudeis hamartanei tote hotan archôn ê] — No ruler can sin so long as he is a ruler.
Ardentia verba — Glowing words.
A re decedunt — They wander from the point.
Argumentum ad crumenam — An appeal to self-interest.
Argumentum ad hominem — An argument in refutation drawn from an opponent's own principles (literally an argument to the man).
Argumentum ad ignorantiam — An argument founded on the ignorance of an adversary.
Argumentum ad invidiam — An argument which appeals to low passions.
Argumentum ad judicium — An appeal to common sense.
Argumentum ad misericordiam — An appeal to the mercy of your adversary.
Argumentum ad populum — An appeal to popular prejudice.
Argumentum ad verecundiam — An appeal to respect for some authority.
Argumentum baculinum — Club argument, i.e., by physical force.
Argus-eyes — Eyes ever wakeful and watchful.
Arma cerealia — The arms of Ceres, i.e., implements connected with the preparation of corn and bread.
Ars longa, vita brevis — Art is long, life is short.
Artium magister — Master of arts.
Asinus ad lyram — An ass at the lyre, i.e., one unsusceptible of music.
Asinus in tegulis — An ass on the house-tiles.
Asinus in unguento — An ass among perfumes, i.e., things he cannot appreciate.
A solis ortu usque ad occasum — From where the sun rises to where it sets.
Astræa redux — Return of the goddess of justice.
Astra regunt homines, sed regit astra Deus — The stars govern men, but God governs the stars.
Aude sapere — Dare to be wise.
Audi, vide, tace, si vis vivere in pace — Use your ears and eyes, but hold your tongue, if you would live in peace.
Aula regis — The court of the king.
Aura popularis — Popular favour (literally breeze).
Aurea mediocritas — The golden mean.
Aureo piscari hamo — To fish with a golden hook.
Ausus est vana contemnere — He dared to scorn vain fears.
Aut bibat, aut abeat — Either drink or go.
Auto-da-fé — An act of faith; a name applied to certain proceedings of the Inquisition connected with the burning of heretics.
Aut vincere aut mori — Either to conquer or die.
A verbis ad verbera — From words to blows.
A vinculo matrimonii — From the bond or tie of marriage.
Beatæ memoriæ — Of blessed memory.
Bellua multorum capitum — The many-headed monster, i.e., the mob.
Bellum internecinum — A war of extermination.
Bellum omnium in omnes — A war of all against all.
Bene orasse est bene studuisse — To have prayed well is to have striven well.
Bibula charta — Blotting-paper.
Bona fide — In good faith; in reality.
Bonis avibus — Under favourable auspices.
Bonis vel malis avibus — Under good, or evil, omens.
Bonus vir semper tiro — A good man is always a learner.
Brevi manu — Offhand; summarily (literally with a short hand).
Cacoëthes carpendi — An itch for fault-finding.
Cacoëthes scribendi — An itch for scribbling.
Cacoëthes loquendi — An itch for talking.
Cæca regens vestigia filo — Guiding blind steps by a thread.
Campus Martius — A place of military exercise (literally field of Mars).
Canis in præsepi — The dog in the manger (that would not let the ox eat the hay which he could not eat himself).
Caput mortuum — The worthless remains; a ninny.
Caput mundi — The head of the world, i.e., Rome, both ancient and modern.
Caret — It is wanting.
Caret initio et fine — It has neither beginning nor end.
Carmen triumphale — A song of triumph.
Casus belli — A cause for war; originally, fortune of war.
Cato contra mundum — Cato against the world.
Causa causans — The Cause of causes.
Causa sine qua non — An indispensable condition.
Cave canem — Beware of the dog.
Censor morum — Censor of morals and public conduct.
Cercato ho sempre solitaria vita / (Le rive il sanno, e le campagne e i boschi) — I have always sought a solitary life. (The river-banks and the open fields and the groves know it.)
Ceteris paribus — Other things being equal.
[Greek: Chalepa ta kala] — What is excellent is difficult.
Charbonnier est maître chez soi — A coalheaver's house is his castle.
Chi ha, è — He who has, is.
Chi ha tempo, non aspetti tempo — He who has time, let him not wait for time.
Chi non ha cuore, abbia gambe — He who has no courage should have legs (to run). Italian Proverb/i>
Circuitus verborum — A roundabout story or expression.
Circulus in probando — Begging the question, or taking for granted the point at issue (literally a circle in the proof).
Cita mors ruit — Death is a swift rider.
Clarum et venerabile nomen — An illustrious and honoured name.
Claude os, aperi oculos — Keep thy mouth shut, but thy eyes open.
Colubram in sinu fovere — To cherish a serpent in one's bosom.
Comitas inter gentes — Courtesy between nations.
Committunt multi eadem diverso crimina fato, / Ille crucem sceleris pretium tulerit, hic diadema — How different the fate of men who commit the same crimes! For the same villany one man goes to the gallows, and another is raised to a throne.
Commune bonum — A common good.
Communibus annis — One year with another.
Communi consensu — By common consent.
Compendia dispendia — Short cuts are roundabout ways.
Compendiaria res improbitas, virtusque tarda — Vice is summary in its procedure, virtue is slow.
Compos mentis — Of a sound mind.
Concio ad clerum — An address to the clergy.
Conseil d'état — Council of state.
Contemni est gravius stultitiæ quam percuti — To be despised is more galling to a foolish man than to be whipped.
Contra bonos mores — Against good morals.
Contra malum mortis, non est medicamen in hortis — Against the evil of death there is no remedy in the garden.
Contraria contrariis curantur — Contraries are cured by contraries.
Contrat social — The social compact, specially Rousseau's theory thereof.
Copia verborum — Superabundance of words.
Coram domino rege — Before our lord the king.
Coram nobis — Before the court.
Coram non judice — Before one who is not a judge.
Cor nobile, cor immobile — A noble heart is an immovable heart.
Corpus Christi — Festival in honour of the Eucharist or body of Christ.
Corrigenda — Corrections to be made.
Cos ingeniorum — A whetstone to their wit.
Coup de main — A bold effort; a surprise.
Coup d'œil — A glance of the eye; a prospect.
Crede quod habes, et habes — Believe that you have it, and you have it.
Crimen læsæ majestatis — Crime of high treason.
Crimen quos inquinat, æquat — Crime puts those on an equal footing whom it defiles.
Crux criticorum — The puzzle of critics.
Crux medicorum — The puzzle of physicians.
Cui bono? — Whom does it benefit?
Cui malo? — Whom does it harm?
Cum grano salis — With a grain of salt, i.e., with some allowance.
Cum privilegio — With privilege.
Cunctis servatorem liberatoremque acclamantibus — All hailing him as saviour and deliverer.
Curiosa felicitas — Studied felicity of thought or of style.
Currente calamo — With a running pen.
Custos morum — The guardian of morality.
Custos regni — The guardian of the realm.
Custos rotulorum — The keeper of the rolls.
Date obolum Belisario — Give a mite to Belisarius!
Dat Galenus opes, dat Justinianus honores / Sed Moses sacco cogitar ire pedes — Galen gives wealth, Justinian honours, but Moses must go afoot with a beggar's wallet.
Da veniam lacrymis — Forgive these tears.
De auditu — By hearsay.
Deceptio visus — Optical illusion.
Decipit / Frons prima multos — First appearances deceive many.
De die in diem — From day to day.
De facto — In point of fact.
Deficiunt vires — Ability is wanting.
De gustibus non disputandum — There is no disputing about tastes.
De hoc multi multa, omnes aliquid, nemo satis — Of this many have said many things, all something, no one enough.
Dei gratia — By the grace of God.
De industria — Purposely.
De integro — Over again; anew.
[Greek: Dei pherein ta tôn theôn] — We must bear what the gods lay on us.
De jure — By right.
De lana caprina — About goat's wool, i.e., a worthless matter.
Deligas tantum quem diligas — Choose only him whom you love.
De lunatico inquirendo — To inquire into a man's state of mind.
De mortuis nil nisi bonum (or bene) — Let nothing be said of the dead but what is favourable.
De motu proprio — From the suggestion of one's own mind; spontaneously.
De nihilo nihil, in nihilum nil posse reverti — From nothing is nothing, and nothing can be reduced to nothing.
De novo — Anew.
Dens theonina — A calumniating disposition (literally tooth).
Deo adjuvante non timendum — God assisting, there is nothing to be feared.
