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​DEFINING CLASSICAL ​
WITH THE FINESSE OF LATIN

Directory of Word Lists

DEFINING CLASSICAL WITH THE FINESSE OF LATIN
TRANSLATING YOUR WORLD
See Also:
​Whipping up a Latin Prefix
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DISCOVER ALL THE WORDS OF THE WORLD

I HAD NO CLUE I COULD SPEAK LATIN


LATIN IS NOT A DEAD LANGUAGE!
A dead language would mean the words would be obsolete right? Semantics justification from Kai coming. An obsolete language, as we know from this site, is a word that has fallen out of usage with the last known recorded use centuries ago. But obsolete is not dead. Ergo, Latin is not dead. Ipso facto - you are here. If you a need more proof ask the Catholics.
If you read through this list you’ll recognize these words from your daily life - especially from watching Law and Order. This list shows that yes, you can speak Latin! Carpe diem!
  • a priori — from what comes before; knowledge or justification is independent of experience
  • ad hoc — to this — improvised or made up
  • ad hominem — to the man; below-the-belt personal attack rather than a reasoned argument
  • ad infinitum — to infinity
  • ad nauseam — used to describe an argument that has been taking place to the point of nausea
  • ad victoriam — to victory; more commonly translated into “for victory,” this was a battle cry of the Romans
  • alias — at another time; an assumed name or pseudonym
  • alibi — elsewhere
  • alma mater — nourishing mother; used to denote one’s college/university
  • amor patriae — love of one’s country
  • amor vincit omnia — love conquers all
  • ante meridiem — before noon; A.M., used in timekeeping
  • audere est facere — to dare is to do
  • aut cum scuto aut in scuto — either with shield or on shield; do or die, “no retreat”; said by Spartan mothers to their sons as they departed for battle
  • aut neca aut necare — either kill or be killed
  • aut viam inveniam aut faciam — I will either find a way or make one; said by Hannibal, the great ancient military commander

​B
  • bellum omnium contra omnes — war of all against all
  • bona fide — good faith
  • bono malum superate — overcome evil with good
​
C
  • carpe diem — seize the day
  • caveat emptor — let the buyer beware;
  • circa — around, or approximately
  • citius altius forties — faster, higher, stronger; modern Olympics motto
  • cogito ergo sum — “I think therefore I am”; famous quote by Rene Descartes
  • creatio ex nihilo — creation out of nothing; a concept about creation, often used in a theological or philosophical context
  • cura te ipsum — take care of your own self; an exhortation to physicians, or experts in general, to deal with their own problems before addressing those of others
  • curriculum vitae — the course of one’s life; in business, a lengthened resume

D
  • de facto — from the fact; distinguishing what’s supposed to be from what is reality
  • deo volente — God willing
  • deus ex machina — God out of a machine; a term meaning a conflict is resolved in improbable or implausible ways
  • dictum factum — what is said is done
  • disce quasi semper victurus vive quasi cras moriturus — learn as if you’re always going to live; live as if tomorrow you’re going to die
  • discendo discimus — while teaching we learn
  • docendo disco, scribendo cogito — I learn by teaching, think by writing
  • ductus exemplo — leadership by example
  • ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt — the fates lead the willing and drag the unwilling; attributed to Lucius Annaeus Seneca
  • dulce bellum inexpertis — war is sweet to the inexperienced
  • dulce et decorum est pro patria mori — it is sweet and fitting to die for your country
  • dulcius ex asperis — sweeter after difficulties

E
  • e pluribus unum — out of many, one; on the US seal, and was once the country’s de facto motto
  • emeritus — veteran; retired from office
  • ergo — therefore
  • et alii — and others; abbreviated et al.
  • et cetera — and the others
  • et tu, Brute? — last words of Caesar after being murdered by friend Brutus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, used today to convey utter betrayal
  • ex animo — from the heart; thus, “sincerely”
  • ex libris — from the library of; to mark books from a library
  • ex nihilo — out of nothing
  • ex post facto — from a thing done afterward; said of a law with retroactive effect

F
  • faber est suae quisque fortunae — every man is the artisan of his own fortune; quote by Appius Claudius Caecus
  • fac fortia et patere — do brave deeds and endure
  • fac simile — make alike; origin of the word “fax”
  • flectere si nequeo superos, acheronta movebo — if I cannot move heaven I will raise hell; from Virgil’s Aeneid
  • fortes fortuna adiuvat — fortune favors the bold
  • fortis in arduis — strong in difficulties

​G
  • gloria in excelsis Deo — glory to God in the highest

H
  • habeas corpus — you should have the body; a legal term from the th century or earlier; commonly used as the general term for a prisoner’s right to challenge the legality of their detention
  • habemus papam — we have a pope; used after a Catholic Church papal election to announce publicly a successful ballot to elect a new pope
  • historia vitae magistra — history, the teacher of life; from Cicero; also “history is the mistress of life”
  • hoc est bellum — this is war
  • homo unius libri (timeo) — (I fear) a man of one book; attributed to Thomas Aquinas
  • honor virtutis praemium — esteem is the reward of virtue
  • hostis humani generis — enemy of the human race; Cicero defined pirates in Roman law as being enemies of humanity in general
  • humilitas occidit superbiam — humility conquers pride

