Latin Phrases.doc

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A bene placito - At one's pleasure
A capite ad calcem - From head to heel
A cappella - In church [style] - i.e. Vocal music only
A contrario - From a contrary position
A cruce salus - From the cross comes salvation
A Deo et Rege - From God and the King
A fortiori - With yet stronger reason
A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi - A precipice in front, wolves behind (between a rock and a hard place)
A mari usque ad mare - From sea to sea (Motto of Canada)
A mensa et thoro - From board and bed (legal separation)
A pedibus usque ad caput - From feet to head
A posse ad esse - From possibility to actuality
A posteriori - From what comes after. Inductive reasoning based on observation, as opposed to deductive, or a priori
A priori - From what comes before
A verbis ad verbera - From words to blows
Ab absurdo - From the absurd (establishing the validity of your argument by pointing out the absurdity of your opponent's position)
Ab aeterno - From the beginning of time
Ab asino lanam - Wool from an ass, blood from a stone impossible
Ab hinc - From here on
Ab imo pectore - From the bottom of the chest. (from the heart) (Julius Caesar)
Ab incunabulis - From the cradle
Ab initio - From the beginning
Ab intestato - Having made no will
Ab origine - From the origin
Ab ovo usque ad mala - From the egg right to the apples (From start to finish) (Horace)
Ab ovo - From the egg
Ab urbe condita - From the foundation of the city. (Rome)
Ab/Ex uno disce omnes - From one person, learn all people
Abiit, excessit, evasit, erupit - He has left, absconded, escaped and disappeared
Absente reo - In absence of the defendant
Absit invidia - No offence intended
Absit omen - May the omen be absent. (may this not be an omen)
Absum! - I'm outta here!
Abusus non tollit usum - Wrong use does not preclude proper use
Abutebaris modo subjunctivo denuo - You've been misusing the subjunctive again
Abyssus abyssum invocat - Hell calls hell; one mistep leads to another
Accipere quam facere praestat injuriam - It is better to suffer an injustice than to do an injustice
Acta est fabula, plaudite! - The play is over, applaud! (Said to have been emperor Augustus' last words)
Acta non verba - Action not words
Acta sanctorum - Deeds of the saints
Actus reus - Wrongful act - as opposed to mens rea - the wrongful intention or guilty mind
Ad absurdum - To the point of absurdity
Ad acta - To archives. Not actual any more
Ad alta - To the summit
Ad astra per aspera - To the stars through difficulty
Ad astra - To the stars
Ad augusta per angusta - To high places by narrow roads
Ad captandum vulgus - To appeal to the crowd -- often used of politicians who make false or insincere promises appealing to popular interest
Ad clerum - To the clergy
Ad eundem gradum - To the same level
Ad eundem - Of admission to the same degree at a different university
Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit - To boldly go where no man has gone before
Ad fontes - To the sources (motto of Renaissance Humanism)
Ad fundum - To the bottom / To the end (said during a generic toast, like bottoms up!)
Ad hoc - For a particular purpose. (improvised, made up in an instant)
Ad hominem - Appealing to a person's physical and emotional urges, rather than her or his intellect
Ad honorem - In honour. Honour not baring any material advantage
Ad idem - Of the same mind
Ad infinitum - To infinity without end
Ad interim - For the meantime
Ad libitum (Acronym 'ad lib') - At one's pleasure
Ad Libitur - As Desired
Ad limina apostolorum - To the thresholds of the Apostles
Ad litem - For a lawsuit or action
Ad locum - At the place
Ad lucem - Towards the light (motto of the University of Lisbon)
Ad maiorem dei gloriam (AMDG) - For the greater glory of God
Ad multos annos - To many years!, i.e. Many happy returns!
Ad nauseum - To the point of making one sick
Ad perpetuam rei memoriam - For the perpetual remembrance of the thing
Ad praesens ova cras pullis sunt meliora - Eggs today are better than chickens tomorrow (a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush)
Ad referendum - Subject to reference
Ad rem - To the point
Ad valorem - By the value, e.g. Ad valorem tax
Ad vitam aeternam - For all time
Ad vitam paramus - We are preparing for life
Ad vitam - For life
Addendum - A thing to be added
Adeste Fideles - Be present, faithful ones
Adsum - Here! present!