Deo dante nil nocet invidia, et non dante, nil proficit labor — When God gives, envy injures us not; when He does not give, labour avails not.
Deo favente — With God's favour.
Deo gratias — Thanks to God.
Deo ignoto — To the unknown God.
Deo juvante — With God's help.
De omnibus rebus, et quibusdam aliis — About everything, and certain things else.
De omni re scibile et quibusdam aliis — On everything knowable and some other matters.
Deorum cibus est — A feast fit for the gods.
Deo volente — With God's will.
De plano — With ease.
De præscientia Dei — Of the foreknowledge of God.
Deprendi miserum est — To be caught is a wretched experience.
De profundis — Out of the depths.
De propaganda fide — For propagating the Catholic faith.
Deridet, sed non derideor — He laughs, but I am not laughed at.
Desideratum — A thing desired, but regretfully wanting.
Destitutus ventis remos adhibe — The wind failing, ply the oars.
Desunt cætera — The remainder is wanting.
Deus avertat — God forbid.
Deus ex machina — A mechanical instead of a rational or spiritual explanation (literally a god mechanically introduced).
Deus vult — It is God's will.
Dextras dare — To give right hands to each other.
Dictum de dicto — A report founded on hearsay.
Dies faustus — A lucky day.
Dies infaustus — An unlucky day.
Dies iræ, dies illa, / Sæclum solvet in favilla / Teste David cum Sibylla — The day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world in ashes, as David and the Sibyl say.
Dies non — A day when there is no court.
Dies religiosi — Religious days; holidays.
Difficilis in otio quies — Tranquillity is difficult if one has nothing to do.
Difficilius est sarcire concordiam quam rumpere — It is more difficult to restore harmony than sow dissension.
Dii majores et minores — Gods of a higher and lower degree.
Dii majorum gentium — The twelve gods of the highest order.
Dii penates — Household gods.
Disce aut discede — Learn or leave.
Disce pati — Learn to endure.
Disjecta membra — Scattered remains.
Ditissimus agris — An extensive landed proprietor.
Divide et impera — Divide and govern.
Divitiæ virum faciunt — Riches make the man.
Divitis servi maxime servi — Servants to the rich are the most abject.
Docendo discimus — We learn by teaching.
Doctor utriusque legis — Doctor of both civil and canon law.
Domine, dirige nos — Lord, direct us!
Dominus vobiscum, et cum spiritu tuo — The Lord be with you, and with thy spirit.
Domitæ naturæ — Of a tame nature.
Domus amica domus optima — The house of a friend is the best house.
Domus et placens uxor — Thy house and pleasing wife.
Dono dedit — Gave as a gift.
Dramatis personæ — Characters represented.
Duabus sedere sellis — To sit between two stools.
Ductor dubitantium — A guide to those in doubt.
Dulce est miseris socios habuisse doloris — It is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in misfortune.
Dulce sodalitium — A pleasant association of friends.
Durante beneplacito — During good pleasure.
Durante vita — During life.
Durum et durum non faciunt murum — Hard and hard (i.e., without mortar) do not make a wall.
Ea fama vagatur — That report is in circulation.
Ecce signum — Here is the proof.
E contra — On the other hand.
E contrario — On the contrary.
Editiones expurgatæ — Editions with objectionable passages eliminated.
Editio princeps — The original edition.
[Greek: Ê hêkista ê hêdista] — Either the least or the pleasantest.
E fungis nati homines — Upstarts (literally men born of mushrooms).
Ego hoc feci — That was my doing.
Ego sum, ergo omnia sunt — I am, and therefore all things are.
Ejusdem farinæ — Of the same kidney (literally meal).
Ejusdem generis — Of the same kind.
Elati animi comprimendi sunt — Minds which are too much elated ought to be kept in check.
Elucet maxime animi excellentia magnitudoque in despiciendis opibus — Excellence and greatness of soul are most conspicuously displayed in contempt of riches.
Emere malo quam rogare — I had rather buy than beg.
Emeritus — One retired from active official duties.
En queue — Behind.
Entzwei und gebiete! Tüchtig Wort: Verein' und leite, Bessrer Hort — Divide and rule, an excellent motto: unite and lead, a better.
En vérité — In truth.
En vérité l'amour ne saurait être profond, s'il n'est pas pur — Love, in fact, can never be deep unless it is pure.
Eodem collyrio mederi omnibus — To cure all by the same ointment.
Eo instanti — At that instant.
Epicuri de grege porcus — A pig of the flock of Epicurus.
E pluribus unum — One of many.
"Eripuit cœlo fulmen sceptrumque tyrannis" — He snatched the lightning from heaven and the sceptre from tyrants. (On the bust of Franklin.)
Errantem in viam reducito — Lead back the wanderer into the right way.
Errare humanum est — It is human to err.
Errata — Errors in print.
E se finxit velut araneus — He spun from himself like a spider.
Esse quam videri — To be rather than to seem.
Est egentissimus in sua re — He is in very straitened circumstances.
Esto perpetua — Let it be perpetual.
Esto quod es; quod sunt alii, sine quemlibet esse: / Quod non es, nolis; quod potes esse, velis — Be what you are; let whoso will be what others are. Don't be what you are not, but resolutely be what you can.
Esto quod esse videris — Be what you seem to be.
Esurienti ne occurras — Don't throw yourself in the way of a hungry man.
E tardegradis asinis equus non prodiit — The horse is not the progeny of the slow-paced ass.
Et cætera — And the rest.
Et hoc genus omne — And everything of this kind.
Etiam fera animalia, si clausa teneas, virtutis obliviscuntur — Even savage animals, if you keep them in confinement, forget their fierceness.
Etiam sanato vulnere cicatrix manet — Though the wound is healed, a scar remains.
Et nati natorum, et qui nascentur ab illis — The children of our children, and those who shall be born of them, i.e., our latest posterity.
Et sequentia, Et seq. — And what follows.
Et sic de ceteris — And so of the rest.
Et sic de similibus — And so of the like.
E vestigio — Instantly.
Ex abrupto — Without preparation.
Ex æquo — By right.
Ex æquo et bono — In justice and equity.
Ex animo — From the soul; heartily.
Ex aperto — Openly.
Ex cathedra — From the chair; with authority.
Excelsior — Still higher.
Exceptio probat regulam — The exception proves the rule.
Exceptis excipiendis — The requisite exceptions being made.
Excepto quod non simul esses, cætera lætus — Except that you were not with me, in other respects I was happy.
Ex commodo — Leisurely.
Ex concesso — Admittedly.
Ex confesso — Confessedly.
Ex curia — Out of court.
Ex debito justitiæ — From what is due to justice; from a regard to justice.
Ex delicto — From the crime.
Exeat — Let him depart.
Exempli gratia — By way of example.
Exemplo plus quam ratione vivimus — We live more by example than reason.
Exercitatio potest omnia — Perseverance conquers all difficulties.
Exeunt omnes — All retire.
Ex facie — Evidently.
Ex hypothesi — Hypothetically.
Ex improviso — Unexpectedly.
Ex industria — Purposely.
Ex integro — Anew; afresh.
Ex intervallo — At some distance.
Ex mero motu — Of one's own free will.
Ex nihilo nihil fit — Nothing produces nothing.
Ex officio — By virtue of his office.
Ex opere operato — By the external act.
Ex otio plus negotii quam ex negotio habemus — Our leisure gives us more to do than our business.
Ex parte — One-sided.
Ex pede Herculem — We judge of the size of the statue of Hercules by the foot.
Experimentum crucis — A decisive experiment.
Expetuntur divitiæ ad perficiendas voluptates — Riches are coveted to minister to our pleasures.
Ex professo — As one who knows; professedly.
Ex tempore — Off-hand; unpremeditated.
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus — Outside the Church there is no safety.
Extra muros — Beyond the walls.
Extra telorum jactum — Beyond bow-shot.
Extrema manus nondum operibus ejus imposita est — The finishing hand has not yet been put to his works.
Ex ungue leonem — The lion may be known by his claw.
Ex uno disce omnes — From one judge of all.
Ex vitulo bos fit — From a calf an ox grows up.
Ex vultibus hominum mores colligere — To construe men's characters by their looks.
Facienda — Things to be done.
Facile princeps — The admitted chief; with ease at the top.
Facit indignatio versum — Indignation gives inspiration to verse.
Facsimile — An engraved resemblance of a man's handwriting; an exact copy of anything (literally do the like).
Facta, non verba — Deeds, not words.
