List of Latin phrases (A)
This page is one of a series listing English translations of notable Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases, as ancient Greek rhetoric and literature started centuries before the beginning of Latin literature in ancient Rome.[1]
- This list covers the letter A. See List of Latin phrases for the main list.
A
Latin | Translation | Notes |
---|---|---|
a bene placitoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from one who has been pleased well||Or "at will", "at one's pleasure". This phrase, and its Italian (beneplacito) and Spanish (beneplácito) derivatives, are synonymous with the more common ad libitum (at pleasure). | ||
a coelo usque ad centrumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from the sky to the center||Or "from heaven all the way to the center of the earth". In law, can refer to the obsolete cuius est solum eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos maxim of property ownership ("for whoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to the sky and down to the depths"). | ||
a capite ad calcemThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from head to heel||From top to bottom; all the way through (colloquially "from head to toe"). Equally a pedibus usque ad caput. | ||
a contrarioThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from the opposite||Equivalent to "on the contrary" or "au contraire". An argumentum a contrario is an "argument from the contrary", an argument or proof by contrast or direct opposite. | ||
a DeucalioneThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||since Deucalion||A long time ago. From Gaius Lucilius (Satires, 6, 284) | ||
a fortiori | from the stronger | Loosely, "even more so" or "with even stronger reason". Often used to lead from a less certain proposition to a more evident corollary. |
a mari usque ad mareThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from sea to sea||From Psalm 72:8, "Et dominabitur a mari usque ad mare, et a flumine usque ad terminos terrae" (KJV: "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth"). National motto of Canada. | ||
a pedibus usque ad caputThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from feet to head||Completely. Similar to the English expressions "from tip to toe" or "from top to toe". Equally a capite ad calcem. See also ab ovo usque ad mala. | ||
a posse ad esseThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from being able to being||"From possibility to actuality" or "from being possible to being actual" | ||
a posteriori | from the latter | Based on observation (i.e., empirical knowledge), the reverse of a priori. Used in mathematics and logic to denote something that is known after a proof has been carried out. In philosophy, used to denote something that can be known from empirical experience. |
a priori | from the former | Presupposed, the reverse of a posteriori. Used in mathematics and logic to denote something that is known or postulated before a proof has been carried out. In philosophy, used to denote something that can be known without empirical experience. In everyday speech, it denotes something occurring or being known before the event. |
ab absurdoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from the absurd||Said of an argument that seeks to prove a statement's validity by pointing out the absurdity of an opponent's position (cf. appeal to ridicule) or that an assertion is false because of its absurdity. Not to be confused with a reductio ad absurdum, which is usually a valid logical argument. | ||
ab abusu ad usum non valet consequentiaThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||a consequence from an abuse to a use is not valid||Inferences regarding something's use from its misuse are invalid. Rights abused are still rights (cf. abusus non tollit usum). | ||
ab aeternoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from the eternal||Literally, "from the everlasting" or "from eternity". Thus, "from time immemorial", "since the beginning of time" or "from an infinitely remote time in the past". In theology, often indicates something, such as the universe, that was created outside of time. | ||
ab antiquoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from the ancient||From ancient times. | ||
ab epistulisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from the letters||Or, having to do with correspondence. | ||
ab extra | from beyond | A legal term meaning "from without". From external sources, rather than from the self or the mind (ab intra). |
ab hincThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from here on||Often rendered abhinc (which in Latin means simply "since" or "ago"). | ||
ab imo pectoreThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from the bottom of my heart||More literally, "from the deepest chest". Attributed to Julius Caesar. Can mean "with deepest affection" or "sincerely". | ||
ab inconvenientiThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from an inconvenient thing||New Latin for "based on unsuitability", "from inconvenience" or "from hardship". An argumentum ab inconvenienti is one based on the difficulties involved in pursuing a line of reasoning, and is thus a form of appeal to consequences; it refers to a rule in law that an argument from inconvenience has great weight. | ||