I
  • igne natura renovatur integra — through fire, nature is reborn whole
  • ignis aurum probat — fire tests gold; a phrase referring to the refining of character through difficult circumstances
  • in absentia — in the absence
  • in aqua sanitas — in water there is health
  • in flagrante delicto — in flaming crime; caught red-handed, or in the act
  • in memoriam — into the memory; more commonly “in memory of”
  • in omnia paratus — ready for anything
  • in situ — in position; something that exists in an original or natural state
  • in toto — in all or entirely
  • in umbra, igitur, pugnabimus — then we will fight in the shade; made famous by Spartans in the battle of Thermopylae and by the movie
  • in utero — in the womb
  • in vitro — in glass; biological process that occurs in the lab
  • incepto ne desistam — may I not shrink from my purpose
  • intelligenti pauca — few words suffice for he who understands
  • invicta — unconquered
  • invictus maneo — I remain unvanquished
  • ipso facto — by the fact itself; something is true by its very nature

L
  • labor omnia vincit — hard work conquers all
  • laborare pugnare parati sumus — to work, (or) to fight; we are ready
  • labore et honore — by labor and honor
  • leges sine moribus vanae — laws without morals [are] vain
  • lex parsimoniae — law of succinctness; also known as Occam’s Razor; the simplest explanation is usually the correct one
  • lex talionis — the law of retaliation

M
  • magna cum laude — with great praise
  • magna est vis consuetudinis — great is the power of habit
  • magnum opus — great work; said of someone’s masterpiece
  • mala fide — in bad faith; said of an act done with knowledge of its illegality, or with intention to defraud or mislead someone; opposite of bona fide
  • malum in se — wrong in itself; a legal term meaning that something is inherently wrong
  • malum prohibitum — wrong due to being prohibited; a legal term meaning that something is only wrong because it is against the law
  • mea culpa — my fault
  • meliora — better things; carrying the connotation of “always better”
  • memento mori — remember that [you will] die; was whispered by a servant into the ear of a victorious Roman general to check his pride as he paraded through cheering crowds after a victory; a genre of art meant to remind the viewer of the reality of his death
  • memento vivere — remember to live
  • memores acti prudentes future — mindful of what has been done, aware of what will be
  • modus operandi — method of operating; abbreviated M.O.
  • montani semper liberi — mountaineers [are] always free; state motto of West Virginia
  • morior invictus — death before defeat
  • morituri te salutant — those who are about to die salute you; popularized as a standard salute from gladiators to the emperor, but only recorded once in Roman history
  • morte magis metuenda senectus — old age should rather be feared than death
  • mulgere hircum — to milk a male goat; to attempt the impossible
  • multa paucis — say much in few words

N
  • nanos gigantum humeris insidentes — dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants; commonly known by the letters of Isaac Newton: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”
  • nec aspera terrent — they don’t terrify the rough ones; frightened by no difficulties; less literally “difficulties be damned”
  • nec temere nec timide — neither reckless nor timid
  • nil volentibus arduum — nothing [is] arduous for the willing
  • nolo contendere — I do not wish to contend; that is, “no contest”; a plea that can be entered on behalf of a defendant in a court that states that the accused doesn’t admit guilt, but will accept punishment for a crime
  • non ducor, duco — I am not led; I lead
  • non loqui sed facere — not talk but action
  • non progredi est regredi — to not go forward is to go backward
  • non scholae, sed vitae discimus — we learn not for school, but for life; from Seneca
  • non sequitur — it does not follow; in general, a comment which is absurd due to not making sense in its context (rather than due to being inherently nonsensical or internally inconsistent); often used in humor
  • non sum qualis eram — I am not such as I was; or “I am not the kind of person I once was”
  • nosce te ipsum — know thyself; from Cicero
  • novus ordo seclorum — new order of the ages; from Virgil; motto on the Great Seal of the United States
  • nulla tenaci invia est via — for the tenacious, no road is impassable

O
  • obliti privatorum, publica curate — forget private affairs, take care of public ones; Roman political saying which reminds that common good should be given priority over private matters for any person having a responsibility in the State