Factotum — A man of all work (literally do everything).
Fæx populi — The dregs of the people.
Falsum in uno, falsum in omni — False in one thing, false in everything.
Fama clamosa — A current scandal.
Fames, pestis, et bellum, populi sunt pernicies — Famine, pestilence, and war are the destruction of a people.
Familiare est hominibus omnia sibi ignoscere — It is common to man to pardon all his own faults.
Far niente — A do-nothing.
Fare, fac — Speak, do.
Fasti et nefasti dies — Lucky and unlucky days.
Fata obstant — The fates oppose it.
Fata volentem ducunt, nolentem trahunt — Fate leads the willing, and drags the unwilling.
Fecit — He did it.
Felix qui nihil debet — Happy is he who owes nothing.
Feræ naturæ — Of a wild nature.
Feriis caret necessitas — Necessity knows no holiday.
Fiat experimentum in corpore vili — Let the experiment be made on some worthless body.
Fiat lux — Let there be light.
Fidei defensor — Defender of the faith.
Fides Punica — Punic faith; treachery.
Fides sit penes auctorem — Credit this to the author.
Filii non plus possessionum quam morborum hæredes sumus — We sons are heirs no less to diseases than to estates.
Filius terræ — A son of the earth; one low-born.
Finem respice — Have regard to the end.
Fit erranti medicina confessio — Confession is as healing medicine to him who has erred.
Fit scelus indulgens per nubila sæcula virtus — In times of trouble leniency becomes crime.
Flagrante bello — During the war.
Flagrante delicto — In the very act.
Flebile ludibrium — A "tragic farce;" a farce to weep at.
Flet victus, victor interiit — The conquered one weeps, the conqueror is ruined.
Fons et origo mali — The source and origin of the mischief.
Fons malorum — The origin of evil.
Fons omnium viventium — The fountain of all living things.
Fortiter in re, suaviter in modo — Vigorous and resolute in deed, gentle in manner.
Fortuna parvis momentis magnas rerum commutationes efficit — Fortune in brief moments works great changes in our affairs.
Fortunato omne solum patria est — To a favourite of fortune every land is his country.
Fortunatus' purse — A purse which supplies you with all you wish.
Frangas, non flectes — You may break, but you will not bend me.
Frigidam aquam effundere — To throw cold water on a business.
Frustra fit per plura, quod fieri potest per pauciora — It is vain to do by many agencies what may be done by few.
Fuit Ilium — Troy was.
Functus officio — Having discharged his duties and resigned.
Furor loquendi — A rage for speaking.
Furor poëticus — The poet's frenzy.
Furor scribendi — A rage for writing.
Gallicè — In French.
Gaude, Maria Virgo — Rejoice, Virgin Mary.
Gaudeamus — Let us have a joyful time.
Gaudet tentamine virtus — Virtue rejoices in being put to the test.
Gelehrte Dummkopf — A learned blockhead; dryasdust.
Genius loci — The presiding genius of the place.
Gens togata — The nation with the toga, i.e., the Roman.
Genus irritabile vatum — The sensitive tribe of poets.
Germanicè — In German.
[Greek: Glauk' Athênaze] — Owls to Athens.
Glebæ ascriptus — Attached to the soil.
Gloria in excelsis Deo — Glory to God in the highest.
Gloria virtutis umbra — Glory is the shadow (i.e., the attendant) of virtue.
[Greek: Gnôthi seauton] — Know thyself.
Gradatim — Step by step; by degrees.
Gradu diverso, via una — By different steps but the same way.
Gradus ad Parnassum — A help to the composition of classic poetry.
Gram. loquitur; Dia. vera docet; Rhe. verba colorat; Mu. canit; Ar. numerat; Geo. ponderat; As. docet astra — Grammar speaks; dialectics teaches us truth; rhetoric gives colouring to our speech; music sings; arithmetic reckons; geometry measures; astronomy teaches us the stars.
Gratia naturam vincit — Grace overcomes Nature.
Gratiæ expectativæ — Expected benefits.
Gratia placendi — The satisfaction of pleasing.
Gratis — For nothing.
Gratis asseritur — It is asserted but not proved.
Gratis dictum — Said to no purpose; irrelevant to the question at issue.
Grave nihil est homini quod fert necessitas — No burden is really heavy to a man which necessity lays on him.
Grave paupertas malum est, et intolerabile, quæ magnum domat populum — The poverty which oppresses a great people is a grievous and intolerable evil.
Grave senectus est hominibus pondus — Old age is a heavy burden to man.
Habere et dispertire — To have and to distribute.
Habere, non haberi — To hold, not to be held.
Habet salem — He has wit; he is a wag.
Hac mercede placet — I accept the terms.
Hactenus — Thus far.
Helluo librorum — A devourer of books.
Hiatus maxime deflendus — A deficiency or blank very much to be deplored.
Hibernicis ipsis hibernior — More Irish than the Irish themselves.
Hic et nunc — Here and now.
Hic et ubique — Here and everywhere.
Hic finis fandi — Here let the conversation end.
Hic hæret aqua! — This is the difficulty (literally here the water (in the water-clock) stops).
Hic jacet — Here lies.
Hic Rhodos, hic salta — Here is Rhodes; here leap.
Hic transitus efficit magnum vitæ compendium — This change effects a great saving of time (literally life).
Hoc age — Mind what you are about (literally do this).
Hoc erat in more majorum — This was the custom of our forefathers.
Hoc genus omne — All persons of that kind.
Hoc loco — In this place.
Hodie mihi, cras tibi — My turn to-day, yours to-morrow.
Hominis est errare, insipientis perseverare — It is the nature of man to err, of a fool to persevere in error.
Homo multarum literarum — A man of many letters, i.e., of extensive learning.
Homo multi consilii et optimi — A man always ready to give his advice, and that the most judicious.
Homo nullius coloris — A man of no party.
Homo solus aut deus aut demon — Man alone is either a god or a devil.
Honores mutant mores — Honours change manners.
Horribile dictu — Horrible to relate.
Horror vacui — Abhorrence of a vacuum.
Hortus siccus — A dry garden; a collection of dried plants.
Humanum est errare — To err is human.
Ibidem — In the same place.
Id est — That is.
Id genus omne — All persons of that description.
Idem — The same.
Idem quod — The same as.
Idoneus homo — A fit man.
Ignis fatuus — A deceiving light; a "Will-o'-the-wisp."
Ignobile vulgus — The base-born multitude.
Ignoramus — An ignorant person (literally we are ignorant).
Ignoratio elenchi — Ignoring of the point at issue.
Ignotum per ignotius — The unknown by the still more unknown.
Il est aux anges — He is supremely happy (literally with the angels).
Il fut historien pour rester orateur — He turned historian that he might still play the orator.
Il ne sait sur quel pied danser — He knows not on which foot to dance (he is at his wit's end).
Il rit bien qui rit le dernier — He laughs with reason who laughs the last.
Il y va de la vie — Life depends on it; it is a matter of life or death.
Illa victoria viam ad pacem patefecit — By that victory he opened the way to peace.
Ille vir, haud magna cum re, sed plenus fidei — He is a man, not of large fortune, but full of good faith.
Imo pectore — From the bottom of the heart.
Imperium in imperio — A government within a government.
Implacabiles plerumque læsæ mulieres — Women, when offended, are generally implacable.
Impransus — One who has not dined, or who can't find a dinner.
Imprimatur — Let it be printed.
Imprimis — First of all.
Impromptu — Off-hand; without premeditation.
In acta — In the very act.
In æternum — For ever.
In ambiguo — In doubt.
In anima vili — On a subject of little worth.
In articulo mortis — At the point of death.
In capite — In chief.
In cœlo quies — There is rest in heaven.
In cœlum jacularis — You are aiming at the heavens; your anger is bootless.
In commendam — In trust or recommendation.
In crucifixo gloria mea — I glory in the Crucified.
In cumulo — In a heap.
In curia — In the court.
In dictione — In the expression, or the form.
In diem — To some future day.
In diem vivere — To live from hand to mouth.
In dubiis — In matters of doubt.
In equilibrio — In equilibrium.
In esse — In actual being.
In extenso — In full.
In extremis — At the point of death.
In flagranti delicto — In the act.
In flammam flammas, in mare fundis aquas — You add fire to fire, and water to the sea.
In forma pauperis — As a pauper or poor man.
In foro conscientiæ — Before the tribunal of conscience.