ab incunabulisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from the cradle||Thus, "from the beginning" or "from infancy". Incunabula is commonly used in English to refer to the earliest stage or origin of something, and especially to copies of books that predate the spread of the printing press around AD 1500. | ||
Ab initio | from the beginning | "At the outset", referring to an inquiry or investigation. In literature, refers to a story told from the beginning rather than in medias res (from the middle). In law, refers to something being the case from the start or from the instant of the act, rather than from when the court declared it so. A judicial declaration of the invalidity of a marriage ab initio is a nullity. In science, refers to the first principles. In other contexts, often refers to beginner or training courses. Ab initio mundi means "from the beginning of the world". |
ab intestatoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from an intestate||From someone who dies with no legal will (cf. ex testamento). | ||
ab intraThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from within||From the inside. The opposite of ab extra. | ||
ab iratoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from an angry man||By a person who is angry. Used in law to describe a decision or action that is detrimental to those it affects and was made based on hatred or anger, rather than on reason. The form irato is masculine; however, this does not mean it applies only to men, rather 'person' is meant, as the phrase probably elides "homo," not "vir." | ||
ab origineThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from the source||From the origin, beginning, source, or commencement—i.e., "originally". The source of the word aboriginal. | ||
This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
ab ovo usque ad mala||from the egg to the apples||From Horace, Satire 1.3. Means "from beginning to end", based on the Roman main meal typically beginning with an egg dish and ending with fruit (cf. the English phrase soup to nuts). Thus, ab ovo means "from the beginning", and can also connote thoroughness. | ||
ab uno disce omnesThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from one, learn all||From Virgil's Aeneid. Refers to situations where a single example or observation indicates a general or universal truth. Visible in the court of King Silas in the TV series Kings. | ||
ab urbe condita (a.u.c.) | from the city having been founded | Refers to the founding of Rome, which occurred in 753 BC according to Livy's count. Used as a reference point in ancient Rome for establishing dates, before being supplanted by other systems. Also anno urbis conditae (a.u.c.) (literally "in the year of the founded city"). |
ab utiliThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||from utility||Used of an argument. | ||
absens haeres non eritThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||an absent person will not be an heir||In law, refers to the principle that someone who is not present is unlikely to inherit. | ||
absente reo (abs. re.)This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||with the defendant being absent||In the absence of the accused. | ||
absit iniuria verbisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||let injury by words be absent||Expresses the wish that no insult or wrong be conveyed by the speaker's words, i.e., "no offense". Also rendered absit injuria verbis; see also absit invidia. | ||
absit invidiaThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||let ill will be absent||Although similar to the English expression "no offense", absit invidia is not a mere social gesture to avoid causing offense, but also a way to ward off the harm that some people superstitiously believe animosity can cause others. Also extended to absit invidia verbo, meaning "may ill will be absent from the word" (cf. absit iniuria verbis). | ||
absit omenThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||let an omen be absent||In other words, "let there not be an omen here". Expresses the wish that something seemingly ill-boding does not turn out to be an omen for future events, and calls on divine protection against evil. | ||
absolutum dominiumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||absolute dominion||Total power or sovereignty. | ||
absolvoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||I acquit||A legal term said by a judge acquitting a defendant following a trial. Te absolvo or absolvo te, translated, "I forgive you," said by Roman Catholic priests during the Sacrament of Confession prior to Vatican II. | ||
abundans cautela non nocetThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||abundant caution does no harm||Thus, one can never be too careful; even excessive precautions don't hurt anyone. | ||
abusus non tollit usumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||misuse does not remove use||An axiom stating that just because something can be, or has been, abused, does not mean that it must be, or always is. Abuse does not, in itself, justify denial of use | ||
abyssus abyssum invocatThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||deep calleth unto deep||From Psalms 42:7; some translations have 'Sea calls to sea'. | ||
accusare nemo se debet nisi coram DeoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||no one ought to accuse himself except in the Presence of God||A legal maxim denoting that any accused person is entitled to make a plea of not guilty, and also that a witness is not obliged to give a response or submit a document that will incriminate himself. A very similar phrase is nemo tenetur seipsum accusare. | ||