Adversus incendia excubias nocturnas vigilesque commentus est - Against the dangers of fires, he (Augustus) conceived of the idea of night guards and watchmen
Adversus solem ne loquitor - Don't speak against the sun (don't waste your time arguing the obvious)
Advocatus diaboli - The devil's advocate
Aegrescit medendo - The disease worsens with the treatment. The remedy is worse than the disease
Aegri somnia - A sick man's dreams (Horace)
Aegroto, dum anima est, spes esse dicitur - It is said that for a sick man, there is hope as long as there is life
Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem - Remember when life's path is steep to keep your mind even. (Horace)
Aeronavis abstractio a prestituto cursu - Hijacking
Aetatis (aet.) - Age
Aeternum vale - Farewell forever
Affidavit - A sworn written statement usable as evidence in court
Age quod agis - Do what you do well, pay attention to what you are doing
Age. Fac ut gaudeam - Go ahead. Make my day!
Agenda - Things to be done
Agnus Dei - The Lamb of God
Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est - Yes, that is a very large amount of corn
Alea iacta est - The die has been cast. (Caesar)
Alias - Otherwise
Alibi - Elsewhere
Aliena nobis, nostra plus aliis placent - Other people's things are more pleasing to us, and ours to other people. (Publilius Syrus)
Alis volat propiis - She flies with her own wings (state motto of Oregon)
Alma Mater - Nourishing mother. (One's old school or university)
Alter ego - Other 'I' or 'Other Self'
Alter ipse amicus - A friend is another self
Alterum ictum faciam - I'm going to take a mulligan
Altissima quaeque flumina minimo sono labi - The deepest rivers flow with the least sound. (still waters run deep)
Alumnus - Nursling (former pupil)
Amantes sunt amentes - Lovers are lunatics
Amantium irae amoris integratio est - The quarrels of lovers are the renewal of love. (Terence)
Amare et sapere vix deo conceditur - Even a god finds it hard to love and be wise at the same time
Amat victoria curam - Victory favors those who take pains
Amicitiae nostrae memoriam spero sempiternam fore - I hope that the memory of our friendship will be everlasting. (Cicero)
Amicule, deliciae, num is sum qui mentiar tibi? - Baby, sweetheart, would I lie to you?
Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur - A true friend is discerned during an uncertain matter
Amicus curiae - Friend of the court
Amicus humani generis - A friend of the human race (philanthropist)
Amicus verus est rara avis - A true friend is a rare bird
Amor animi arbitrio sumitur, non ponitur - We choose to love, we do not choose to cease loving. (Syrus)
Amor caecus est - Love is blind
Amor est vitae essentia - Love is the essence of life.
Amor ordinem nescit - Love does not know order. (St. Jerome)
Amor patriae - Love of country
Amor platonicus - Platonic love
Amor tussisque non celantur - Love, and a cough, are not concealed. (Ovid)
Amor vincit omnia - Love conquers all. (Virgil)
Amoto quaeramus seria ludo - Joking aside, let us turn to serious matters. (Horace)
An nescis, mi fili, quantilla sapientia mundus regatur? - Don't you know then, my son, how little wisdom rules the world?
Anguis in herba - A snake in the grass. A treacherous person. (Vergil)
Anicularum lucubrationes - Old wives' tales
Animadvertistine, ubicumque stes, fumum recta in faciem ferri? - (At a barbeque) Ever noticed how wherever you stand, the smoke goes right into your face?
Animis opibusque parati - Prepared in minds and resources (ready for anything)
Animus facit nobilem - The spirit makes (human) noble
Anno (an.) - Year
Anno domini (AD) - In the year of the Lord
Anno hegirae (AH) - In the year of the hegira
Anno mundi - In the year of the world
Anno regni - In the year of reign
Anno urbis conditae (AUC) - From the year of founding of the city (Rome)
Annuit coeptis - God has favored us
Annus bisextus - Leap year
Annus horribilis - A horrible year
Annus mirabilis - Year of wonders
Ante litteram - Before the letter
Ante meridiem (a.m.) - Before midday
Ante mortem - Before death
Ante prandium (A.p.) - Before a meal
Ante - Before
Antebellum - Before the war
Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem - In the good old days, children like you were left to perish on windswept crags
Anulos qui animum ostendunt omnes gestemus! - Let's all wear mood rings!
Apage Satanas - Begone, Satan
Appareo Decet Nihil Munditia? - Is It Not Nifty?
Apudne te vel me? - Your place or mine?
Aqua fortis - Nitric acid
Aqua pura - Pure water
Aqua vitae - Water of life (brandy)
Aquila non captat muscas - The eagle doesn't capture flies (don't sweat the small things)
Arbiter elegantiae - Judge in matters of taste
Arcana imperii - Secrets of the empire
Arduum sane munus - A truly arduous task
Arguendo - For the sake of argument
Argumentum ad hominem - An argument against the man. Directing an argument against an opponent's character rather than the subject at hand
Argumentum ad ignorantiam - Arguing from ignorance
Armis Exposcere Pacem - They demanded peace by force of arms. (An inscription seen on medals)
Ars gratia artis - Art for art's sake. (motto of MGM)...