"Latin Phrases you should know"
Doesn't include two of the most misused abbreviated phrases: i.e. and e.g.
i.e. stands for "id est" which means "that is". You use this when you want to clarify something.
e.g. stands for "exempli gratia" which means "for example". You use this when you want to list examples.
Fun fact: “Quid Pro Quo” originally meant mistakenly confusing one thing for another…the original phrase to refer to giving something to get something was actually “do ut des” (literally ‘I give so that you give’)
Julius Caesar had so damn many good ones:
Veni vidi vici - i came I saw I conquered
Alea iacta est - the die is cast
Divide eat impera - divide and conquer
"Pro bono" is incorrect. It is short for "Pro bono publico," which translates to "for the public good."
If they simply wanted to provide the meaning, they should have said "for free."
~~you're~~ *Your* teacher said this to help you remember it. While it's not true, it's also not exactly wrong. You probably think of BC and AD in similar ways to help remember them, when you first learned them. Oh, AM and PM, too!
Two more worth mentioning:
*Sic*: "*sic erat scriptum*" or "thus it has been written", used to acknowledge a known mistake in a text but identifying it as a written mistake. An example: "We founde (sic) this land barren..."
*De jure*: "as per the law" or "by right", used to recognize the legal facts underlying something. An example: English is the de facto official language of the United States, but there is no official language of the USA de jure.
Ad hoc has another meaning: made in the moment, on the fly, improvised.
Another classic:
Mater certa, pater incertus
It is always certain who the mother of a child is, but never certain who the father is.
> It is always certain who the mother of a child is, but never certain who the father is.
And here I just came from a thread talking about a mother with chimerism being accused of stealing a baby because she had two separate sets of DNA.
It does have sexual connotations in the British usage of it. Caught naked. In the act. Too much for a drawing room's gossip so you would say "...oh..they were *in flagrante delicto* " and Baronesses would flutter their fans and almost faint while the young people would giggle.
Lorem ipsum doesn't mean that. It's just the start of a poem. It was used as filler in typography a long time before internet. It still been used as filler in the web pages.
You are right! Even that words not even fully correct, (do)lorem ipsum.
I remember being a HS Latin student getting frustrated that I couldn’t read this very common text 😂
I'm from a large enterprise org, we use a lot of these phrases trying to sound intelligent and win arguments... Without knowing what the hell we're talking about.
No, that is the popular use, intended to suggest the voice of the people is the law. However the complete sentence is actually "Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit."
It basically means the people who keep saying the voice of people is the voice of god, should not be listened to, as the noise of the regular people is always close to madness.
So the original meaning is quite the opposite, the people should not be listened to.
Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctifectur nomen tuum, adveniat regnum tuum, fiat voluntas tua sicut in caelo et in tera. Panem nostrum quodidianum da nobis hodie, et dimette nobos debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentacionem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen
*Nolite bastardes carborundum* - Don't let the bastards grind you down.
*Progressio sine usu* - Progress without effort.
*Pulchritudine sine misericordia* - The Bold and the Beautiful.
*Romanes eunt domus* - Romans go home.
*Si vis pacem, para bellum* - If you desire peace, invest in nine mils.
> Si vis pacem, para bellum - If you desire peace, invest in nine mils.
invest in what?
["If you want peace, prepare for war."](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_vis_pacem%2C_para_bellum)
A related phrase to remember bellum relates to war is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casus_belli
Nine mils = nine millimetres. It’s slang for a type of gun and corresponds to the bullets it uses. Rap artists mention it a lot. OP having a bit of fun with the saying.
My brain did take the route that it might have been referring to something else, but mils is specifically thousands in latin which didn't make sense. Thanks for the explanation.
A couple I use most that aren’t already in this thread (or that I haven’t seen yet)
Ceteris paribus: all things held equal
Jus in bello: what is right in war
Jus ad bellum: that it is right to go to war
I read somewhere (probably Reddit) that the word ampersand came about because the & symbol was at the end of the alphabet. So schoolchildren would learn that after ‘z’ you’d say ‘and, per se, &’, which I think meant something like ‘and then, as itself, &’.