Accipe Hoc This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Take this||Motto of 848 Naval Air Squadron, Royal Navy. | ||
acta deos numquam mortalia fallunt | mortal actions never deceive the gods | Ovid's Tristia 1.2.97. Also translated as "Mortal acts never fool the gods".[2] "Yet if mortal actions never deceive the gods, you know that crime was absent from my fault." |
acta est fabula plauditeThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||The play has been performed; applaud!||A common ending to ancient Roman comedies, also claimed by Suetonius in Lives of the Twelve Caesars to have been Caesar Augustus' last words. Applied by Sibelius to the third movement of his String Quartet no. 2 so that his audience would realize it was the last one, as a fourth would normally be expected. | ||
acta non verbaThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Deeds, not Words||Motto of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. | ||
Acta SanctorumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Deeds of the Saints||Also used in the singular, Acta Sancti (Deeds of the Saint), preceding a specific Saint's name. A common title of works in hagiography. | ||
actus non facit reum nisi mens sit reaThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||The act is not guilty unless the mind is also guilty.||A legal term outlining the presumption of mens rea in a crime. | ||
actus reus | guilty act | The actual crime that is committed, rather than the intent or thought process leading up to the crime. Thus, the external elements of a crime, as contrasted with mens rea, the internal elements. |
ad absurdumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the absurd||In logic, to the point of being silly or nonsensical. See also reductio ad absurdum. Not to be confused with ab absurdo (from the absurd). | ||
adaequatio intellectûs nostri cum reThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||conformity of our minds to the fact||A phrase used in Epistemology regarding the nature of understanding. | ||
ad abundantiamThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to abundance||In legal language, used when providing additional evidence to an already sufficient collection. Also used commonly, as an equivalent of "as if this wasn't enough". | ||
ad arbitriumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||at will, at pleasure|| | ||
ad astra | to the stars | Name or motto (in full or part) of many organizations/publications/etc. |
ad astra per aspera | to the stars through difficulty | Motto of Kansas, and other organisations. The phrase is also translated as "A rough road leads to the stars", as on the Launch Complex 34 memorial plaque for the astronauts of Apollo 1. |
ad astra per alia porci | to the stars on the wings of a pig | A favorite saying of John Steinbeck. A professor told him that he would be an author when pigs flew. Every book he wrote is printed with this insignia. |
ad captandum vulgus | in order to court the crowd | To do something to appeal to the masses. Often used of politicians who make false or insincere promises to appeal to popular interest. An argumentum ad captandum is an argument designed to please the crowd. |
ad eundemThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the same||An ad eundem degree, from the Latin ad eundem gradum (to the same step" or "to the same degree), is a courtesy degree awarded by one university or college to an alumnus of another. It is not an honorary degree, but a recognition of the formal learning that earned the degree at another college. | ||
ad fontes | to the sources | A motto of Renaissance humanism. Also used in the Protestant Reformation. |
ad fundumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the bottom||Said during a generic toast, equivalent to "bottoms up!" In other contexts, generally means "back to the basics". | ||
ad hoc | to this | Generally means "for this", in the sense of improvised on the spot or designed for only a specific, immediate purpose. |
ad hominem | to the man | Connotations of "against the man". Typically used in argumentum ad hominem, a logical fallacy consisting of criticizing a person when the subject of debate is the person's ideas or argument, on the mistaken assumption that the validity of an argument is to some degree dependent on the qualities of the proponent. |
ad honorem | to the honor | Generally means "for the honor", not seeking any material reward. |
ad infinitum | to infinity | Going on forever. Used to designate a property which repeats in all cases in mathematical proof. |
ad interim (ad int) | for the meantime | As in the term "chargé d'affaires ad interim" for a diplomatic officer who acts in place of an ambassador. |
ad Kalendas GraecasThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the Greek Kalends||Attributed by Suetonius in Lives of the Twelve Caesars to Caesar Augustus. The phrase means "never" and is similar to phrases like "when pigs fly". The Kalends (also written Calends) were specific days of the Roman calendar, not of the Greek, and so the "Greek Kalends" would never occur. | ||
