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Choose a letter: [A] [B]
[C] [D] [E] [F]
[G] [H] [I] [J]
[K] [L] [M] [N]
[O] [P] [Q] [R]
[S] [T] [U] [V]
A
| Ab ovo |
From the egg; from the beginning |
| A contrario |
On the contrary |
| Abusus non tollit usum |
Wrong use does not preclude proper use |
| Acerbum sane et luctuosum nuntium |
Acerbic and sad news |
| Ad nauseam |
To the point of disgust |
| Ad (in) usum delphini |
For the use of the dauphin (expurgated) |
| Ad experimentum |
As an experiment |
| Ad hoc |
For this purpose, with respect to this |
| Ad hominem |
Appealing to a person's physical and emotional urges, rather
than her or his intellect |
| Ad metalla |
The condamnation in the minings |
| Ad multos annos |
To many years |
| Ad rem |
To the point |
| Advocatus nascitur, non fit |
A lawyer is born, not made (Cicero) |
| A fortiori |
All the more so, with greater reason |
| Age quod agis |
Do what you do well, pay attention to what you are doing |
| Alea jacta est |
The dice is cast (Julius Caesar) |
| Alma mater |
Nourishing mother; one's old school, college, university |
| Alieno nomine |
With an other name |
| Alter idem amicissimus |
Another self-most friendly |
| Amat victoria curam |
Victory favors those who take pains |
| Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur |
A true friend is discerned during an uncertain matter |
| Amor caecus est |
Love is blind |
| Amor ordinem nescit |
Love does not know order (St. Jerome) |
| Amor platonicus |
Platonic love |
| Annus pauca in verba redactus |
The year summarized in a few words |
| Arduum sane munus |
A truly arduous task |
| Arguendo |
For the sake of argument |
| Ars perdita |
A lost art |
| Astra inclinant, non necessitant |
The stars incline; they do not determine |
| At est bonus, ut melior vir non alius quisquam,
at tibi amicus |
But he is a good man, so that not another man is better, but
he is your friend (Horace) |
| Aut Caesar aut nihil |
Either Caesar or nothing |
| Ave, Imperator, morituri te salutamus |
Hail, Caesar; we who are about to die salute you |
B
| Bene legere saecla vincere |
To read well is to master the ages. (Latin motto
inscribed over the north door of Loan Hall, Doe Library, University
of California; from Emeritus Professor Isaac Flagg) |
| Bona fides |
Good faith |
| Bonum est faciendum et prosequendum, et malum vitandum |
The goal of human conduct is to do and pursue good and to avoid
evil (St. Thomas Aquinas) |
C
| Caelum videre iussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere
vultus |
He bid them look at the sky and lift their faces
to the stars (Ovid.) |
| Caput mundi |
Head of the world |
| Caritas amicitia quaedam est hominis ad deum |
Charity is a kind of love of man for god (St. Thomas Aquinas) |
| Casus conscientiae |
A case of conscience |
| Causa belli |
Cause of war |
| Causa celebrationis |
A cause for celebration |
| Caveat emptor! |
Let the buyer be careful! |
| Cedant arma togae |
Let generals yield to civilians (let arms yield to the toga) |
| Ceteris paribus |
All else being equal |
| Continuando |
By way of continuing |
| Contra bonos mores |
Against the good morals |
| Contra formam humani generis |
Contrary to the human nature (monster) |
| Cotidiana vilescunt |
Familiarity breeds contempt |
| Credite amori vera dicenti |
Believe love speaking the truth (St. Jerome) |
| Credo ut intelligam |
I believe in order that I may understand (St. Augustine) |
| Cuius regio, eius religio |
Whose district it is, his religion it is |
| Cura nihil aliud nisi ut valeas |
Pay attention to nothing except that you do well (Cicero) |
| Cura ut valeas |
Take care |
| Custos morum |
Keeper of morals |
D
| Damnant quod non intellegunt |
They condemn what they do not understand |
| De bene esse |