In futuro — In future; at a future time.
In generalibus latet dolus — In general assertions some deception lurks.
In hoc statu — In this state or condition.
In limine — At the threshold or outset.
In loco parentis — In the place of a parent.
In medias res — Into the midst of a thing at once.
In memoriam — To the memory of.
In mercatura facienda multæ fallaciæ et quasi præstigiæ exercentur — In commerce many deceptions, not to say juggleries, are practised.
In nocte consilium — In the night is counsel; take a night to think over it; sleep upon it.
In nomine — In the name of.
In nubibus — In the clouds.
In nuce Ilias — An Iliad in a nutshell.
In obscuro — In obscurity.
In pace leones, in prælio cervi — Brave as lions in peace, timid as deer in war.
In pari materia — In a similar matter.
In partibus infidelium — In unbelieving countries.
In perpetuam rei memoriam — In everlasting remembrance of a thing.
In pios usus — For pious uses.
In pleno — In full.
In pontificalibus — In full canonicals.
In posse — Possibly; in possibility.
In præsenti — At present.
In propria persona — In person.
In puris naturalibus — Stark naked.
In re — In the matter of.
In rerum natura — In the nature of things.
In sæcula sæculorum — For ages and ages; for ever and ever.
In situ — In its original position.
In statu quo — In the state in which it was.
In terrorem — As a warning.
In theatro ludus — Like a scene at a play.
In totidem verbis — In so many words.
In toto — In the whole; entirely.
In toto et pars continetur — In the whole the part also is contained.
In transitu — In passing.
In usum Delphini — For the use of the Dauphin.
In utero — In the womb.
In vacuo — In empty space.
In vino veritas — There is truth in wine; that is, the truth comes out under its influence.
Index expurgatorius — An expurgatory index.
Indictum sit — Be it unsaid.
Indigne vivit per quem non vivit alter — He by whom another does not live does not deserve to live.
Indignor quidquam reprehendi, non quia crasse / Compositum, illepideve putetur, sed quia nuper — I feel indignant when a work is censured not as uncouth or rough, but as new.
Industriæ nil impossibile — Nothing is impossible to industry.
Indutus virtute ab alto — Anointed with virtue from above.
Inest et formicæ sua bilis — Even the ant has its bile.
Inest sua gratia parvis — Even little things have a grace of their own.
Infra dignitatem — Beneath one's dignity.
Ingenii largitor venter — The belly is the bestower of genius.
Ingenio non ætate adipiscitur sapientia — Wisdom is a birth of Nature, not of years.
Ingeniorum cos æmulatio — Rivalry is the whetstone of talent.
Ingens telum necessitas — Necessity is a powerful weapon.
Ingratis servire nefas — To serve the ungrateful is an offence to the gods.
Injuria absque damno — Injury without loss.
Insculpsit — He engraved it.
Insipientis est dicere, Non putarem — It is the part of a fool to say, "I should not have thought so."
Instar omnium — Like all the others.
Intelligabilia, non intellectum, fero — I provide you with things intelligible, but not with intelligence.
Inter alia — Among other matters.
Inter canem et lupum — Between the dog and the wolf; at the twilight.
Inter Græcos græcissimus, inter Latinos latinissimus — In Greek he is the most accomplished Grecian, and in Latin the most thorough Latinist.
Inter malleum et incudem — Between the hammer and the anvil.
Inter nos — Between ourselves.
Inter vivos — Among the living.
Interdum stultus bene loquitur — Sometimes a fool speaks reasonably.
Interest reipublicæ ut quisque re sua bene utatur — It is for the interest of the state that every one make a good use of his property.
Intra muros — Within the walls.
Intus si recte, ne labora — If inwardly right, don't worry.
Mot à mot — Word for word.
Invidiam placare paras, virtute relicta? — Are you trying to appease envy by the abandonment of virtue?
Invita Minerva — Without genius or the requisite inspiration; against the will of Minerva.
Ipse dixit — He himself (viz. Pythagoras) said it. Assertion without proof.
Ipsissima verba — The exact words.
Ipso facto — By the fact itself.
Ipso jure — By the law itself.
Is sapiens qui se ad casus accommodet omnes; / Stultus pugnat in adversis ire natator aquis — He is a wise man who adapts himself to all contingencies; the fool struggles like a swimmer against the stream.
Ist's Gottes Werk, so wird's besteh'n / Ist's Menschenwerk, wird's untergeh'n — If it be God's work, it will stand; if man's, it will perish.
Ita lex scripta — Thus the law is written.
Januæ mentis — Inlets of knowledge (literally gates of the mind).
Januis clausis — With closed doors.
Je ne changerois pas mon répos pour tous les trésors du monde — I would not exchange my leisure hours for all the wealth in the world.
Jubilate Deo — Be joyful in the Lord.
Jucunda rerum vicissitudo — A delightful change of circumstances.
Judicium Dei — The judgment of God (as by ordeal).
Juncta juvant — Trivial things when united aid each other.
Juniores ad labores — The younger men for labours, i.e., the heavier burdens.
Jupiter tonans — The thunderer Jove.
Jurare in verba magistri — To swear by the words of the master.
Jure divino — By Divine right, or ordination of heaven.
Jure humano — By human law, or the will of the people.
Juris utriusque doctor — Doctor of both laws, civil and canon.
Jus civile — The civil or Roman law.
Jus commune — The common or customary law.
Jus et norma loquendi — The law and rule of language.
Jus gentium — The law of nations, as the basis of their international relations.
Jus gladii — The right of the sword.
Justæ causæ facilis est defensio — The defence of a just cause is easy.
[Greek: Kadmeia nikê] — A Cadmæan victory, i.e., one in which the conquerors suffer as much as the conquered.
[Greek: Kakon anankaion] — A necessary evil.
Kalendæ Græcæ — Never (literally the Greek Kalends).
[Greek: Kat' exochên] — By way of excellence; pre-eminently.
[Greek: Katopin heorês] — After the feast; too late.
Kyrie eleeison — Lord, have mercy upon us.
L'Allegro — The merry Muse.
L'incroyable — The incredible; past belief.
La feuille tombe à terre, ainsi tombe la beauté — The leaf falls to earth, so also does beauty.
La plus part des hommes n'ont pas le courage de corriger les autres, parcequ'ils n'ont pas le courage de souffrir qu'on les corrige — The generality of mankind have not the courage to correct others, because they have not themselves the courage to bear correction.
Lapis philosophorum — The philosopher's stone.
Lapsus memoriæ — A slip of the memory.
Lares et penates — Household gods.
Latitat — He lurks; a writ of summons (Law).
Laudant quod non intelligunt — They praise what they don't understand.
Laudari a viro laudato maxima est laus — To be commended by a man of high repute is the greatest possible praise.
Laus est facere quod decet, non quod licet — It is doing what we ought to do, and not merely doing what we may do, that is the ground of praise.
Le cri d'un peuple heureux est la seule éloquence qui doit parler des rois — The acclaim of a happy people is the only eloquence which ought to speak in the behalf of kings.
Le divorce est le sacrement de l'adultère — Divorce is the sacrament of adultery.
Le doute s'introduit dans l'âme qui rêve, la foi descend dans l'âme qui souffre — Doubt insinuates itself into a soul that is dreaming; faith comes down into one that struggles and suffers.
Le grand monarque — The grand monarch, Louis XIV.
Le monde est plein de fous, et qui n'en veut pas voir / Doit se tenir tout seul et casser son miroir — The world is full of madmen, and he who would not see one must keep himself quite alone and break his looking-glass.
Le nombre des sages sera toujours petit — The wise will always be few in number.
Le refus des louanges est souvent un désir d'être loué deux fois — The refusal of praise often proceeds from a desire to have it repeated.
Le savoir faire — Knowing how to act; ability.
Le savoir vivre — Knowing how to live; good manners.
Legatus a latere — An extraordinary Papal ambassador.
Lege totum si vis scire totum — Read the whole if you wish to know the whole.
Leonina societas — Partnership with a lion.
Les amis, ces parents que l'on se fait soi-même — Friends, those relations that we make ourselves.
Les cartes sont brouillées — A fierce dissension has arisen (literally the cards are mixed).
Lettres de cachet — Warrants of imprisonment under royal seal, liberally issued in France before the Revolution.
Levia perpessi sumus, / Si flenda patimur — Our sufferings are light, if they are merely such as we should weep for.
Levis sit tibi terra — May the earth lie light on thee.
