| Latin |
English |
| ab ovo usque ad mala |
from eggs to apples |
| ad astra per aspera |
to the stars through difficulties (Kansas) |
ad infinitu>
| to infinity, i.e., without limit |
| ad Kalendas Gratd |
At the Greek Kalends; hence, never |
| ad maiorem Dei gloriam |
to the greater glory of God |
| ad nauseam |
to [the point of] seasickness or disgust |
| Alea iacta est |
The die is cast |
| Alis volat propriis |
He flies by his own wings |
| alter ego |
second self |
| Amantium irae amoris integratio est |
The quarrels of lovers are the renewal of love (Terence; quoted by Winston Churchill) |
| Alma Mater |
nuturing mother (applied to a school or college) |
| Amari usque ad mare |
From sea to sea (Canada) |
| amicus curiae |
friend of the court |
| Annuit coeptis |
[God] has smiled on our undertakings (on the seal of the United States |
| ante bellum |
before the war |
| aqua vitae |
water of life (formerly applied to alcohol) |
| argumentum ad hominem |
argument to the man, i.e., one that appeals to the person addressed |
| Arma non servant modum |
Armies do not show (preserve) restraint |
| Arma tuentur pacem |
Arms maintain peace |
| Ars longa, vita brevis |
Art is long, life is short |
| Aspirat primo Fortuna labori |
Fortune smiles upon our first effort (Virgil) |
| Assiduus usus uni rei deditus et ingenium et artem saepe vincit |
Constant practice devoted to one subject often outdues both intelligence and skill
(Cicero) |
| Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere |
We dare defend our rights (Alabama) |
| Audi et alteram partem |
Hear the other side too
|
| aut Caesar aut nihil |
Either Caesar or nothing |
| Aut insanit homo, aut versus facit |
The fellow is either mad or he is composing verses |
| auxilio ab alto |
by aid from [on] high |
| bona fide |
in good faith |
| Carpe diem |
Seize the day (Horace) |
| casus belli |
an occasion for war |
| Cave canem |
Beware of the dog |
| consilio et armis |
by counsel and by arms |
| corpus delicti |
the body (facts) of the crime |
| cui bono? |
for whose benefit is it? What good is it? |
| cum grano salis |
with a grain of salt |
| cum laude |
with honor (praise) |
| Curia pauperibus clausa est |
The Senate House keeps its doors closed to the poor |
| de facto |
from or according to fact, actual |
| de iure |
according to right |
| de novo |
anew, literally, from a new [start] |
| Dei gratia |
by the grace of God (seen on Canadian coins) |
| Deo gratias |
thanks to God |
| Disciplina praesidium civitatis |
The instruction [and] protection of the state (University of Texas) |
| Ditat Deus |
God enriches (Arizona) |
| Divide et impera |
Divide and conquer |
| Dominus providebit |
The Lord will provide |
| dramatis personae |
characters of the play |
| Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori |
It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country (Horace) |
| Dum spiro spero |
While I breathe I hope |
| Dux femina facti |
A woman [was] leader in (of) the deed |
| e pluribus unum |
one [country] out of many [states] (motto of the United states, found on coins) |
| Elizabeth regina |
Elizabeth the queen |
| Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem |
With the sword she seeks quiet peace under liberty (Massachusetts) |
| errare humanum est |
to err is human |
| erratum (plur. errata) |
error |
| esse quam videri |
to be rather than to seem (North Carolina) |
| Est modus in rebus |
There is a middle ground in things |
| Esto Perpetua |
Let it be forever (Idaho) |
| Et tu, Brute |
you too, Brutus (Caesar’s last words) |
| ex animo |
from the heart (sincerely) |
| ex officio |
out of (as a result of) one’s duty or office |
| ex parte |
on [one] side |
| ex post facto |
resulting after the fact |
| Ex uno disce omnes |
From one learn [about them] all |
| excelsior |
higher (New York) |
| Excitabat fluctus in simpulo |
He was stirring up billows in a ladle (Cicero) |
| Exigo a me non ut optimis par sim sed ut malis melior |
I require myself not to be equal to the best, but to be better than the bad (Seneca) |
| Experientia docet |
experience teaches |
| extempore |
without preparation (lit., from the moment) |
| Facilis descensus Averno |
Easy is the descent to Avernus, i.e., the Lower World |
| Facilius per partes in cognitionem totius adducimur |
We are more easily led part by part to an understanding of the whole (Seneca) |
| facta, non verba |
deeds, not words |