It shall be so, as long as it is well |
| De facto |
By force |
| De jure |
Legally |
| De lana caprina rixari |
To argue over goat's wool (over nothing) |
| De Maria numquam satis |
About Mary, nothing (is) enough |
| De more |
According to custom |
| Delenda est Carthago |
Let Carthage be destroyed |
| Deus qui nobis vitam eodem tempore et libertatem dedit |
The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time (Thomas
Jefferson) |
| Dies amaritudinis |
Days of bitterness |
| Dies nefasti |
Black letter days |
| Divine et impera |
Divide and rule (Niccolo Machiavelli) |
| Do ut des |
I give so that you give back |
| Docendo discitur |
By teaching, one learns |
| Domini voluntas fiat |
The will of the lord be done |
| Dulce est dissipere in loco |
It is pleasant to tarry on a topic |
| Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori |
It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country (Horace) |
| Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum |
While we have the time, let us do good |
| Dura lex, sed lex |
The law is tough, but it is law |
E
| E pluribus unum |
One out of many (Motto of the United States) |
| Ecclesia semper reformada est |
The church must always be reformed |
| Esse quam videri |
To be rather than to seem |
| Et id omnegenus |
And that whole type |
| Est queadam fiere voluptas |
There is a certain pleasure in weeping |
| Evinvere malum bono |
To prevail over evil with good |
| Ex cearulo |
Out of the blue |
| Ex gratia |
As a favour |
| Ex nihilo |
From nothing |
| Ex umbris ei imaginibus in veritatem |
From shadows and images to the truth |
| Ex ungue leonem |
By the claw the lion is revealed |
| Exitus acta probat |
The outcome proves the deeds (the end justifies the means) |
| Experientia docet |
Experience teaches |
| Experto credite |
Believe the expert |
| Expressis verbis |
With expressed words |
| Extra ecclesiam nulla salus |
Outside the church, there is no salvation |
F
| Facilis descentus averni |
Easy to descent to the hell |
| Factus est Deus homo ut homo fieret Deus |
God was made a man so that a man might become a God |
| Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus |
Untrue in one thing, untrue in everything |
| Felix culpa |
Oh happy mistake |
| Festina lente |
Make haste slowly |
| Fides quaerens intellectum |
Faith seeking understanding |
| Fides sola iustificat |
Faith alone justifies |
| Finis coronat opus |
The end crowns the work |
| Frangar non flectar |
I am broken, I am not deflected |
G
| Grammatici certant et adhuc sub lucide lis est |
Grammarians dispute and the case is still before
the court |
| Grande nimis |
Too great |
H
| Hoc est in votis |
This is in my prayers |
| Hoc est verum et nihili nisi verum |
This is the truth and nothing but the truth |
| Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit |
Man proposes but God disposes |
| Horas numero, nisi serenas |
I count the hours, not only the happy ones (inscription on solar
clocks) |
I
| Ille dolet vere qui sine teste dolet |
He truly grieves who grieves when none is there |
| Illegitimis nil carborundum |
Don't let the bastards grind you down |
| In angustis |
In difficulties |
| In camera |
In chamers (in secret) |
| In capite et in membris |
In root and branch |
| In casu extremae necessitatis |
In case of extreme necessity |
| In Deo speramus |
In God we trust |
| In medio futissimus ibis |
You will go safest in the middle |
| In necessariis unitas, in dubilis libertas, in omnibus
caritas |
In necessary things, unity; in dubious things, liberty; in all
things, charity (St. Augustine) |
| In pari materia |
Of like kind |
| In silvam ne ligna feras |
Don't carry logs into the forest (Horace) |
| Indulgentiam quaeso |
I ask your indulgence |
| Inquietum est cornostrum, donec requiescat in te |