P
  • panem et circenses — bread and circuses; originally described all that was needed for emperors to placate the Roman mob; today used to describe any entertainment used to distract public attention from more important matters
  • para bellum — prepare for war; if you want peace, prepare for war; if a country is ready for war, its enemies are less likely to attack
  • parvis imbutus tentabis grandia tutus — when you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great things; sometimes translated as, “once you have accomplished small things, you may attempt great ones safely”
  • pater familias — father of the family; the eldest male in a family
  • pecunia, si uti scis, ancilla est; si nescis, domina — if you know how to use money, money is your slave; if you don’t, money is your master
  • per angusta ad augusta — through difficulties to greatness
  • per annum — by the year
  • per capita — by the person
  • per diem — by the day
  • per se — through itself
  • persona non grata — person not pleasing; an unwelcome, unwanted or undesirable person
  • pollice verso — with a turned thumb; used by Roman crowds to pass judgment on a defeated gladiator
  • post meridiem — after noon; P.M.; used in timekeeping
  • post mortem — after death
  • postscriptum — thing having been written afterward; in writing, abbreviated P.S.
  • praemonitus praemunitus — forewarned is forearmed
  • praesis ut prosis ne ut imperes — lead in order to serve, not in order to rule
  • primus inter pares — first among equals; a title of the Roman Emperors
  • pro bono — for the good; in business, refers to services rendered at no charge
  • pro rata — for the rate

Q
  • quam bene vivas referre (or refert), non quam diu — it is how well you live that matters, not how long; from Seneca
  • quasi — as if; as though
  • qui totum vult totum perdit — he who wants everything loses everything; attributed to Seneca
  • quid agis — what’s going on; what’s up, what’s happening, etc.
  • quid pro quo — this for that; an exchange of value
  • quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur — whatever has been said in Latin seems deep; or “anything said in Latin sounds profound”; a recent ironic Latin phrase to poke fun at people who seem to use Latin phrases and quotations only to make themselves sound more important or “educated”
  • quis custodiet ipsos custodes? — who will guard the guards themselves?; commonly associated with Plato
  • quorum — of whom; the number of members whose presence is required under the rules to make any given meeting constitutional

R
  • requiescat in pace — let him rest in peace; abbreviated R.I.P.
  • rigor mortis — stiffness of death

S
  • scientia ac labore — knowledge through hard work
  • scientia ipsa potentia est — knowledge itself is power
  • semper anticus — always forward
  • semper fidelis — always faithful; U.SMarines motto
  • semper fortis — always brave
  • semper paratus — always prepared
  • semper virilis — always virile
  • si vales, valeo — when you are strong, I am strong
  • si vis pacem, para bellum — if you want peace, prepare for war
  • sic parvis magna — greatness from small beginnings — motto of Sir Frances Drake
  • sic semper tyrannis — thus always to tyrants; attributed to Brutus at the time of Julius Caesar’s assassination, and to John Wilkes Booth at the time of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination; whether it was actually said at either of these events is disputed
  • sic vita est — thus is life; the ancient version of “it is what it is”
  • sola fide — by faith alone
  • sola nobilitat virtus — virtue alone ennobles
  • solvitur ambulando — it is solved by walking
  • spes bona — good hope
  • statim (stat) — immediately; medical shorthand
  • status quo — the situation in which; current condition
  • subpoena — under penalty
  • sum quod eris — I am what you will be; a gravestone inscription to remind the reader of the inevitability of death
  • summa cum laude — with highest praise
  • summum bonum — the supreme good
  • suum cuique — to each his own

T
  • tabula rasa — scraped tablet; “blank slate”; John Locke used the term to describe the human mind at birth, before it had acquired any knowledge
  • tempora heroic — Heroic Age
  • tempus edax rerum — time, devourer of all things
  • tempus fugit — time flees; commonly mistranslated “time flies”
  • terra firma — firm ground
  • terra incognita — unknown land; used on old maps to show unexplored areas

​V
  • vae victis — woe to the conquered
  • vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas — vanity of vanities; everything [is] vanity; from the Bible (Ecclesiastes )
  • veni vidi vici — I came, I saw, I conquered; famously said by Julius Caesar
  • verbatim — repeat exactly
  • veritas et aequitas — truth and equity
  • versus — against
  • veto — I forbid
  • vice versa — to change or turn around
  • vincit qui patitur — he conquers who endures
  • vincit qui se vincit — he conquers who conquers himself
  • vir prudens non contra ventum mingit — [a] wise man does not urinate [up] against the wind
  • virile agitur — the manly thing is being done
  • viriliter agite — act in a manly way
  • viriliter agite estote fortes — quit ye like men, be strong
  • virtus tentamine gaudet — strength rejoices in the challenge
  • virtute et armis — by virtue and arms; or “by manhood and weapons”; state motto of Mississippi
  • vive memor leti — live remembering death
  • vivere est vincere — to live is to conquer; Captain John Smith’s personal motto
  • vivere militare est — to live is to fight
  • vox populi — voice of the people
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A SERIES OF BEAUTIFUL WORDS BY KAI
The Collection Includes:
Defining the Brain: Website | Downloads (science)
A Beautiful Word: Website | Downloads (rare/obscure)
The Logophile Lexicon: Website | Book (literary)
Defining New Ideas: Website | Book (creativity)

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