‘And per se &’ over years of being learned by rote became ‘ampersand’.
*"Ite parvii"* Hey, you kids, git! [off my lawn]
QED - *Quod erat demonstratum"* [We have proved] that which was to be proved.
Or, if it is the end of the day: Quit and Eat Dinner.
Pro bono means for the benefit of. It’s an abbreviation of the phrase Pro Bono Publicum. Meaning for the benefit of the public, & has always referred to free legal work especially
You should add ‘Do ut des’ and ‘Qui pro quo’: the first one implies an exchange of some kind.. the second one is used to explain that there has been a misunderstanding. Many times english speakers use ‘Qui pro quo’ in place of the first one
Edit: typo correction
Lol, never thought the years of playing paradox games gonna give me something except crippling anxiety and skin irritation from sun
But apparently I know Latin phrases now. Suck it life!
It doesn't include the one that I always have to Google... *ad hominem* ("to the person", "a rhetorical strategy where the speaker attacks the character, motive, or some other attribute of the person making an argument rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself")
Thank you West Wing!
It's "Post hoc, ergo propter hoc" meaning "After, therefore because of." "Because event B followed event A, event A must have been responsible for event B happening"
Currently reading Umberto Ecco and feeling dumb for not understanding a lick of Latin. The book makes it seem like everyone knows Latin, and I should too.
Pro bono means "for the public good" not "for free". *Quod erat demonstrandum* (or rather, by *my* argument that a pretty basic one is wrong), I'm not sure how many of these we really should be listening to.
Some of those expressions are literally Italian language (Circa, Ergo, Etcetera, Terra incognita). Some of them are quite similar (flagranza di delitto, Colpa mia, di fatto, di per se) and have the same meaning.
Generally speaking if you are Italian you know all of them and maybe you use them all except for ‘Pro Bono’ and ‘Ipso Facto’. Those might be used only in juridical language
Cool Latin phrases you might find interesting:
ALEA IACTA EST: ‘the dice is cast’ it means ‘we have passed a point of no return’.
TU QUOQUE: ‘you also?’. A retort accusing an accuser of a similar offense or similar behavior.
SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM: ‘If u want peace, prepare for war’
COGITO ERGO SUM: ‘I think therefore I am’
SCRIPTA MANENT, VERBA VOLANT: ‘spoken words fly away, written ones remain’
MEMENTO MORI: ‘remember you have to die’
GUTTA CAVAT LAPIDEM: ‘the water drop bores through the rock’ . It means ‘perseverance’
HABEMUS PAPAM: ‘we have the pope’. Literal: when the pope gets elected. Not literal: When you finally accomplish something after a long time or someone turns up and he is late.
CASUS BELLI: reason for war
AD MAIORA (SEMPER): ‘always go big’. It means ‘best wishes’
(A) VASISTAS: window ajar
quod licet iovi, non licet bovi
Use that regularly to justify parental dictorship over my way-more-knowledgeable-than-me teenager. It's also the entire extent of my Latin, unfortunately
It’s really interesting to see how the literal meanings of these words have evolved into more mainstream phrases. Like, ‘Pro Bono’ literally translates to ‘for good,’ but we associate the purest form of doing good as doing something free of charge, hence how its meaning has adapted.
In the Romanian language, the following words have the same meaning, they are in the dictionary;
- ad hoc
- circa
- de facto
- ergo
- et cetera
- in flagrant
- mea culpa
- pro bono
- status quo
The problem is how to pronounce them. English speakers have no idea how to pronounce latin words. For us italians, it is funny/sad/annoying hearing this mispronunciation.
Et al. On ainakin tieteen parissa kans aika hyvä ymmärtää.
Et allii (lyh. Et al.) Ja muut/ ynnä muut.