| Fata viam invenient |
The Fates will find a way |
| Fide, non armis |
By faith, not arms |
| Fortes et Liber |
Strong and free (Alberta) |
| Fortes Fortuna adiuvat |
Fortune aids the brave |
| Fortuna caeca est |
Fortune is blind |
| genus homo |
the human race (humankind) |
| Helluo librorum |
A glutton for books (bookworm) |
| Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit |
Man proposes, but God disposes |
| homo sapiens |
man having sense, i.e., human being |
| hostis humani generis |
enemy of the human race |
| Ilium fuit |
Ilium (Troy) no longer exists; applied to anything that is past and gone |
| imperium et libertas |
empire and freedom |
| in absentia |
in absence |
| In Deo speramus |
In God we trust (Brown University) |
| in forma pauperis |
in the form (or manner) of a poor man |
| in hoc signo vinces |
in this sign (cross), you will conquer (told to Constantine before battle of Milvian
Bridge) |
| in libris libertas |
in books [there is] freedom (L.A. Public Library) |
| in loco parentis |
in place of a parent |
| in medias res |
into the middle of things |
| in memoriam |
to the memory [of] |
| in nomine Domini |
in the name of the Lord |
| in omnia paratus |
prepared for all things |
| in perpetuum |
(into perpetuity) forever |
| in propria persona |
in one's own person (not through someone else) |
| in re |
in the matter of |
| in statu quo |
in the situation in which [it was before] |
| in toto |
in the whole |
| inter alia |
among other things |
| inter nos |
between us |
| Ipse dixit |
He himself said it |
| ipsissima verba |
the very words |
| ipso facto |
by the fact itself, thereby |
| ius gentium |
the law of nations |
| iustita omnibus |
justice for all (Washington, D.C.) |
| Labor omnia vincit |
work conquers all (Oklahoma, University of Illinois, and the American Federation of
Labor) |
| Legum servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus |
We are slaves of the laws in order that we may be free (Cicero) |
| lex scripta |
the written law |
| Littera scripta manet |
the written letter lasts |
| lux ex oriente |
light from the east |
| Karthago delenda est |
Carthage must be destroyed (Cato Maior) |
| Magna Charta |
the Great Paper |
| magna cum laude |
with high honor |
| magnum bonum |
great good |
| magnum opus |
a great work |
| Manus manum lavat |
Hand washes hand, i.e., one hand washes the other |
| mare clausum |
a closed sea |
| materia medica |
medical material |
| Me duce tutus eris |
Under my leadership you will be safe |
| me iudice |
(I being judge) in my judgement |
| Memento mori |
Remember to die (whispered into the ear of a general during a triumphal procession) |
| Mens regnum bona possidet |
An honest heart is a kingdom in itself (Seneca) |
| mens sana in corpore sano |
a healthy mind in a healthy body |
| mihi cura futuri |
my concern is the future |
| mirabile dictu |
wonderful to say |
| modus operandi |
method of operating |
| Montani semper liberi |
Mountaineers [are] always free (West Virginia) |
| multum in parvo |
much in little |
| Munit haec et altera vincit |
One defends and the other conquers (Nova Scotia) |
| ne plus ultra |
no more beyond, i.e., nothing better |
| Nil Sine Numine |
Nothing without providence (Colorado) |
| non compos mentis |
not in possession of one's senses |
| nosce te ipsum |
know thyself |
| Nova Scotia |
New Scotland |
| novus homo |
a new man [in politics] |
| novus ordo seclorum |
a new series of generations |
| Nullus est liber tam malus ut non aliqua parte prosit |
There is no book so bad that it is not profitable in some part (Pliny Minor) |
| non sibi sed suis |
not for one's self but for one's own |
| nunc pro tunc |
now as of then |
| obiter dictum |
[something] said by the way (ob iter), incidentally |
| Omnia iam fient quae posse negabam |
Everything which I used to say could not happen will happen now (Ovid) |
| Omnia reliquit servare rem publicam |
He left everything to save the state |
| Parva sub ingenti |
The small under the protection of the great (Prince Edward Island) |
| Pater Noster |
Our Father, i.e., the Lord's Prayer |
| pauci quos aequus amat Iuppiter |
the few whom fair-minded Jupiter loves |
| pax in bello |
peace in [the midst of] war |
| Pax vobiscum! |
Peace [be] with you! |
| per annum |
by the year |
| per capita |
by heads or individuals |
| per diem |
by the day |
| per se |
by itself |
| persona non grata |
an unwelcome person |
| Poeta nascitur, non fit |