Lex non scripta — The common law.
Lex scripta — The statute law.
Lex talionis — The law of retaliation.
Lex terræ — The law of the land.
Liberum arbitrium — Free will.
Libra justa justitiam servat — A just balance preserves justice.
Licuit, semperque licebit / Parcere personis, dicere de vitiis — It has ever been, and ever will be, lawful to spare the individual but to censure the vice.
Linguam compescere, virtus non minima est — To restrain the tongue is not the least of the virtues.
Lite pendente — During the lawsuit.
Litera canina — The canine letter (the letter R).
Litera scripta manet, verbum ut inane perit — Written testimony remains, but oral perishes.
Motu proprio — Of his own accord.
Multa paucis — Much in little.
Literæ Bellerophontis — A Bellerophon's letter, i.e., a letter requesting that the bearer should be dealt with in some summary way for an offence.
Literæ humaniores — Polite literature; arts in a university.
Loci communes — Topics.
Loco citato — In the place quoted.
Locum tenens — A deputy or substitute.
Locus classicus — A classical passage.
Locus in quo — The place in which; the place previously occupied.
Locus penitentiæ — Place for repentance.
Locus sigili — The place for the seal; pointed out in documents by the letters L.S.
Locus standi — Standing in a case; position in an argument.
Longe aberrat scopo — He is wide of the mark; has gone quite out of his sphere.
Longe absit — Far be it from me; God forbid.
Lotis manibus — With clean-washen hands.
Lubrici sunt fortunæ gressus — The footsteps of fortune are slippery.
Ludere cum sacris — To trifle with sacred things.
Lupus in fabula — It is the wolf in the story; talking of him, he appeared.
Lusus naturæ — A freak of nature.
Lydius lapis — A Lydian or test stone.
Macte virtute — Persevere in virtue; go on and prosper.
Magister dixit — The master has said so.
Magna Charta — The Great Charter (obtained from King John in 1215).
Magna est veritas et prævalebit — Truth is mighty, and will in the end prevail.
Magnæ fortunæ comes adest adulatio — Adulation is ever the attendant on great wealth.
Magnum est argumentum in utroque fuisse moderatum — It speaks volumes for man that, when placed in quite different situations, he displays in each the same spirit of moderation.
Magnus Apollo — A great oracle.
Majori cedo — I retire before my superior.
Majus et minus non variant speciem — Greater and less don't change the nature of a thing.
Mala fides — Bad faith.
Mala mali malo mala contulit omnia mundo — The jawbone of the evil one by means of an apple brought all evils into the world.
Male secum agit æger, medicum qui hæredem facit — A sick man acts foolishly for himself who makes his doctor his heir.
Malim inquietam libertatem quam quietum servitium — I would prefer turbulent liberty to quiet slavery.
Malum in se — A thing evil in itself.
Man sieht sich, lernt sich kennen, / Liebt sich, muss sich trennen — We greet each other, learn to know each other, love each other, and then
Manibus pedibusque — With hands and feet; with tooth and nail.
Manliana — A Manlian, i.e., a harsh and severe sentence, such as that of Titus Manlius, who ordered his son to be scourged and beheaded for fighting contrary to orders.
Manu scriptum — Written by the hand.
Manum de tabula! — Hand off the picture! i.e., leave off touching up.
Manus e nubibus — Hand from the clouds.
Manus manum lavat — One hand washes the other.
Mare apertum — A sea open to commerce.
Mare clausum — A sea closed to commerce.
Mare cœlo miscere — To confound sea and sky.
Mater artium necessitas — Necessity is the mother of invention (literally the arts).
Mater familias — The mother of a family.
Materia medica — Substances used in medicine; therapeutics.
Materia prima — The primary substance or substrate.
Maximus in minimis — Very great in very little things.
Me judice — In my opinion or judgment.
[Greek: Mê kinei Kamarinan] — Don't stir Lake Camarina (otherwise pestilence).
Me miseram, quod amor non est medicabilis herbis! — Oh, unhappy me, that there should be no herbs to cure love!
Medium tenuere beati! — Happy they who steadily pursue a middle course.
Mel in ore, verba lactis, / Fel in corde, fraus in factis — Honey in his mouth, words of milk; gall in his heart, deceit in his deeds.
Melioribus auspiciis — Under more favourable auspices.
Memorabilia — Things to be remembered or recorded.
Memoriter — By rote.
Mendaces, ebriosi, verbosi — Liars, drunkards, and wordy people.
Mens conscia recti — A mind conscious of rectitude.
Mens invicta manet — The mind remains unsubdued.
Mens sine pondere ludit — The mind is playful when unburdened.
Mentis penetralia — The inmost recesses of the mind; the secrets of the heart.
Messe tenus propria vive — Live within your means (literally harvest).
Metuenda corolla draconis — The dragon's crest is to be feared.
Meum et tuum — Mine and thine.
Mieux vaut voir un chien enragé, qu'un soleil chaud en Janvier — Better see a mad dog than a hot sun in January.
Mihi est propositum in taberna mori — I purpose to end my days in an inn.
Minor est quam servus, dominus qui servos timet — A master who fears his servants is lower than a servant.
Minutiæ — Trifles; minute details.
Mira quædam in cognoscendo suavitas et delectatio — There is a certain wonderful sweetness and delight in gaining knowledge.
Mirabile dictu! — Wonderful to be told!
Mirabile visu! — Wonderful to behold!
Modo et forma — In manner and form.
Modus operandi — The manner of operation.
Molesta et importuna salutantium frequentia — A troublesome and annoying crowd of visitors.
Momento mare vertitur; / Eodem die ubi luserunt, navigia sorbentur — In a moment the sea is agitated, and on the same day ships are swallowed up where they lately sported gaily along.
More majorum — After the manner of our ancestors.
More suo — After his usual manner; as is his wont.
Morituri morituros salutant — The dying salute the dying.
Mors janua vitæ — Death is the gate of life.
Mortalia acta nunquam Deos fallunt — The deeds of man never can be hid from the gods.
Mortem effugere nemo potest! — No one can escape death.
Multa tacere loquive paratas — Ready to suppress much or speak much.
Multæ regum aures et oculi — Kings have many ears and eyes.
Multæ terricolis linguæ, cœlestibus una — The inhabitants of earth have many tongues, those of heaven have but one.
Multarum palmarum causidicus — A pleader who has gained many causes.
Multi te oderint si teipsum ames — Many will detest you if you spend all love on yourself.
Multo plures satietas quam fames perdidit viros — Many more die of surfeit than of hunger.
Multum in parvo — Much in little.
Mundus vult decipi; ergo decipiatur — The world wishes to be deceived; therefore let it be deceived.
Mus in pice — A mouse in pitch; "a fly wading through tar."
Müssiggang ist aller Laster Anfang — Idleness is the beginning of all vices.
Mutum est pictura poema — A picture is a poem without words.
Nam et majorum instituta tueri, sacris cerimoniisque retinendis, sapientis est — For it is the part of a wise man to protect the institutions of his forefathers by retaining the sacred rites and ceremonies.
Natura naturans — Nature formative.
Natura naturata — Nature passive; nature formed.
Natura nihil agit frustra — Nature does nothing in vain.
Natura non facit saltus — Nature makes no leaps.
Naturalia non sunt turpia — Natural things are without shame.
Natus sum; esuriebam, quærebam; nunc repletas requiesco — I was born; I felt hungry, and sought for food; now that I am satiated, I lay me down to rest.
Ne Æsopum quidem trivit — He is a backward pupil (literally he has not yet thumbed Æsop).
Ne fronti crede — Trust not to appearances.
Ne Hercules quidem contra duos — Not even Hercules could contend against two at once.
Ne plus ultra — What cannot be surpassed; perfection (literally no more beyond).
Ne quid detrimenti respublica capiat — See that the commonwealth suffer no detriment.
Ne te quæsiveris extra — Seek not thyself outside of thyself.
Nec omnia, nec semper, nec ab omnibus — Neither all, nor always, nor by all.
Necessitas non habet legem — Necessity has no law.
Nem. con., abbrev. for Nemine contradicente — Nobody opposing.
Nem. diss., abbrev. for Nemine dissentiente — Same as above.
Nemo ita pauper vivit, quam pauper natus est — No one is so poor in life as he was when he was at birth.
Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit — No man is wise at all moments.
Neque culpa neque lauda teipsum — Neither blame nor praise yourself.