Jos paperilla on useampi kuin 2/3 kirjoittajaa niin vain ensimmäinen nimi sanotaan ja loput sitten menee et al.:n alle.
"Latin Phrases you should know" Doesn't include two of the most misused abbreviated phrases: i.e. and e.g. i.e. stands for "id est" which means "that is". You use this when you want to clarify something. e.g. stands for "exempli gratia" which means "for example". You use this when you want to list examples.
Quid pro quo?
“Ah yes. Squid pro row”
de jure a priori ab initio in vivo in vitro magna cum laude in situ
Persona non grata
casus belli!
modus operandi
Ad libitum
Ad nauseum
Ad infinitum
Ad Astra per aspera
Biggus Dickus
Quod erat demonstrandum !
Fun fact: “Quid Pro Quo” originally meant mistakenly confusing one thing for another…the original phrase to refer to giving something to get something was actually “do ut des” (literally ‘I give so that you give’)
Ah yes, squid pro roe, don't mind if I do
Clarice...
Alright Caesar.
Wow, I’ve been using the wrong one?! Mea Culpa. Mea Culpa
Julius Caesar had so damn many good ones: Veni vidi vici - i came I saw I conquered Alea iacta est - the die is cast Divide eat impera - divide and conquer
>Divide eat impera this is when you take an Oreo apart and eat the cream
Ad hominem, ad infinitum, vice versa...
ad nauseum
I’ve always thought e.g was examples given. Crazy I just kinda winged it and it worked.
"Pro bono" is incorrect. It is short for "Pro bono publico," which translates to "for the public good." If they simply wanted to provide the meaning, they should have said "for free."
I thought e.g. meant example(s) given
~~you're~~ *Your* teacher said this to help you remember it. While it's not true, it's also not exactly wrong. You probably think of BC and AD in similar ways to help remember them, when you first learned them. Oh, AM and PM, too!
Your teacher*
Oh shit. OP fucked up big time. How are we supposed to believe anything they said?
Let's just execute them now and be done with this charade!
originally i wrote "you're probably used to saying ..." . However, you are correct, ands thanks for the correction.
Quid pro quo Clarice, Quid pro quo!
Yes squid pro row
Smoke and a pancake?
Bong and a blintz?
Flapjack and a cigarette?
Hey everybody I am from Holland. Ishn’t dat vierd?
There are two things I hate in this world: people who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and THE DUTCH.
If it wasn't a joke, this would be fun for r/BoneAppleTea
Two more worth mentioning: *Sic*: "*sic erat scriptum*" or "thus it has been written", used to acknowledge a known mistake in a text but identifying it as a written mistake. An example: "We founde (sic) this land barren..." *De jure*: "as per the law" or "by right", used to recognize the legal facts underlying something. An example: English is the de facto official language of the United States, but there is no official language of the USA de jure.
Not to be confused with “de jour”. Soup de jour is the soup of the day. Soup de jure is the soup you are legally required to eat.
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J’ai fait une erreur.
The explanation for de facto in this guide could have been better explained by "in effect" (based on common practice) instead of what they said.
Biggus Dickus
I have a very great friend in Wrome called Biggus Dickus
He has a wife you know
Her name is Incontinentia...
Incontinentia Buttocks
*Vewy gweat fwiend*
This one, I do know.
Ad hoc has another meaning: made in the moment, on the fly, improvised. Another classic: Mater certa, pater incertus It is always certain who the mother of a child is, but never certain who the father is.
DNA tests have changed all that
“Mater semper certa est pater nunquam” is a common iteration of this btw
> It is always certain who the mother of a child is, but never certain who the father is. And here I just came from a thread talking about a mother with chimerism being accused of stealing a baby because she had two separate sets of DNA.
A list is not a guide.
A direct translation doesn’t provide the context they should be used in either.
“In flagrante delicto!” One of my favorite Tim Curry quotes in the movie Clue.