ad libitum (ad lib) | toward pleasure | Loosely, "according to what pleases" or "as you wish"; libitum comes from the past participle of libere, "to please". It typically indicates in music and theatrical scripts that the performer has the liberty to change or omit something. Ad lib is specifically often used when someone improvises or ignores limitations. |
ad litem | to the lawsuit | A legal term referring to a party appointed by a court to act in a lawsuit on behalf of another party who is deemed incapable of representing himself. An individual who acts in this capacity is called a guardian ad litem. |
ad lucemThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the light||Motto of Oxford High School (Oxford), the University of Lisbon, Withington Girls' School and St. Bartholomew's School, Newbury, UK | ||
ad maiorem Dei gloriam (AMDG) | To the greater glory of God | Motto of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Edward Elgar dedicated his oratorio The Dream of Gerontius "A.M.D.G." Often rendered ad majorem Dei gloriam. |
ad melioraThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Towards better things||motto of St. Patrick's College, Cavan, Ireland | ||
ad mortemThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||To death||used in medical contexts as a synonym for death | ||
ad multos annosThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||To many years!||Expresses a wish for a long life. Similar to the English expression "Many happy returns!" | ||
ad nauseam | to the point of disgust | Literally, "to the point of nausea". Sometimes used as a humorous alternative to ad infinitum. An argumentum ad nauseam is a logical fallacy involving basing one's argument on prolonged repetition, i.e., repeating something so much that people are "sick of it". |
ad oculosThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||With your own eyes.||Meaning "obvious on sight" or "obvious to anyone that sees it". | ||
ad pedem litteraeThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the foot of the letter||Thus, "exactly as it is written". Similar to the English idiom "to the letter", meaning "to the last detail". | ||
ad perpetuam memoriamThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the perpetual memory||Generally precedes "of" and a person's name, and is used to wish for someone to be remembered long after death. | ||
ad pondus omnium (ad pond om)This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the weight of all things||More loosely, "considering everything's weight". The abbreviation was historically used by physicians and others to signify that the last prescribed ingredient is to weigh as much as all of the previously mentioned ones. | ||
ad quod damnum | to what damage | Meaning "according to the harm" or "in proportion to the harm". The phrase is used in tort law as a measure of damages inflicted, implying that a remedy, if one exists, ought to correspond specifically and only to the damage suffered (cf. damnum absque iniuria). |
ad referendum (ad ref)This template is currently non-functional due to T39256. ||to that which must be brought back||Loosely "subject to reference", meaning that something has been approved provisionally, but must still receive official approval. Not necessarily related to a referendum. | ||
ad remThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the matter||Thus, "to the point". Without digression. | ||
ad terminum qui praeteriitThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||for the term which has passed||A legal term for a writ of entry ad terminum qui praeteriit [for the term which has passed].[3] | ||
ad undasThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the waves||Equivalent to "to hell". | ||
ad usum DelphiniThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||for the use of the Dauphin||Said of a work that has been expurgated of offensive or improper parts. The phrase originates from editions of Greek and Roman classics which Louis XIV had censored for his heir apparent, the Dauphin. Also rarely in usum Delphini (into the use of the Dauphin). | ||
ad usum proprium (ad us. propr.)This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||for one's own use|| | ||
ad utrumque paratus | prepared for either alternative | Also the motto of Lund University, with the implied alternatives being the book (study) and the sword (defending the country in war). |
ad valoremThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to the value||According to an object's value. Used in commerce to refer to ad valorem taxes, taxes based on the assessed value of real estate or personal property. | ||
ad victoriamThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to victory||More commonly translated into "for victory" this is a battlecry of the Romans. | ||
ad vitam aeternamThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to eternal life||Also "to life everlasting". A common Biblical phrase. | ||
ad vitam aut culpam | for life or until fault | Usually used of a term of office. |
addendumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||thing to be added||An item to be added, especially a supplement to a book. The plural is addenda. | ||
adequatio intellectus et reiThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||correspondence of the mind and reality||One of the definitions of the truth. When the mind has the same form as reality, we think truth. Also found as adequatio rei et intellectus. | ||
adsumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||I am here||Equivalent to "Present!" or "Here!" The opposite of absum (I am absent). | ||