Nervus rerum — The sinews of things.
Ni trop haut, ni trop bas; c'est le souverain style — Neither too high nor too low, that is the sovereign rule.
Nihil ad rem or versum — Not to the purpose, or point.
Nihil aliud necessarium ut sis miser, quam ut te miserum credas — Nothing else is necessary to make you wretched than to fancy you are so.
Nil desperandum — There is no ground for despair.
Nil unquam longum est, quod sine fine placet — Nothing is ever long which never ceases to please.
Nimis uncis / Naribus indulges — You indulge in swearing (literally upturned nostrils) too much.
Nisi caste, saltem caute — If not chastely, at least cautiously.
Nisi prius — Unless before. A judicial writ.
Nocturna versate manu, versate diurna — Let these be your studies by night and by day.
Nolens volens — Whether one will or no.
Noli me tangere — Touch me not.
[Greek: Nomiz' adelphous tous alêthinous philous] — Count true friends as brothers.
Non aqua, sed ruina — Not with water, but with ruin.
Non bene imperat, nisi qui paruerit imperio — No one makes a good commander except he who has been trained to obey commands.
Non compos mentis — Not sound in mind.
Non deerat voluntas, sed facultas — Not the will, but the ability was wanting.
Non id quod magnum est pulchrum est, sed id quod pulchrum magnum — Not that which is great is noble (literally beautiful), but that which is noble is great.
Non multa, sed multum — Not many things, but much.
Non nobis, Domine — Not unto us, O Lord.
Non omnis error stultitia est dicendus — Not every error is to be called folly.
Non semper erunt Saturnalia — The carnival will not last for ever.
Non sequitur — It does not follow; an unwarranted inference.
Noscitur a sociis — A man is known by the company he keeps; a word, by the context.
Note bene — Note well.
Novos amicos dum paras, veteres cole — While you seek new friendships, take care to cultivate the old.
Novus homo — A new man; a man risen from obscurity.
Nulla falsa doctrina est, quæ non permisceat aliquid veritatis — There is no false doctrine which contains not a mixture of truth.
Nulla res tantum ad discendum profuit quantum scriptio — Nothing so much assists learning, as writing down what we wish to remember.
Nulli secundus — Second to none.
Nullum est malum majus, quam non posse ferre malum — There is no greater misfortune than not to be able to endure misfortune.
O sancta damnatio! — Oh, holy condemnation!
Obiter cantare — To sing as one goes along; to sing by the way.
Obiter dicta — Remarks by the way; passing remarks.
Obiter dictum — A thing said in passing.
Oblatam occasionem tene — Seize the opportunity that is offered.
Obscurum per obscurius — Explaining something obscure by what is more obscure.
Occasionem cognosce — Know your opportunity.
Oculis magis habenda fides quam auribus — It is better to trust to our eyes than our ears.
Odium theologicum — Theological hatred; the animosity engendered by differences of theological opinion.
Ohne Haut — Without a skin.
[Greek: hoi polloi] — The multitude; the masses.
[Greek: oimoi; ti d' oimoi? thnêta gar peponthamen] — Alas! but why alas? We only suffer what other mortals do.
Olet lucernam — It smells of the lamp, or midnight study.
Omne scibile — Everything knowable.
Omnia mala exempla bonis principiis orta sunt — All bad precedents have had their rise in good beginnings.
On respecte un moulin, on vole une province! — They (obliged by law) spare a mill, but steal a province!
On termine de longs procès / Par un peu de guerre civile — We end protracted law-suits by a little civil war.
Onus probandi — The burden of proving.
Operæ pretium est — 'Tis worth while; worth attending to.
[Greek: opse theôn aleousi myloi, aleousi de lepta] — The mills of the gods grind slow, but they grind small.
Orate pro anima — Pray for the soul of.
Orator improbus leges subvertit — An evil-disposed orator subverts the laws.
Ore tenus — Merely from the mouth; oral.
Otium cum dignitate — Leisure with dignity.
Oui et Non sont bien courts à dire, mais avant que de les dire, il y faut penser long-temps — "Yes" and "no" are very short words to say, but we should think for some length of time before saying them.
Pace tanti viri — If so great a man will forgive me.
Pacem hominibus habe, bellum cum vitiis — Maintain peace with men, war with their vices.
Pacta conventa — Conditions agreed upon.
Palam mutire plebeio piaculum est — For a common man to mutter what he thinks is a risky venture.
Palinodiam canere — To recant.
Par bene comparatum — A pair well matched.
Parasiticam cœnam quærit — He seeks the meal of a parasite or hanger-on.
Pari passu — With equal steps or pace; neck and neck.
Pari ratione — By parity of reason.
Pars minima sui — The smallest part of himself or itself.
Particeps criminis — A partaker in a crime; an accessory either before or after the fact.
Parvula scintilla sæpe magnum suscitavit incendium — A very small spark has often kindled a great conflagration.
Passe par tout — A master-key; a pass-key.
Pater familias — The father of a family.
Pater noster — Our father; the Lord's prayer.
Pater patriæ — The father of his country.
Patientia læsa fit furor — Patience abused becomes fury.
Pauca verba — Few words.
Pavore carent qui nihil commiserunt; at pœnam semper ob oculos versari putant qui peccarunt — The innocent are free from fear; but the guilty have always the dread of punishment before their eyes.
Pax vobiscum — Peace be with you.
Peccavi — I have sinned. To cry "peccavi" is to acknowledge one's error.
Pecuniam perdidisti: fortasse illa te perderet manens — You have lost your money; perhaps, if you had kept it, it would have lost you.
Pedibus timor addidit alas — Fear gave wings to his feet.
Peine forte et dure — Heavy and severe punishment (specially that of putting heavy weights on prisoners who refused to plead).
[Greek: pêm' epi pêmati] — Evil on the top of evil.
Pendente lite — While the suit is pending.
Per accidens — By accident, i.e., not following from the nature of the thing, but from some accidental circumstance.
Per annum — By the year; yearly.
Per contra — On the other hand.
Per fas et nefas — By right ways and by wrong.
Per incuriam — Through carelessness.
Per obitum — Through the death of.
Per saltam — By a leap; by passing over the intermediate steps.
Perfervidum ingenium Scotorum — The very ardent temper of the Scots.
Periculum in mora — There is danger in delay.
Permissu superiorum — By permission of the superiors.
Personæ mutæ — Mute characters in a play.
Petitio principii — Begging of the question in debate.
Pia fraus — A pious fraud (either for good or evil).
Plura faciunt homines e consuetudine quam e ratione — Men do more things from custom than from reason.
Plus dolet quam necesse est, qui ante dolet quam necesse est — He who grieves before it is necessary, grieves more than is necessary.
Plus in posse quam in actu — More in possibility than actuality.
Pompa mortis magis terret quam mors ipsa — The solemnity associated with death awes us more than death itself.
Ponderanda sunt testimonia, non numeranda — Testimonies are to be weighed, not counted.
Populus vult decipi; decipiatur — The people wish to be deceived; then let them.
Post bellum auxilium — Aid after the war is over.
Postulata — Things admitted; postulates.
Pour se faire valoir — To make one's self of consequence.
Preces armatæ — Armed prayers, i.e., with arms to back them up.
Prima facie — At first sight or view of a case.
Primum mobile — The primary motive power.
Primus inter pares — The first among equals.
Primus sapientiæ gradus est falsa intelligere — The first step towards wisdom is to distinguish what is false.
Pro aris et focis — For our altars and our hearths.
Pro bono publico — For the public good.
Pro confesso — As confessed or admitted.
Pro et con. — For and against.
Pro forma — For form's sake.
Pro hac vice — For this turn; on this occasion.
Pro rata (parte) — In proportion, proportionally.
Pro re nata — For circumstances that have arisen.
Pro tanto — For so much.
Pro tempore — For the time.
Probatum est — It has been settled.
Proprio motu — Of his own motion; spontaneously.
Proprio vigore — Of one's own strength.
Prudens interrogatio quasi dimidium sapientiæ — Prudent questioning is, as it were, the half of knowledge.
Prudentis est mutare consilium; stultus sicut luna mutatur — A prudent man may, on occasion, change his opinion, but a fool changes as often as the moon.
Quæstio vexata — A vexed, i.e., much debated, question.
Sat pulchra, si sat bona — Fair enough, if good enough.
Qualis avis, talis cantus; qualis vir, talis oratio — As is the bird, so is its song; as is the man, so is his manner of speech.