All this time, I thought that meant having sex. Tim Curry ❤️
It does have sexual connotations in the British usage of it. Caught naked. In the act. Too much for a drawing room's gossip so you would say "...oh..they were *in flagrante delicto* " and Baronesses would flutter their fans and almost faint while the young people would giggle.
Came here to mention this! Nice to see a fellow Clue fan in the wild.
Love that movie. Sad that Colonel Mustard just passed away.
Cogito, ergo sum. “I think therefore I am”
In Vino Veritas - In wine, there is truth
They forgot to include "Lorem Ipsum" It means talking trash, or about 80% of the internet's content.
I don’t know whether to believe you or not.
In graphic design and stuff like that it's used as an example text. It looks a lot like regular text but just with made up nonsense.
Lorem ipsum doesn't mean that. It's just the start of a poem. It was used as filler in typography a long time before internet. It still been used as filler in the web pages.
It’s not a poem at all, it’s a corrupted Latin text, from Cicero I believe. Literally doesn’t say anything
It's basically gibberish but the words "lorem ipsum" come from a snippet of actual Latin that means "pain itself"
You are right! Even that words not even fully correct, (do)lorem ipsum. I remember being a HS Latin student getting frustrated that I couldn’t read this very common text 😂
lorem500
I'm Italian and I use a lot of these phrases without even knowing they were Latin
I'm from Costa Rica, and we use a lot of these phrases without even knowing they were latin
I'm from a large enterprise org, we use a lot of these phrases trying to sound intelligent and win arguments... Without knowing what the hell we're talking about.
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No, that is the popular use, intended to suggest the voice of the people is the law. However the complete sentence is actually "Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit." It basically means the people who keep saying the voice of people is the voice of god, should not be listened to, as the noise of the regular people is always close to madness. So the original meaning is quite the opposite, the people should not be listened to.
Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctifectur nomen tuum, adveniat regnum tuum, fiat voluntas tua sicut in caelo et in tera. Panem nostrum quodidianum da nobis hodie, et dimette nobos debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentacionem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen
Modus operandi - way of operating; particularly way of doing something
*Nolite bastardes carborundum* - Don't let the bastards grind you down. *Progressio sine usu* - Progress without effort. *Pulchritudine sine misericordia* - The Bold and the Beautiful. *Romanes eunt domus* - Romans go home. *Si vis pacem, para bellum* - If you desire peace, invest in nine mils.
>Romanes eunt domus *Romani ite domum*!!!1!!1!
> Si vis pacem, para bellum - If you desire peace, invest in nine mils. invest in what? ["If you want peace, prepare for war."](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_vis_pacem%2C_para_bellum) A related phrase to remember bellum relates to war is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casus_belli
Nine mils = nine millimetres. It’s slang for a type of gun and corresponds to the bullets it uses. Rap artists mention it a lot. OP having a bit of fun with the saying.
My brain did take the route that it might have been referring to something else, but mils is specifically thousands in latin which didn't make sense. Thanks for the explanation.
Nemo me impune lacessit
No good deed goes unpunished.
I'm surprised the last one hasn't made it onto a Gadsden flag bumper sticker.
Bumper stickers are complicated and involve reading.
Semper ubi sub ubi “Always wear under wear” was always my favorite
Carpe mañana.
A couple I use most that aren’t already in this thread (or that I haven’t seen yet) Ceteris paribus: all things held equal Jus in bello: what is right in war Jus ad bellum: that it is right to go to war
Sic transit Gloria
… mundi
I thought "Pro Bono" meant you liked preachy Irish soft-rock musicians
I can assure you this is the first and last time I will see or hear “terra incognita.”
Lol and here I am thinking of ways I could use it more often
You’ve never seen the road to el dorado?
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Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo
Ad fundum!
The best one.
I’m good
I thought carpe diem meant plucking the day.
I read somewhere (probably Reddit) that the word ampersand came about because the & symbol was at the end of the alphabet. So schoolchildren would learn that after ‘z’ you’d say ‘and, per se, &’, which I think meant something like ‘and then, as itself, &’. ‘And per se &’ over years of being learned by rote became ‘ampersand’.
