Comments on: Latin You Should Know.

By: alakazaam

alakazaam — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:15:44 +0000

quod quisnam said latin est a mortuus lingua. is est alive hic

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:24:48 +0000

I'd like to know how to best pronounce "in media res" ... thanks

By: Becca

Becca — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:54:08 +0000

Not that anyone's reading these comments anymore, but one of my favorites (out of coolness) is "malo malo malo malo," for which a rather loose translation is: "I'd rather be in an apple tree than a bad man in adversity." Ah, the wonderful case-structure of Indo-European nouns.

By: Winston Von Udrich

Winston Von Udrich — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:21:10 +0000

Veni, Vidi, Vici is basically pronounced how it looks... Its VEN-NEE, VEE-DEE, VEE-CHEE

By: o0

o0 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:07:18 +0000

Your english translation of "veni, vidi, vici" was simply the most terrible thing I ever saw in my life. Translate this: "Don't act wise when you know not."

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By: NBA Rumours

NBA Rumours — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 05:57:25 +0000

Tabular rasa is the modular form
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By: Moebius

Moebius — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:53:28 +0000

Pulherima omnia puelarum es
this is for you guys, learn it and impress ur girls...

By: Les

Les — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:29:56 +0000

RP McKosker,
My understanding is that "ex Cathedra" means the Pope is speaking from God, and the words are therefore infallible (Popes rarely do this) while "motu Proprio" means he is speaking solely on his own authority.

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:17:10 +0000

Just wanted to say that in Catholic school, I was taught Latin by a priest, and he used the W sound, so it's strange to hear people say that the "Church" Latin uses the V sound.

But I also wanted to say, that even though we were taught to use the W sound, the V does sound a *lot* better.

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:02:59 +0000

smaller, faster, cheaper: minusculus, citius, vilitus?

By: R.P. McCosker

R.P. McCosker — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:25:22 +0000

This phrase is listed in the opening discussion: "Citius altius fortius," meaning faster, higher, stronger (the motto of the modern Olympics). It occurred to me that this English translation is similar to the unofficial motto of the modern age's computer hardware industry, "Smaller, faster, cheaper." How does one say "smaller, faster, cheaper" in Latin?

By: MIke

MIke — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:50:43 +0000

Cave Canem!!

By: Sete

Sete — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 02:29:58 +0000

Ubi bene, ibi patria - Where I am happy (feel good), there is my country.

By: T. T. Tomko

T. T. Tomko — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 02:29:02 +0000

How is it possible that no one, but no one, reading this website mentioned the most important and relevant latin phrase which each and every one of us should be aware of? Cui bono! Which is what Cicero is reputed to have said when a new piece of legislation was passed in the Roman senate: Who benefits? Who indeed with the rivers of new legislation cascading out of the 49 states and the imperial halls of congress?

By: R.P. McCosker

R.P. McCosker — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 19:50:32 +0000

Here're two useful Latin phrases with similar meanings I've encountered recently: (1) ex cathedra (2) motu proprio Aside from the literal differences between them ("from the chair," "on one's own motion"), their modern idiomatic usage (other than theological use in the Roman Catholic Church) is similar, something along the lines of "conceived on one's own authority." Can anyone reading here explain to me the modern idiomatic differences in the uses of ex cathedra and of motu proprio?

By: Schoeurtieghe

Schoeurtieghe — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 14:12:10 +0000

Mutatis mutandis

By: Remus

Remus — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:55:26 +0000

Cartago delenda est - Carthage must be destroyed

By: Caligula

Caligula — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:39:24 +0000

"ceterus paribus" "per se" which I had in my HD, but have since lost the meanings and distinctions between the two. Perhaps any sharper scholar will fill in? "de jure" of law (as is written in the laws) "de facto" of fact (as exists in reality)

By: Brad

Brad — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:33:55 +0000

Apparently everyone's forgotten Schopenhauer: "obit anus, abit onus."

He had pushed his neighbor lady down the stairs, and he was made to pay damages to her for 20 years. When she finally died, he quipped the above.

By: Alan

Alan — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 08:57:38 +0000

About Kansas going all the way up and all the way down, you're not thinking of it properly. I think they mean "all the way down to the center of the earth," not "all the way down ad infinitum."

If you take the outline of Kansas, and extrapolate it into the center of the earth, it will get smaller and smaller until it finally reaches zero at the very center. It's like cutting a slice of pie, except in 3D instead of 2D.

By: Mack

Mack — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 03:48:25 +0000

Abyssus abyssum invocat - Hell calls hell

By: Lemons

Lemons — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:34:27 +0000

I salute all the people who quoted Catullus.

However, I also think "Quo usque tandem abutere, Catalina, patientia nostra?" *must* be included.

By: MJS

MJS — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 19:11:56 +0000

My favorite:

Ubi dubi flagellatum...When in doubt, whip it out.

By: ted

ted — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 14:29:38 +0000

Oops, I screwed up about the W sound. I meant to say the V and J sound.

I seem to recall the ancient Greeks had a letter for the W sound, but then stopped using it.

iacta alea est - the die is cast.
alea feles est - the die is cats.

Did you know there was a Latin Wikipaedia: Vicipaedia.

By: ste

ste — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:37:41 +0000

my favourites are:

quo vadis? eo corporis - where are you going? i'm going... ehm.. to the toilet

ubi maior, minor cessat

et mihi? - it sounds like "who cares?"

graecum est; non legitur

Ave Cesare, morituri te salutant!

By: D17182

D17182 — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:28:20 +0000

Non est levi astae terra via
There is no easy way from the earth to the stars.

Aut inveniam viam aut faciem
Either I will find a way or I will make one.

Exempli Gratia, e.g.
For example

Ibidem, ibid.
At the same place

By: Gary

Gary — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:21:28 +0000

Forgot: Quid Pro Quo - Etymology: New Latin, something for something. Something given or received for something else; also a deal arranging a quid pro quo

By: Latin-Teacher

Latin-Teacher — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:08:00 +0000

The Romans had many words with the -W- Sound in them. Veni, Vidi, and Vici to name a few. The -V- which we inherited was used as BOTH a consonant and a Vowel. (To whomever said the Romans had no Consonant -V-: sorry fella.) The Consonant -V- sounds like an english W, and can be heard in Veni (When-ee) or Vici (Whee-Kee). The Vowel -V- became the vowel -U- in english. We see the Latin vowel V in words such as Tva (Too-Ah). The Romans also had two -I-'s, a consonant pronounced like a -Y-, the first I in Iacio (Yak-Ee-O), or the second I in Iacio. (Which is a verb meaning to throw). Also: No one knows how Latin was truly pronounced? This is not entirely true. We have a pretty good idea how it was pronounced, sorted out by very clever linguists. However, there's always some jerk who will say "But yes... You don't know for sure do you!" and any good Professor having studied Socrates will admit "Er, Rather, I suppose not." But we are more sure than not on Ciceronian Latin pronounciation. Hard C's (not Chhhh's of Italian or Ssss's of English) (Caesar becomes Kaiser in German. Not See-ser, and not Cheese-er. Soft V's Mushy J's (like Ys.) and the Vowel sounds are different than english. So, any arguments about "You wouldn't pronounce Benny this way would you!" Have no bearing on this conversation. A final thought to those who think Latin is useless: illa carmina pulcherrima (this most pretty poem) would be unavailable to me if I didn't speak Latin, save for a soul-less, probably incorrect translation: Odi et Amo. Quare id faciam, fortasse requiris? Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.

By: Eadipus

Eadipus — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:49:32 +0000

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