adversus solem ne loquitorThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Don't speak against the sun||I.e., don't argue the obvious | ||
aegri somniaThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||a sick man's dreams||From Horace, Ars Poetica, 7. Loosely, "troubled dreams". | ||
aequitasThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Justice or equality | ||
aetatThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||of age" / "aged" (in the sense of: "age: ...)||Abbreviation of "aetatis"; even more abbreviated (and more common): "aet." — e.g.: "aetat 36" = "36 years old"/ "aet. 34" = "34 years old" | ||
aetatis suaeThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||of his own age||Thus, "at the age of". Appeared on portraits, gravestones, etc. Sometimes extended to anno aetatis suae (AAS), "in the year of his age". Sometimes shortened to just aetatis or aetat (aet.). | ||
a falsis principiis proficisci | from false principles | Legal term from Cicero's De Finibus 4.53. |
affidavit | he asserted | A legal term from Medieval Latin referring to a sworn statement. From fides, "faith". |
age quod agisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Do what you are doing.||More often translated as "Do well whatever you do", this phrase is used as the motto of several Catholic schools, including Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon. According to the Catholic Culture dictionary, this phrase is used to remind people to concentrate on the task at hand, rather than scattering their attention. | ||
agenda | things to be done | Originally comparable to a to-do list, an ordered list of things to be done. Now generalized to include any planned course of action. The singular, agendum (thing that must be done), is rarely used. |
agere sequitur (esse) | action follows being | Metaphysical and moral principle that indicates the connection among ontology, obligation and ethics.[4] |
agere sequitur credere | action follows belief | "We act according to what we believe (ourselves to be)".[4] |
Agnus Dei | Lamb of God | Latin translation from John 1:36, where John the Baptist exclaims "Ecce Agnus Dei!" (Behold the Lamb of God!) upon seeing Jesus, referring both to a lamb's connotations of innocence and to a sacrificial lamb. |
alea iacta est | the die has been cast | Said by Julius Caesar upon crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC, according to Suetonius. The original meaning was roughly equivalent to the English phrase "the game is afoot", but its modern meaning, like that of the phrase "crossing the Rubicon", denotes passing the point of no return on a momentous decision and entering into a risky endeavor where the outcome is left to chance. |
alenda lux ubi orta libertasThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Let learning be cherished where liberty has arisen.||The motto of Davidson College. | ||
aliasThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||otherwise||An assumed name or pseudonym. Similar to alter ego, but more specifically referring to a name, not to a "second self". | ||
alibiThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||elsewhere||A legal defense where a defendant attempts to show that he was elsewhere at the time a crime was committed. | ||
alis aquilaeThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||on an eagle's wings||taken from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 40. "But those who wait for the Lord shall find their strength renewed, they shall mount up on wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not grow faint." | ||
alis grave nilThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||nothing is heavy to those who have wings|| motto of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro — PUC-RIO). | ||
alis volat propriisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||she flies with her own wings||State motto of Oregon. Oregon State Motto - The state motto is "She Flies With Her Own Wings". Adopted in 1987, it replaces "The Union", which was the previous state motto adopted in 1957." | ||
aliquantusThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Rather big|| | ||
aliquantulusThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Not that big|| | ||
aliquid stat pro aliquoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||something stands for something else||A foundational definition for semiotics | ||
alma mater | nourishing mother | Term used for the university one attends or has attended. Another university term, matriculation, is also derived from mater. The term suggests that the students are "fed" knowledge and taken care of by the university. The term is also used for a university's traditional school anthem. |
alter ego | other I | Another self, a second persona or alias. Can be used to describe different facets or identities of a single character, or different characters who seem representations of the same personality. Often used of a fictional character's secret identity. |
alterius non sit qui suus esse potestThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Let no man belong to another that can belong to himself||Final sentence from Aesop ascribed fable (see also Aesop's Fables) "The Frogs Who Desired a King" as appears in the collection commonly known as the "Anonymus Neveleti" (fable XXIb. De ranis a Iove querentibus regem). Motto of Paracelsus. Usually attributed to Cicero. | ||