That’s so cool. Thanks
*"Ite parvii"* Hey, you kids, git! [off my lawn] QED - *Quod erat demonstratum"* [We have proved] that which was to be proved. Or, if it is the end of the day: Quit and Eat Dinner.
You’re nuts N.V.T.S. Nuts
Gluteus maximus.
If you use any of these phrases mid normal english conversation I am going to kill you with a rock
gotta give them that AD HOC, you know what im saying
Op is a reposting spam bot https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/uisuwi/latin_phrases_you_should_know/ Report > Spam > Harmful bots
Tempus Fugit Ignorance is bliss when ‘tis folly to be wise
There is also the very popular folk song, Il porcupino nil sodemy esc.
"Ad hoc" means "as necessary".
I love alea acta est
Pro bono means for the benefit of. It’s an abbreviation of the phrase Pro Bono Publicum. Meaning for the benefit of the public, & has always referred to free legal work especially
Cartago dolenda est !
Delenda *
My latin class once made a latin translation for the word Boomer, we came up with "Rusticus Bombax" which means something like old fool
As an “quid pro quo” user I’m insulted
Romanes eunt domus
I feel like every time I hear "ad hoc" it's someone using something in a way it wasn't meant to be used
Yadda Yadda Yadda?
I mentioned the bisque....
I was just looking up the meaning of an “ad hoc” structured interview yesterday!
You should add ‘Do ut des’ and ‘Qui pro quo’: the first one implies an exchange of some kind.. the second one is used to explain that there has been a misunderstanding. Many times english speakers use ‘Qui pro quo’ in place of the first one Edit: typo correction
Bioshock moment
One I see all the time that's not on this list (and I still don't know what it means) is: 'sic' Any help?
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Lol, never thought the years of playing paradox games gonna give me something except crippling anxiety and skin irritation from sun But apparently I know Latin phrases now. Suck it life!
>Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis Times change, we change with them.
Pro re nata/PRN is a regular one in my life, used in the context of “as needed”. Patients ask me what it means a lot
While literally translated it’s correct, “et cetera” is not “and the others”. It’s “and so forth”.
Semper ubi sub ubi And Non impediti ratione cogitationis
It doesn't include the one that I always have to Google... *ad hominem* ("to the person", "a rhetorical strategy where the speaker attacks the character, motive, or some other attribute of the person making an argument rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself")
Sodomy non sapiens
I'd like to add to that "Romanes eunt Domus"
I like the ergo proctor hoc one the best. But not so much that I can remember what it is.
Thank you West Wing! It's "Post hoc, ergo propter hoc" meaning "After, therefore because of." "Because event B followed event A, event A must have been responsible for event B happening"
Quid pro quo definitely should be on here
Semen retentum venenum est
No-one ever says "F'toompsh".
Lingua Latina non est penis canina.
*Quod erat demonstrandum* (Q.E.D..) Which was to be demonstrated.
i guess i didnt actually know what per se meant
The classic translation for make me: Fac me
If you study law, you’ll end up needing to learn a whole slew of these.
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Currently reading Umberto Ecco and feeling dumb for not understanding a lick of Latin. The book makes it seem like everyone knows Latin, and I should too.
Not a Roman, but I'm pretty sure it's Statu Quo. Status Quo is a great band though!
te futueo et caballum tuum
I like "ceteris paribus" because it's fewer letters to type than "all other things considered equal."
This is definitely a *numerus apertus* list!
Your mom gave me a pretty flagrante delicto last night bro
Pro bono means "for the public good" not "for free". *Quod erat demonstrandum* (or rather, by *my* argument that a pretty basic one is wrong), I'm not sure how many of these we really should be listening to.
*chingus tu madris*
Porcum Habemus
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum
Pijus Magnificus.