Our heart is restless, until it rests in you (St. Augustine) |
| Intellectum valde amat |
Love the intellect strongly (St. Augustine) |
| Intelligo me intelligere |
I understand that I understand (St. Augustine) |
| Intelligo me velle |
I understand that I will (St. Augustine) |
| Inter vivos |
Living |
| Interdico aliqui aqua et igni |
I forbid someone water and fire - I send someone in exile |
| Interdiction aquae et igni |
Exile |
| Interest reipublicae ut sit finis litium |
It is in the republic interest that there be an end to lawsuits |
| Interfice errorem, diligere errantem |
Kill the sin, love the sinner (St. Augustine) |
| Interna corporis |
The private matters |
| Intrinsicus sunt cavi |
They are hollow inside |
| Iocandi causa |
For joke's shake |
| Ipsa scientia potestas est |
For knowledge itself is power |
| Iuris prudentia |
Law science |
K
-
L
| Laborum dulce lenimen |
Sweet solace of labors |
| Laudatores temporis acti |
Praisers of time past |
| Lectio brevior lectio potior |
The shortest reading is the more probable reading |
| Lex communis omnium |
The common law of all |
| Lex malla, lex nulla |
A bad law is no law (St. Thomas Aquinas) |
| Lex naturalis |
Natural law |
| Lex terrae |
Law of the land |
| Liberum arbitrium |
Free will |
| Libris clausis, styllis depositis |
Books closed, pens put down |
| Licentia liquendi |
Liberty of speaking |
| Locum tenens |
One holding a place |
M
| Magna Dii curant, parva neglegunt |
Gods are concerned with important things, trifles
they ignore |
| Magnum malum |
A great evil |
| Mea culpa |
My mistake |
| Melius tarde, quam nunquam |
Better late than never |
| Mens legislatoris |
The intent of the legislator |
| Minimis optime peractis, maxima bene agentur |
After the smallest things have been well completed, the greatest
things will be done well |
| Minus habens |
Absentminded |
| Mondificatis mondificandis |
What was to be modified having been modified |
| Mole sua |
By its own weight |
| More Socratico |
By the Socratic method |
| Multum in parvo |
Much in little |
| Multun, non multa |
Much, not many (quality not quantity) |
| Mutatis mutandis |
What was to be changed having been changed |
N
| Natura nihil fit in frustra |
Nature does nothing in vain |
| Ne quid nimis |
Nothing in excess |
| Ne supra crepidam sutor iudicaret |
Let a cobbler not judge beyond a sandal (Pliny the Elder) |
| Nemo dat quod non habet |
No one gives what he does not have |
| Nemo liber est qui corpori servit |
No one is free who is a slave to his body |
| Nemo malus felix |
No evil man is happy (Juvenal) |
| Nihil |
Nothing |
| Nil desperandum |
Never despair |
| Non est ei similis |
There is no one like him |
| Non omnes qui habemt citharam sunt citharoedi |
No one who own harps are harpists |
| Non omnia possumus omnes |
Everyone cannot do everything |
| Non omnis moriar |
I shall not completely die (Horace) |
| Norma loquendi |
The standard of speech |
| Novus ordo seclorum |
A new order of the ages is born (inscription on the reverse
of the great seal of USA) |
| Nullius in verba |
(Rely) on the words on no one (Horace) |
| Nullus est instar domus |
There is no place like home |
O
| Omne initium est difficile |
Every beginning is difficult |
| Omnes vulnerant, ultima necat |
All (hours) wound, the last kills (inscription on solar clocks) |
| Omne trium perfectum |
Everything that comes in threes is perfect |
| Optimus magister, bonus liber |
The best teacher is a good book |
| Optimus status rerum |
The best state of things |
P
| Pacta sunt servanda |
Treaties should be respected |
| Pars pro toto |
Part of the whole |
| Pax et bonum! |
Peace and sanvation! |
| Peccatum tacituritatis |
Sin of silence |
| Pecunia in arbotis non crescit |
Money does not grow on trees |