alterum non laedereThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to not wound another||One of Justinian I's three basic legal precepts. | ||
alumna or alumnus |
pupil | Sometimes rendered with the gender-neutral alumn or alum in English. A graduate or former student of a school, college or university. Alumna (pl. alumnae) is a female pupil, and alumnus (pl. alumni) is a male pupil—alumni is generally used for a group of both males and females. The word derives from alere, "to nourish", a graduate being someone who was raised and taken care of at the school (cf. alma mater). |
amicus curiae | friend of the court | An adviser, or a person who can obtain or grant access to the favour of powerful group, like a Roman Curia. In current U.S. legal usage, an amicus curiae is a third party allowed to submit a legal opinion (in the form of an amicus brief) to the court. |
amittere legem terrae | to lose the law of the land | An obsolete legal term signifying the forfeiture of the right of swearing in any court or cause, or to become infamous. |
amor est vitae essentiaThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||love is the essence of life||As said by Robert B. Mackay, Australian Analyst. | ||
amor et melle et felle est fecundissmismusThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||love is rich with both honey and venom|| | ||
amor fati | love of fate | Nietzscheian alternative world view to memento mori [remember you must die]. Nietzsche believed amor fati to be more life affirming. |
amor omnibus idemThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256. | ||
amor patriaeThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||love of one's country||Patriotism. | ||
amor vincit omnia | love conquers all | Written on bracelet worn by the Prioress in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. See also veritas omnia vincit and labor omnia vincit. |
angliceThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||in English||Used before the anglicized version of a word or name. For example "Terra Mariae, anglice, Maryland". | ||
anno (an.)This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||in the year||Also used in such phrases as anno urbis conditae (see ab urbe condita), Anno Domini, and anno regni. | ||
Anno Domini (A.D.) | in the Year of the Lord | Short for Anno Domini Nostri Iesus Christi (in the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ), the predominantly used system for dating years across the world, used with the Gregorian calendar, and based on the perceived year of the birth of Jesus Christ. The years before Jesus' birth were once marked with a.C.n (Ante Christum Natum, Before Christ was Born), but now use the English abbreviation BC (Before Christ) or B.C.E. (Before the Common Era). Augustus Caesar was born in the year 63 BC, and died AD 14. |
anno regniThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||In the year of the reign||Precedes "of" and the current ruler. | ||
Annuit Cœptis | He Has Approved the Undertakings | Motto on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States and on the back of the U.S. one dollar bill. "He" refers to God, and so the official translation given by the U.S. State Department is "He [God] has favored our undertakings". |
annus horribilis | horrible year | A recent pun on annus mirabilis, first used by Queen Elizabeth II to describe what a bad year 1992 had been for her, and subsequently occasionally used to refer to many other years perceived as "horrible". In Classical Latin, this phrase would actually mean "terrifying year". See also annus terribilis. |
annus mirabilis | wonderful year | Used particularly to refer to the years 1665–1666, during which Isaac Newton made revolutionary inventions and discoveries in calculus, motion, optics and gravitation. Annus Mirabilis is also the title of a poem by John Dryden written in the same year. It has since been used to refer to other years, especially to 1905, when Albert Einstein made equally revolutionary discoveries concerning the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion and the special theory of relativity. (See Annus Mirabilis Papers) |
annus terribilisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||dreadful year||Used to describe 1348, the year the Black Death began to afflict Europe. | ||
ante bellum | before the war | As in "status quo ante bellum", "as it was before the war". Commonly used in the Southern United States as antebellum to refer to the period preceding the American Civil War. |
ante cibum (a.c.)This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||before food||Medical shorthand for "before meals". | ||
ante litteramThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||before the letter||Said of an expression or term that describes something which existed before the phrase itself was introduced or became common. | ||
ante meridiem (a.m.)This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||before midday||The period from midnight to noon (cf. post meridiem). | ||
ante mortemThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||before death||See post mortem (after death). | ||
ante prandium (a.p.)This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||before lunch||Used on pharmaceutical prescriptions to denote "before a meal". Less common is post prandium, "after lunch". | ||
