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

BOOK: The Greek & Latin Roots of English
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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.

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