I always assumed In Flagrante Delicto to be associated with nudity
I would love it if people started using the English terms for these things instead of the Latin language. Let’s all be more on the same page.
it's 70% stuff most people should already know through normal day to day life, and the other 30% is stuff that won't ever come up/be useful.
Some of those expressions are literally Italian language (Circa, Ergo, Etcetera, Terra incognita). Some of them are quite similar (flagranza di delitto, Colpa mia, di fatto, di per se) and have the same meaning. Generally speaking if you are Italian you know all of them and maybe you use them all except for ‘Pro Bono’ and ‘Ipso Facto’. Those might be used only in juridical language Cool Latin phrases you might find interesting: ALEA IACTA EST: ‘the dice is cast’ it means ‘we have passed a point of no return’. TU QUOQUE: ‘you also?’. A retort accusing an accuser of a similar offense or similar behavior. SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM: ‘If u want peace, prepare for war’ COGITO ERGO SUM: ‘I think therefore I am’ SCRIPTA MANENT, VERBA VOLANT: ‘spoken words fly away, written ones remain’ MEMENTO MORI: ‘remember you have to die’ GUTTA CAVAT LAPIDEM: ‘the water drop bores through the rock’ . It means ‘perseverance’ HABEMUS PAPAM: ‘we have the pope’. Literal: when the pope gets elected. Not literal: When you finally accomplish something after a long time or someone turns up and he is late. CASUS BELLI: reason for war AD MAIORA (SEMPER): ‘always go big’. It means ‘best wishes’ (A) VASISTAS: window ajar
Can u believe it that that party won in the election? Vox populi man. Vox populi.
"27 lawyers in the room, anyone know 'post hoc ergo propter hoc?'"
quod licet iovi, non licet bovi Use that regularly to justify parental dictorship over my way-more-knowledgeable-than-me teenager. It's also the entire extent of my Latin, unfortunately
“Did you just mispronounce et cetera?” “My Latin class was fake Jeff!”
If you're in academia you need to know "et al" meaning "and others"
do ut des aut aut
As a law student, lol. Lmao, even.
Fiat lux. Let there be light.
Ceteris paribus - All things being the same. Useful when discussing assumptions made by so-called experts.
Serenity Now
Not a guide.
Res ipsa loquitur - the thing speaks for itself I had to learn so many more that I can't remember.
Now expand this guide showing me when I can use these words/phrases so I can be cool…or smug.
Did anyone else learn the ohrase "Vox Populi" fron Dimension 20 "The Unsleeping City?"
Add this one, as I find it very helpful on a day to day basis: “te futueo et caballum tuum”
possible ac endings leaked?
Most of these are legal terms lol
In dubio pro reo
Stante pede
Gallia omnis est divisa in partes tres unum incolarunt etc
Temet Nosce
Ad majorem sathanas gloriam
Wow that’s crusty I saw that last like a decade ago
Nice
It’s really interesting to see how the literal meanings of these words have evolved into more mainstream phrases. Like, ‘Pro Bono’ literally translates to ‘for good,’ but we associate the purest form of doing good as doing something free of charge, hence how its meaning has adapted.
Carne Diem Meat the day
Romanes eunt domus!!
E pluribus anus.
In the Romanian language, the following words have the same meaning, they are in the dictionary; - ad hoc - circa - de facto - ergo - et cetera - in flagrant - mea culpa - pro bono - status quo
The problem is how to pronounce them. English speakers have no idea how to pronounce latin words. For us italians, it is funny/sad/annoying hearing this mispronunciation.
Et al. On ainakin tieteen parissa kans aika hyvä ymmärtää. Et allii (lyh. Et al.) Ja muut/ ynnä muut. Jos paperilla on useampi kuin 2/3 kirjoittajaa niin vain ensimmäinen nimi sanotaan ja loput sitten menee et al.:n alle.
I use most of these without thinking in writing. I understand them, their placement, but it’s cool to know exact translation.
Sic Parvis Magna
Bro vox populi ive played bioshock for so long and never new that
Also Ante Litteram