apparatus criticusThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||critical apparatus||Textual notes. A list of other readings relating to a document, especially in a scholarly edition of a text. | ||
aqua (aq.)This template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||water|| | ||
aqua fortisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||strong water||Refers to nitric acid. | ||
aqua puraThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||pure water||Or "clear water", "clean water". | ||
aqua regia | royal water | refers to a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. |
aqua vitae | water of life | "Spirit of Wine" in many English texts. Used to refer to various native distilled beverages, such as whisky (uisge beatha) in Scotland and Ireland, gin in Holland, brandy (eau de vie) in France, and akvavit in Scandinavia. |
aquila non capit muscasThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||an eagle doesn't catch flies||A noble or important person doesn't deal with insignificant issues. | ||
arare litusThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to plough the seashore||From Gerhard Gerhards' (1466–1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection of annotated Adagia (1508). Wasted labour. | ||
arbiter elegantiarumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||judge of tastes||One who prescribes, rules on, or is a recognized authority on matters of social behavior and taste. Said of Petronius. Also sometimes found in the singular, arbiter elegantiae (judge of taste). | ||
arcus senilisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||senile bow||An opaque circle around the cornea of the eye, often seen in elderly people. | ||
Argentum album | white money | Also "silver coin". Mentioned in Domesday, signifies bullion, or silver uncoined. |
arguendoThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||for arguing||For the sake of argument. Said when something is done purely in order to discuss a matter or illustrate a point. | ||
argumentumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||argument||Or "reasoning", "inference", "appeal", "proof". The plural is argumenta. Commonly used in the names of logical arguments and fallacies, preceding phrases such as a silentio (by silence), ad antiquitatem (to antiquity), ad baculum (to the stick), ad captandum (to capturing), ad consequentiam (to the consequence), ad crumenam (to the purse), ad feminam (to the woman), ad hominem (to the person), ad ignorantiam (to ignorance), ad judicium (to judgment), ad lazarum (to poverty), ad logicam (to logic), ad metum (to fear), ad misericordiam (to pity), ad nauseam (to nausea), ad novitatem (to novelty), ad personam (to the character), ad numerum (to the number), ad odium (to spite), ad populum (to the people), ad temperantiam (to moderation), ad verecundiam (to reverence), ex silentio (from silence), and in terrorem (into terror). | ||
ars [est] celare artemThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||art [is] to conceal art||An aesthetic ideal that good art should appear natural rather than contrived. Of medieval origin, but often incorrectly attributed to Ovid.[5] | ||
ars gratia artisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||art for art's sake||Translated into Latin from Baudelaire's "L'art pour l'art". Motto of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This phrasing is a direct transliteration of 'art for the sake of art.' While very symmetrical for the MGM logo, the better Latin word order is 'Ars artis gratia.' | ||
ars longa vita brevis | art is long, life is short | The Latin translation by Seneca (De Brevitate Vitae, 1.1) of a phrase from Hippocrates, often used out of context. The "art" referred to in the original aphorism was the craft of medicine, which took a lifetime to acquire. |
arte et labore | by art and by labour | The motto for Blackburn Rovers. |
asinus ad lyramThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||an ass to the lyre||From Gerhard Gerhards' (1466–1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection of annotated Adagia (1508). An awkward or incompetent individual. | ||
asinus asinum fricatThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||the jackass rubs the jackass||Used to describe two people lavishing excessive praise on one another. | ||
assecuratus non quaerit lucrum sed agit ne in damno sitThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||the assured does not seek profit but just indemnity for the loss||Refers to the insurance principle that the indemnity cannot be larger than the loss. | ||
audacter calumniare, semper aliquid haeret | slander boldly, something always sticks | from Francis Bacon, De Augmentis Scientiarum (1623) |
auctoritas | authority | Referred to the general level of prestige a person had in Ancient Roman society. |
audax at fidelisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||bold but faithful||Motto of Queensland. | ||
audeamusThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||let us dare||Motto of Otago University Students' Association, a direct response to the university's motto of sapere aude (dare to be wise). | ||
audemus jura nostra defendere | we dare to defend our rights | State motto of Alabama, adopted in 1923. Translated into Latin from a paraphrase of the stanza "Men who their duties know / But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain" from the poem "What Constitutes a State?" by 18th-century author William Jones. |
