The Greek & Latin Roots of English (48 page)
Read The Greek & Latin Roots of English Online
Authors: Tamara M. Green
Tags: #Language Arts & Disciplines, #Linguistics, #General, #Vocabulary, #Etymology
We have already seen how vibrant and powerful a force Latin has been in the shaping of English vocabulary; and although it is no longer a spoken language, there are many phrases and expressions used in English that still appear in their Latin form.
Latin Proverbs
| Latin | English Meaning |
| cum grano salis | with a grain of salt |
| de gustibus non est disputandum | About tastes, it ought not to be argued. |
| de mortuis nil nisi bonum | About the dead, (say) nothing but good. |
| deo volente | God willing! |
| errare humanum est | To err is human. |
| nihil sub sole novum | There's nothing new under the sun. |
| nos morituri te salutamus | We who are about to die salute you. |
| vita brevis, ars longa | Life is short; art is long. |
Measurements of Time
| Latin | English Meaning |
| ab ovo | from the egg (from the beginning) |
| in principio | in the beginning |
| ante bellum | before the war |
| post bellum | after the war |
| anno domini | in the year of (our) Lord |
| status quo | the state in which |
| pro tempore | for the time (being) |
| terminus ante quem | end before which |
| terminus post quem | end after which |
| ad infinitum | to infinity |
| per diem | by the day |
| carpe diem | Seize the day! (Enjoy the moment.) |
| tempus fugit | Time flies. |
| finis | the end |
Measures and Relationships
| Latin | English Meaning |
| in toto | in the whole (completely) |
| per se | by itself (intrinsically) |
| quid pro quo | something for something (one thing in return for another) |
| ne plus ultra | not more beyond (the highest point) |
| ex parte | out of the part (on one side only) |
| passim | here and there |
| per capita | by heads (by individuals) |
| ex post facto | from a thing done after (subsequently) |
| ad nauseam | to the point of disgust |
Speech and Language
| Latin | English Meaning |
| ipse dixit | he himself said |
| lapsus linguae | slip of the tongue |
| lingua franca | the Frankish tongue (the commonly spoken language) |
| mirabile dictu | wonderful to tell |
| non sequitur | it does not follow (illogical conclusion) |
| verbatim | word for word |
| viva voce | with living voice (orally) |
| vox populi | voice of the people |
Drama and Theater
| Latin | English Meaning |
| dramatis personae | the masks (characters) of the drama |
| deus ex machina | the god out of the machine (an improbable solution) |
| in medias res | in the middle of things |
| exit | he/she goes out |
| exeunt | they go out |
| exeunt omnes | they all go out |
People, Places, and Things
| Latin | English Meaning |
| alma mater | nourishing mother |
| alter ego | another I |
| alumna | foster daughter |
| alumnus | foster son |
| desideratum | that which was desired |
| in absentia | in the absence of |
| in situ | in place |
| inter alia | among other things |
| inter alios | among other people |
| magnum opus | great work |
| mea culpa | my fault |
| modus operandi | way of operating |
| modus vivendi | way of living |
| persona non grata | a person not pleasing (a person not welcome) |
| quid nunc | what now? (a gossip) |
| rara avis | rare bird (a rare person; one of a kind) |
| sine qua non | without which not (something essential) |
| sub rosa | under the table (confidentially; secretly) |
| sui generis | of its own kind (unique) |
| summum bonum | highest good |
| tabula rasa | blank slate |
| terra firma | solid earth |
| terra incognita | unknown land |
| vade mecum | walk with me (guidebook; manual) |
Latin Abbreviations and Words Used in Scholarly Research and Writing
| Latin Abbreviation or Word | English Meaning |
| c. or ca. (circa) | around |
| cf. (confer) | compare |
| ed. cit. (editio citata) | the edition cited |
| e.g. (exempli gratia) | for (the sake of an) example |
| et al. (et alii or et alia) | and others (people or things) |
| etc. (et cetera) | and the rest |
| et seq. (et sequens or sequentia) | and following (singular or plural) |
| fl. (floruit) | he/she flourished |
| ibid. (ibidem) | in the same place |
| i.e. (id est) | that is |
| loc. cit. (loco citato) | in the place cited |
| n.b. or N.B. (nota bene) | note well |
| op. cit. (opere citato) | in the work cited |
| q.e.d. (quod erat demonstrandum) | that which was to be proved or shown |
| seriatim | in a series |
| sic | thus |
| stet | let it stand |
| viz. (videlicet) | namely |
NAME _______________________________________________________
A. Find the Latin phrase that best fills out the meaning of the sentence.
1. He lies all the time, so I would take anything he says____________________.
2. Everyone makes mistakes; after all, ____________________.
3. I love sushi, but my husband hates raw fish. I always tell him,___________________.
4. He was a terrible person, but now that he has died, remember:___________________.
5. Instead of having a permanent chairperson, someone was chosen at each session to run the meeting as chairperson____________________.
6. The agreement was made__________, and the details were confidential.
7. He said that I would get paid by the day, but I did not take the job since the__________rate was too low.
8. Since life is short, enjoy yourself!____________________, as the Romans used to say.
9. The years flew by, and only now do I realize____________________.
10. I gave you this; you gave me that. It was a____________________agreement.
11. He repeated his argument without stopping and until I was disgusted. What are the phrases that can be used to describe his behavior and my response? ____________________ ____________________
12. I didn't mean to say that; it was a____________________.
13. He called himself the____________________, but the only voice you could hear was his.
14. I can't begin to say how remarkable it was, but____________________, I passed the exam.
15. Nothing he said made any sense; I couldn't understand his arguments since they were filled with____________________.
16. The situation was awful; the only thing that could save us was a __________.
17. Since the stage directions read
exeunt omnes
, __________the actors __________.
18.
“Mea culpa,”
he said; “it really is__________.”
19. Some believe an infant's mind is a____________________, on which anything can be written.
20. I behaved so badly that I knew that he would never invite me again. I had become____________________.
21. There is no one like him. He is truly a____________________.
22. I wandered around for hours after I got off at the wrong subway stop. I didn't recognize anyone or anything; I was in____________________.
23. Since the defendant was not to be located, he was tried____________________.
24. My friend is just like me in every way; he is my____________________.
25. I hate flying, and so I was glad to put my feet on____________________.
26. I don't know the exact date it happened, but it was__________1950.
27. Although the police did not know the identity of the bank robber, they had figured out his____________________, since the criminal always acted in the same way.
Other books
The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie
Megan's Cure by Lowe, Robert B.
The Harvest Cycle by David Dunwoody
Here for Shaye by Misty Kayn
Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros
Cloneworld - 04 by Andy Remic
Lover Be Mine: A Legendary Lovers Novel by Nicole Jordan
Caught Up In Him by Lauren Blakely
A Surgical Affair by Shirley Summerskill