| Per angusta in augusta |
Through difficulties to great things |
| Plusque minusque |
More or less |
| Post tenebras lux |
After the darkness, light |
| Praetio prudentia praestat |
Prudence supplies a reward |
| Primum non nocere |
The first thing is to do no harm (Hippocratic oath) |
| Pro opportunitate |
As circumstances allow |
| Pro tanto |
To a certain extent |
| Puris omnia pura |
To the pure all things are pure |
Q
| Quam terribilis est haec hora |
How fearful is this hour |
| Qui bene cantat, bis orat |
He who sings well, prays twice |
| Qui tacet consentire videtur |
He that is silent is thought to consent |
| Qui vivat atque floreat ad plurimos annos |
May he live and flourish for many years |
| Quid nunc? |
What now? |
| Quid pro quo |
Something for something |
| Quieta non movere |
Not to move (things lying) quiet |
| Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? |
Who shall keep watch over the guardians? |
| Quis separabit? |
Who shall separate us? |
| Quo ad hoc |
As much as this (to this extent) |
| Quo animo? |
With what spirit? (or intent?) |
| Quod erat demonstrandum |
Which was to be shown or demonstrated |
| Quod erat faciendum |
Which was to be done |
R
| Repetitio est mater memoriae/ studiorum/ |
Repetition is the mother of memory/studies |
| Res firma mitescere nescit |
A firm resolve does not know how to weaken |
| Res publica |
The public object (Roman State) |
S
| Salvo pudore |
Decence being observed |
| Scito te ipsum |
Know yourself |
| Scribere est agere |
To write is to act |
| Seniores priores |
Elders first |
| Se vis pacem para bellum |
If you want peace, prepare a war |
| Sic me deus adjuvat |
So help me God |
| Sic passim |
Thus everywhere |
| Sic transit gloria mundi |
Thus passes the glory of the world |
| Sine nobilitatis |
Without nobility (SNOB) |
| Sobria inebrietas |
Sober intoxication |
| Sol omnibus lucet |
The sun shines upon us all (Petronius) |
| Spectaculorum procedere debet |
The show must go on |
| Status quo ante |
The state in which it was before |
| Sub secreto |
In secret |
| Sub silentio |
In silence |
| Suggestio veri, suggestio falsi |
An intimation of truth, an intimation of falcity |
| Suo jure |
In one's rightful place |
| Suum cuique pulchrum est |
To each his own is beautiful (Cicero) |
T
| Tabula rasa |
Clean state |
| Tempus fugit |
Time is fugitive |
| Tempus neminem manet |
Time waits fo no one |
| Timor mortis conturbat me |
The fear of death confounds me |
| Tolerabiles ineptiae |
Bearable absurdities |
| Totus mundus agit historiem |
The whole world plays the actor (is a play) |
U
| Ubi amor, ibi oculus |
Where love is, there is insight |
| Ubi supra |
Where mentioned above |
| Ubique |
Everywhere |
| Ultima ratio regum |
The final argument of kings |
| Unitas mirabile vinculum |
The wonderful bond of unity |
| Unum necessarium |
The one necessary |
| Urbanus et instructus |
A gentleman and a scholar |
| Urbi et orbi |
In the city and the World |
| Utile et dulce |
Useful and pleasant |
V
| Verba de futuro |
Words about the future |
| Verbum sapienti |
A word to the wise |
| Vere jus summum, summa malitiae |
Oh, truly the greatest justice is height of injustice |
| Vide et credere |
See and believe |
| Vincit omnia amor |
Love conquers all |
| Vincit omnia veritas |
Truth conquers all |
| Vinculum unitatis |
The bond of unity |
| Virtus in medio stat |
Virtue stands in the middle |
| Vis medicatrix naturae |
The healing power of nature |
| Vita brevis, ars lunga |
Life is short, art is long |
| Vita sine libris mors est |
Life without books is death |
| Vivat rex |
Long live the King |
| Vivos voco, mortuos plango |
I call the living, I mourn the dead (on a church
bell) |
(C) 2003
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