audentes fortuna iuvatThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||fortune favors the bold||From Virgil, Aeneid X, 284 (where the first word is in the archaic form audentis). Allegedly the last words of Pliny the Elder before he left the docks at Pompeii to rescue people from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79. Often quoted as audaces fortuna iuvat. Also the motto of the Portuguese Army Commandos, and the USS Montpelier (SSN-765) in the latter form. | ||
audere est facereThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||to dare is to do||The motto of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, the professional Association Football (soccer) team based in London, England. | ||
audi alteram partem | hear the other side | A legal principle of fairness. Also worded as audiatur et altera pars (let the other side be heard too). |
audio hostemThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||I hear the enemy||Motto of 845 NACS Royal Navy | ||
Audi, vide, tace | Listen, watch and shut up | Motto of Security Information Service of the Czech Republic |
aurea mediocritasThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||golden mean||From Horace's Odes II, 10. Refers to the ethical goal of reaching a virtuous middle ground between two sinful extremes. The golden mean concept is common to many philosophers, chiefly Aristotle. | ||
auri sacra famesThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||accursed hunger for gold||From Virgil, Aeneid 3,57. Later quoted by Seneca as "quod non mortalia pectora coges, auri sacra fames": "What aren't you able to bring men to do, miserable hunger for gold!" | ||
auribus teneo lupumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||I hold a wolf by the ears||A common ancient proverb, this version from Terence. Indicates that one is in a dangerous situation where both holding on and letting go could be deadly. A modern version is "To have a tiger by the tail." | ||
aurora australisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||southern dawn||The Southern Lights, an aurora that appears in the Southern Hemisphere. It is less well-known than the Northern Lights, or aurorea borealis. The Aurora Australis is also the name of an Antarctic icebreaker ship. | ||
aurora borealisThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||northern dawn||The Northern Lights, an aurora that appears in the Northern Hemisphere. | ||
aurum potestas estThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||gold is power||Motto of the fictional Fowl family in the Artemis Fowl series, written by Eoin Colfer | ||
auspicium melioris aeviThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||hope of a better age||Motto of Raffles Institution, a secondary school in Singapore. | ||
aut Caesar aut nihilThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||either Caesar or nothing||Indicates that the only valid possibility is to be emperor, or a similarly prominent position. More generally, "all or nothing". Adopted by Cesare Borgia as a personal motto. | ||
aut concilio aut enseThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||either by meeting or by the sword||Thus, either through reasoned discussion or through war. A former motto of Chile, replaced by post tenebras lux. | ||
aut pax aut bellumThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||either peace or war||The motto of the Gunn Clan. | ||
aut viam inveniam aut faciam | Either I shall find a way, or I shall make one | Hannibal. |
aut vincere aut moriThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||either to conquer or to die||A general pledge of "victory or death" (cf. victoria aut mors). | ||
ave atque valeThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Hail and farewell!||From Catullus, carmen 101, addressed to his deceased brother. | ||
ave Caesar morituri te salutant | Hail, Caesar! The ones who are about to die salute you! | From Suetonius' Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Claudius 21. The traditional greeting of gladiators prior to battle. morituri is also translated as "we who are about to die" based on the context in which it was spoken, and this translation is sometimes aided by changing the Latin to nos morituri te salutamus. Also rendered with imperator instead of Caesar. |
ave Europa nostra vera PatriaThis template is currently non-functional due to T39256.
||Hail, Europe, our true Fatherland!||Anthem of Pan-Europeanists. | ||
Ave Maria | Hail, Mary | A Roman Catholic prayer to Mary, the mother of Jesus. |
- ^ Peter A. Mackridge; Robert Browning; Donald William Lucas; et al. "Greek literature". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Waldo E. Sweet, Latin proverbs: wisdom from ancient to modern times (Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2002), p.61. ISBN 0865165440, ISBN 9780865165441
- ^ William Blakestone. Book 3 Chapter 10: Of Injuries to Real Property, And First of Dispossession, or Ouster, of The Freehold footnote 47
- ^ a b James T. Bretzke, Consecrated phrases: a Latin theological dictionary : Latin expressions commonly found in theological writings (Liturgical Press, 1998), p.10. ISBN 0814658806, ISBN 9780814658802
- ^ Peter Jones (2006). Reading Ovid: Stories from the Metamorphoses. Cambridge University Press. p. 223. ISBN 0521849012.