Quam parva sapientia regatur — Think with how little wisdom the world is governed.
Quam prope ad crimen sine crimine! — How near to guilt a man may approach without being guilty!
Quand on est jeune, on se soigne pour plaire, et quand on est vieille, on se soigne pour ne pas déplaire — When we are young we take pains to be agreeable, and when we are old we take pains not to be disagreeable.
Quantum — Proper quantity or allowance (literally how much).
Quantum sufficit — As much as is sufficient.
Qui bene conjiciet, hunc vatem perhibeto optimum — Hold him the best prophet who forms the best conjectures.
Qui de contemnenda gloria libros scribunt, nomen suum inscribunt — Those who write books on despising fame inscribe their own name on the title-page.
Qui jeune n'apprend, vieux ne saura — He will not know when he is old who learns not when he is young.
Qui mange du pape, en meurt — Who eats what comes from the pope dies of it.
Qui nescit dissimulare nescit vivere — He who knows not how to dissemble, knows not how to live.
Qui pro quo — Who for whom; one instead of another.
Qui vult decipi, decipiatur — Let him be deceived who chooses to be deceived.
Quid cæco cum speculo? — What has a blind man to do with a mirror?
Quid nunc — What now; a newsmonger.
Quid pro quo — Equivalent; one thing instead of another.
Quid turpius quam sapientis vitam ex insipientis sermone pendere? — What more discreditable than to estimate the life of a wise man from the talk of a fool?
Quieta non movere — Don't stir things at rest.
Quisque suos patimur Manes — The ghost of each of us undergoes (in the nether world) his own special punishment or purgation.
Quo animo — With what intention.
Quo jure — By what right.
Quoad hoc — So far (literally as regards this).
Quocirca vivite fortes / Fortiaque adversis opponite pectora rebus — Wherefore live as brave men, and front adversity with stout hearts.
Quod avertat Deus! — God forbid!
Quod cito fit, cito perit — What is done quickly does not last long.
Quod erat demonstrandum — Which was to be proved.
Quod erat faciendum — Which was to be done.
Quod est absurdum — Which is absurd.
Quod licet Jovi, non licet bovi — What is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the ox.
Quod scripsi, scripsi — What I have written, I have written.
Quod semper, quod ubique, et quod ab omnibus — What has been always, been everywhere, and been by all believed.
Quot servi, tot hostes — So many servants you maintain, so many enemies.
Quod vide (or videas) — Which see.
Raison d'être — The reason for a thing's existence.
Ratio decidendi — The reason for deciding.
Ratio justifica — The reason which justifies.
Ratio suasoria — The reason which persuades.
Recherché — Sought for; much esteemed.
Redeunt Saturnia regna — The golden age (literally the reign of Saturn) is returning.
Reductio ad absurdum — A reduction of an adversary's conclusion to an absurdity.
Refricare cicatricem — To open a wound, or an old sore, afresh.
Regium donum — A royal gift.
Relata refero — I tell the story as it was told to me.
Relever des bagatelles — To give importance to trifles.
Rem acu tetigit — He has hit the nail on the head (literally touched it with a needle-point).
Remis ventisque — With oars and wind.
Reperit Deus nocentem — God finds out the guilty man.
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine — Grant them eternal rest, O Lord.
Requiescat in pace — Let him rest in peace.
Res gestæ — Exploits; transactions.
Res in cardine est — The affair is at a crisis (literally on the hinge).
Res judicata — A case decided.
Res nolunt diu male administrari — Things refuse to be mismanaged long.
Res severa est verum gaudium — True joy is an earnest thing.
Res sunt humanæ flebile ludibrium — Human affairs are a jest to be wept over.
Respice finem — Look to the end.
Rex non potest fallere nec falli — The king cannot deceive or be deceived.
Rex non potest peccare — The king can do no wrong.
Ridere in stomacho — To laugh inwardly, i.e., in one's sleeve.
Rien n'est si dangereux qu'un indiscret ami; / Mieux vaudroit un sage ennemi — Nothing more dangerous than an imprudent friend; a prudent enemy would be better.
Rien ne réussit mieux que le succès — Nothing succeeds like success.
Rire dans sa barbe — To laugh in one's sleeve.
Risus abundat in ore stultorum — Laughter is common in the mouth of fools.
Roma locuta est; causa finita est — Rome has spoken; the case is at an end.
Ruat cœlum, fiat voluntas tua — Thy will be done though the heavens should fall.
Rustica veritas — Rustic veracity.
Sæpe Faunorum voces exauditæ, / Sæpe visæ formæ deorum — Voices of Fauns are often heard, and shapes of gods often seen.
Sæpe premente Deo, fert Deus alter opem — Often when we are oppressed by one deity, another comes to our help.
Sæpe via obliqua præstat quam tendere recta — It is often better to go the circuitous way than the direct one.
Sal atticum — Attic salt; wit.
Salva conscientia — Without compromise of conscience.
Salva dignitate — Without compromising one's dignity.
Salva fide — Without breaking one's word.
Salvo jure — Saving the right.
Salvo ordine — Without dishonour to one's order.
Salvo pudore — With a proper regard to decency.
Sanctum sanctorum — Holy of holies; a study; a private room.
Sardonicus risus — A sardonic laugh; a forced ironical laugh.
Sartor resartus — The tailor patched.
Satis diu vel naturæ vel gloriæ — Long enough for the demands both of nature or of glory.
Satis quod sufficit — Enough is as good as a feast (literally what suffices is enough).
Satis superque est — Enough, and more than enough.
Satis verborum — Enough of words.
Saucius ejurat pugnam gladiator, et idem / Immemor antiqui vulneris arma capit — The wounded gladiator forswears fighting, and yet, forgetful of his former wound, he takes up arms again.
Sauter du coq à l'âne! — To change the subject abruptly; to talk at cross purposes.
Sauve qui peut — Save himself who can.
Savoir-faire — Skill; tact.
Schicksal und eigene Schuld — Fate and one's own deservings.
Scientia popinæ — The art of cookery.
Scire ubi aliquid invenire possis, ea demum maxima pars eruditionis est — To know where you can find a thing is the chief part of learning.
Secundo amne defluit — He floats with the stream.
Secundum artem — According to the rules of art.
Secundum genera — According to classes.
Secundum usum — According to usage or use.
Segnius homines bona quam mala sentiunt — Men are not so readily sensible of benefits as of injuries.
Semel insanivimus omnes — We have all been at some time mad.
Seniores priores — The elder men first.
Seriatim — In order; according to rank; in due course.
Si possis suaviter, si non quocunque modo — Gently if you can; if not, by some means or other.
Si quis — If any one, i.e., has objections to offer.
Si vis pacem, para bellum — If you wish for peace, be ready for war.
Sic transit gloria mundi — It is so the glory of the world passes away.
Sicut ante — As before.
Simel et simul — Once and together.
Similia similibus curantur — Like things are cured by like.
Sine cortica natare — To swim without bladders.
Sine cura — Without care, i.e., in receipt of a salary without a care or office.
Sine die — Without appointing a day.
Sine invidia — Without envy; from no invidious feeling.
Sine nervis — Without force; weak.
Sine odio — Without hatred.
Sine prole — Without offspring.
Sint ut sunt, aut non sint — Let them be as they are, or not at all.
Siste, viator — Stop, traveller.
Sit tibi terra levis — May earth lie light upon thee.
Sit venia verbis — Pardon my words.
Sol occubuit; nox nulla secuta est — The sun is set; no night has followed.
Sola salus servire Deo — The only safety is in serving God.
Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris — It is some comfort to the wretched to have others to share in their woe.
Solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant — They make a solitude, and call it peace.
Solvitur ambulando — The problem is solved by walking, i.e., the theoretical puzzle by a practical test.
Spes bona dat vires, animum quoque spes bona firmat; / Vivere spe vidi qui moriturus erat — Good hope gives strength, good hope also confirms resolution; him who was on the point of death, I have seen revive by hope.
Spolia opima — The richest of the spoil.
Stabat mater dolorosa / Juxta crucem lacrymosa / Qua pendebat Filius — She stood a sorrow-stricken mother, weeping by the Cross where her son hung dying.
Stare super vias antiquas — To stand upon the old ways.
Status quo ante bellum — The state in which the belligerents stood before war began.
Status quo, or Statu quo, or In statu quo — The state in which a matter was.
Stet — Let it stand.