The poet is born, not made |
| Possunt quia posse videntur |
They can because they think they can |
| Post bellum, auxilium |
Aid after the war |
| post mortem |
after death |
| prima facie |
on the first face (of it); as prima facie evidence |
| primus inter pares |
first among his equals |
| pro bono publico |
for the public good |
| pro forma |
for (as a matter of) form |
| pro patria |
for [one’s] country |
| Quaerite prime regnum Dei |
Seek ye first the kingdom of God (Newfoundland) |
| Quam se ipse amans-sine rivale! |
Himself loving himself so much-without a rival! (Cicero) |
| Que Transtulit Sustinet |
He who transplanted still sustains (Connecticut) |
| Qui dedit benificium taceat; narret qui accepit |
Let him who has done a good deed be silent; let him who has received it tell it
(Seneca) |
| quid pro quo |
something for something ("tit for tat") |
| rara avis |
a rare bird |
| Ratio et consilium propriae ducis artes |
Reason and deliberation are the proper skills of a general |
| Regnat Populus |
The people rule (Arkansas) |
| Res ad triarios rediit |
The situation has come down to the triarii (Livy) |
| Rex regnant sed non gubernat |
The king reigns but does not govern |
| Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit |
Often it is not even advantageous to know what will be (Cicero) |
| Salus populi suprema lex esto |
Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law (Missouri) |
| Sedit qui timuit ne non succederet |
He who feared he would not succeed sat still (Horace) |
| semper idem |
always the same thing |
| semper paratus |
always prepared |
| Sequens mirabitur aetas |
The following age will be amazed |
| Si monumentum requiris circumspice |
If you see a monument, look around (Sir Christopher Wren's epitaph in St. Paul's
Cathedral |
| Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice |
If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you (Michigan) |
| Si vis pacem, para bellum |
If you want peace, prepare for war |
| sic semper tyrannis |
thus always to tyrants (Virginia) |
| sine die |
without a day [being set] |
| sine qua non |
without which not (a necessity) |
| Splendor sine occasu |
Splendour without end (British Columbia) |
| status quo |
the situation in which [it was before] |
| Struit insidias lacrimis cum femina plorat |
When a woman weeps, she is setting traps with her tears (Dionysus Cato) |
| sub rosa |
under the rose, i.e., in concealment |
| Sub sole nihil novi est |
There's nothing new under the sun |
| subpoena |
under penalty (a summons to court) |
| sui generis |
of one's own kind |
| summa cum laude |
with highest honor |
| summum bonum |
the highest good |
| sursum corda |
[lift] up [your] hearts |
| Tarditas et procrstinatio odiosa est |
Delay-putting things off until tomorrow-is hateful (Cicero) |
| Te Deum |
Thee, God [we praise] ; the name of a hymn |
| Tempus fugit |
Time flies |
| terra firma |
solid earth (as opposed to water and air) |
| terra incognita |
an unknown land |
| Timendi causa est nescire |
Ignorance is the cause of fear (Seneca) |
| Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes |
I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts (Virgil) |
| Trahimur omnes laudis studio |
We are all led on by our eagerness for praise |
| Ultima Thule |
Farthest North |
| una voce |
with one voice, unanimously |
| Urbem latericium invenit, marmoream reliquit |
He found the city a city of bricks; he left it a city of marble (The boast of
Augustus) |
| urbs et orbis |
city and world |
| Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet |
As loyal as she began, so she remains (Ontario) |
| Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas |
Vanity of vanities, and all [is] vanity |
| Velle est posse |
To be willing is to be able |
| Veni, vidi, vici |
I came, I saw, I conquered (said by Caesar after Zela) |
| Verbum sapienti sat est |
A word to the wise is sufficient |
| Vestis virum facit |
Clothes make the man |
| via media |
a middle way or course |
| vice versa |
in reverse |
| victoria, non praeda |
victory, not loot |
| virginibus puerisque |
for girls and boys |
| Virtute et armis |
By courage and by arms (Mississippi) |
| Vitanda est improba siren desidia |
One must steer clear of the wicked temptress, Laziness (Horace) |
| Volo, non valeo |
I am willing but unable |
| vox humana |
the human voice |
| Vox populi vox Dei |
The voice of the people [is] the voice of God |