Stultus nisi quod ipse facit, nil rectum putat — The fool thinks nothing well done except what he does himself.
Stultitiam dissimulare non potes nisi taciturnitate — No concealing folly save by silence.
Stultitiam simulare loco, sapientia summa est — To affect folly on an occasion is consummate wisdom.
Sturm-und Drang-Periode — The storm-and-stress period. A literary period in Germany, the productions of which were inspired by a love of strong passion and violent action.
Stylo inverso — With the back of the pen.
Stylum vertere — To change or correct the style.
Sua cuique vita obscura est — Every man's life is dark to himself.
Sua cuique voluptas — Every man has his own liking.
Sub fine — At the end.
Sub initio — At the beginning.
Sub Jove — In the open air.
Sub judice lis est — The question is undecided.
Sub reservatione Jacobæo — With St. James's reservation; viz., if the Lord will.
Sub rosa — Under the rose; confidentially.
Sub silentio — In silence, i.e., without notice being taken.
Sub specie æternitatis — In the form of eternity, i.e., as a particular manifestation of a universal law.
Succedaneum — A substitute.
Suggestio falsi — Suggestion of what is false.
Sui generis — Of its own kind; of a kind of its own.
Sum quod eris, fui quod es — I am what you will be, I was what you are.
Summum bonum — The chief good.
Sunt bona mixta malis, sunt mala mixta bonis — Good is mixed with evil, and evil with good.
Sunt pueri pueri, pueri puerilia tractant — Boys are boys, and boys occupy themselves with boyish things.
Suppressio veri — Suppression of what is true.
Surdo fabulam narras — You tell your story to a deaf man.
Sus Minervam — A pig teaching Minerva.
Tabula ex or in naufragio — A plank in a shipwreck; a last shift.
Tabula rasa — A smooth or blank tablet; a blank surface.
Taliter qualiter — Such as it is.
Tam Marti quam Mercurio — As much for Mars as for Mercury; as well qualified for war as for business.
Tanquam in speculo — As in a mirror.
Tanquam nobilis — Noble by courtesy.
Tanto fortior, tanto felicior! — The more pluck, the better luck!
Tantum quantum — Just as much as.
Tantum vertice in auras / Aetherias quantum radice in Tartara tendit — Its summit stretches as far into the upper ether as its root into the nether deep.
Te Deum laudamus — We praise Thee, O God.
Te hominem esse memento — Remember thou art a man.
Tecum habita — Live with yourself; keep within your means.
Tempus anima rei — Time is the soul of business.
Tempus ferax, tempus edax rerum — Time the producer, time the devourer of things.
Tempus fugit — Time flies.
Tempus omnia revelat — Time reveals all things.
Terminus a quo — The point from which anything starts.
Terminus ad quem — The point of destination.
Terra firma — Dry land, in contradistinction to sea.
Terra incognita — An unknown land or domain of things.
Terram cœlo miscent — They mingle heaven and earth.
Tertium quid — A third something, produced by the union or interaction of two opposites.
Tertium sal — A third salt; a neutral salt; the union of an acid and an alkali.
[Greek: theos hê anaideia] — Impudence is a god.
Tirer le diable par la queue — To be in great straits (literally to pull the devil by the tail).
Toga virilis — The manly robe.
[Greek: to kalon] — The beautiful.
Tolle jocos; non est jocus esse malignum — Away with such jokes; there is no joking where there is malignity.
[Greek: to holon] — The whole.
[Greek: to prepon] — That which is becoming or decorous.
Tot homines, quot sententiæ — So many men, so many minds.
Totidem verbis — In so many words.
Toties quoties — As often, so often.
Toto cœlo — By the whole heavens; as wide as the poles asunder.
Totus mundus exercet histrioniam — All the world acts the player.
Toujours prêt — Always ready.
Tous les méchants sont buveurs d'eau; / C'est bien prouvé par le déluge — All the wicked are water-drinkers; this the deluge proves.
Tout chemin mène à Rome — Every road leads to Rome.
Transeat in exemplum — Let it stand as a precedent, or an example.
Tu quoque — You too; you're another.
Tu quoque, Brute! — You too, Brutus!
Tua res agitur — It is a matter that concerns you.
Uberrima fides — The fullest confidence; implicit faith.
Ubi homines sunt modi sunt — Where men are there are manners.
Ubi supra — Where above mentioned.
Ubicunque ars ostentatur, veritas abesse videtur — Wherever there is a display of art, truth seems to us to be wanting.
Ultimatum — A final proposition or condition.
Ultimum moriens — The last to die or disappear.
Ultimus Romanorum — The last of the Romans.
Ultra vires — Beyond the powers or rights possessed.
Un peu d'encens brulé rajuste bien des choses — A little incense offered puts many things to rights.
Una voce — With one voice; unanimously.
Une froideur ou une incivilité qui vient de ceux qui sont au-dessus de nous nous les fait haïr, mais un salut ou un sourire nous les réconcilie — A coldness or an incivility from such as are above us makes us hate them, but a salute or a smile quickly reconciles us to them.
Une grande âme est au-dessus de l'injustice, de la douleur, de la moquerie; et elle seroit invulnérable si elle ne souffroit par la compassion — A great soul is proof against injustice, pain, and mockery; and it would be invulnerable if it were not open to compassion.
Unguibus et rostro — With nails and beak; with tooth and nail.
Unica virtus necessaria — Virtue is the only thing necessary.
Universus mundus exercet histrioniam — All the world practises the player's art.
Uno ictu — At once (literally at one blow).
Uno impetu — At once (literally by one onset).
Urbi et orbi — For Rome (literally the city) and the world.
Usque ad aras — To the very altars; to the last extremity.
Usque ad nauseam — Till one is utterly sick of it.
Usque adeone / Scire tuum nihil est, nisi te scire hoc sciat alter? — Is then your knowledge to pass for nothing unless others know of it?
Ut infra — As mentioned below.
Ut possedis — As you now are; as you possess.
Ut supra — As mentioned above.
Utile dulci — The useful with the agreeable.
Utopia — An imaginary republic nowhere existing.
Utrum horum mavis accipe — Take which you prefer.
Vade in pace — Go in peace.
Vade mecum — Go with me; a constant companion; a manual.
Vade retro! — Avaunt!
Væ victis! — Woe (i.e., extermination) to the conquered!
Valeat quantum valere potest — Let it pass for what it is worth.
Variæ lectiones — Various readings.
Variorum notæ — Notes of various authors.
Velis et remis — With sails and oars.
Veluti in speculum — As if in a mirror.
Veni, Creator Spiritus — Come, Creator Spirit.
Ventis secundis — With a fair wind.
Verba ligant homines, taurorum cornua funes — Words bind men, cords the horns of bulls.
Verba rebus aptare — To fit words to things, i.e., call a spade a spade.
Verba volant, scripta manent — What is spoken flies, what is written remains.
Verbatim et literatim — Word for word and letter for letter.
Verbi causa, or gratia — For example; for instance.
Verbo tenus — In name; as far as the words go.
Veritas, a quocunque dicitur, a Deo est — Truth, by whomsoever spoken, comes from God.
Veritas nihil veretur nisi abscondi — Truth fears nothing but concealment.
Veritas odium parit — The truth begets hatred.
Veritas temporis filia — Truth is the daughter of Time.
Vestigia nulla retrorsum — There is no stepping backward.
Vi et armis — By force and arms; by main force.
Vice — In place of.
Vice versa — The terms being reversed; in reverse order.
Vide licet — Namely; you may see.
Vide ut supra — See preceding statement.
Vigor ætatis fluit ut flos veris — The vigour of manhood passes away like a spring flower.
Vir sapiens forti melior — A wise man is better than a strong.
Viris fortibus non opus est mœnibus — Brave men have no need of walls.
Virtus in arduis — Valour in difficulties.
Vis comica — Comic power, or a talent for comedy.
Vis inertiæ — The inert property or resisting power of matter.
Vis viva — The power residing in a body in virtue of its motion.
Vita brevis, ars longa — Life is short, art is long.
Viva voce — By the living voice.
Vivat Rex or Regina — Long live the king or queen.
Voluntas non potest cogi — The will cannot be forced.
Vox audita perit, litera scripta manet — The word that is heard perishes, the letter that is written remains.
Vox et præterea nihil — A voice and nothing more.
Vox faucibus hæsit — His voice stuck fast in his throat.
Vox populi, vox Dei — The voice of the people is the voice of God.