| Latin |
Translation |
Notes |
| pace |
"with peace" |
Loosely, "be at peace", "with due deference to", "by leave of" or "no offense to". Used to politely acknowledge someone who disagrees with the speaker or writer.
|
| pace tua |
"with your peace" |
Thus, "with your permission". |
| pacta sunt servanda |
"agreements must be kept" |
Also "contracts must be honoured". Indicates the binding power of treaties. |
| palma non sine pulvere |
"no reward without effort" |
Also "dare to try". Motto of Korowa Anglican Girls' School, Stratford High School (New Zealand), Friends School of Baltimore, Victoria High School (British Columbia) and Indooroopilly State High School. |
| panem et circenses |
"bread and circuses" |
From Juvenal, Satire X, line 81. Originally described all that was needed for emperors to placate the Roman mob. Today used to describe any entertainment used to distract public attention from more important matters. |
| para bellum |
"prepare for war" |
From "Si vis pacem para bellum" if you want peace prepare for war since if you are ready for war your enemies will not attack. Can be used to denote support or approval for a war or conflict. |
| parens patriae |
"parent of the nation" |
A public policy requiring courts to protect the best interests of any child involved in a lawsuit. See also Pater Patriae. |
| pari passu |
"with equal step" |
Thus, "moving together", "simultaneously", etc. |
| parva sub ingenti |
"the small under the huge" |
Implies that the weak are under the protection of the strong, rather than that they are inferior. Motto of Prince Edward Island. |
| Parvis imbutus tentabis grandia tutus |
"When you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great things" |
Motto of Barnard Castle School, sometimes translated as "Once you have accomplished small things, you may attempt great ones safely" |
| passim |
"here and there" |
Less literally, "throughout" or "frequently". Said of a word that occurs several times in a cited text. Also used in proofreading, where it refers to a change that is to be repeated everywhere needed. |
| pater familias |
"father of the family" |
Or "master of the house". The eldest male in a family, who held patria potestas ("paternal power"). In Roman law, a father had enormous power over his children, wife, and slaves, though these rights dwindled over time. Derived from the phrase pater familias, an Old Latin expression preserving the archaic -as ending. |
| Pater Patriae |
"Father of the Nation" |
Also rendered with the gender-neutral parens patriae ("parent of the nation"). |
| pater peccavi |
"father, I have sinned" |
The traditional beginning of a Roman Catholic confession. |
| Patrem Omnipotentem |
"Father Almighty" |
A more direct translation would be "omnipotent father". |
| Patriam fecisti diversis de gentibus unam |
"From differing peoples you have made one native land" |
|
| pauca sed matura |
"few, but ripe" |
From The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Said to be one of Carl Gauss's favorite quotations. |
| pauca sed bona |
"few, but good" |
Similar to "quality over quantity"; though there may be few of something, at least they are of good quality. |
| pax aeterna |
"eternal peace" |
A common epitaph. |
| Pax Americana |
"American Peace" |
A euphemism for the United States of America and its sphere of influence. Adapted from Pax Romana. |
| Pax Britannica |
"British Peace" |
A euphemism for the British Empire. Adapted from Pax Romana. |
| Pax Christi |
"Peace of Christ" |
Used as a wish before the H.Communion in the RC Mass, also the name of the peace movement Pax Christi |
| pax Dei |
"peace of God" |
Used in the Peace and Truce of God movement in 10th-Century France. |
| Pax Deorum |
"Peace of the Gods" |
Like the vast majority of inhabitants of the ancient world, the Romans practiced pagan rituals, believing it important to achieve a state of Pax Deorum (The Peace of the Gods) instead of Ira Deorum (The Wrath of the Gods). |
| Pax Domine |
"Peace, lord" |
lord or master; used as a form of address when speaking to clergy or educated professionals. |
| pax et bonum |
"peace and the good" |
Motto of St. Francis of Assisi and, consequently, of his monastery in Assisi, in the Umbria region of Italy. Translated in Italian as pace e bene. |
| pax et lux |
"peace and light" |
Motto of Tufts University. |
| pax in terra |
"Peace on earth" |
Used to exemplify the desired state of peace on earth. |
| Pax Europea |
"European peace" |
A euphemism for Europe after World War II |
| pax maternum, ergo pax familiarum |
"peace of mothers, therefore peace of families" |
If the mother is peaceful, then the family is peaceful. The reverse of the Southern American saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." |
| Pax Mongolica |
"Mongolian Peace" |
A period of peace and prosperity in Asia during the Mongol Empire. |
| Pax Romana |
"Roman Peace" |
A period of relative prosperity and lack of conflict in the early Roman Empire. |
| Pax Sinica |
"Chinese Peace" |
A period of peace in East Asia during times of strong Chinese hegemony. |
| Pax tecum |
"Peace be with you" |
(Singular) |
| pax vobiscum |
"peace [be] with you" |
A common farewell. The "you" is plural ("you all"), so the phrase must be used when speaking to more than one person; pax tecum is the form used when speaking to only one person. |
| Peccavi |
"I have sinned" |
Telegraph message and pun from Charles Napier, British general, upon completely subjugating the Indian province of Sindh in 1842. This is, arguably, the most terse military despatch ever sent. The story is apocryphal. |
| pecunia non olet |
"the money doesn't smell" |
According to Suetonius, when Emperor Vespasian was challenged by his son Titus for taxing the public lavatories, the emperor held up a coin before his son and asked whether it smelled or simply said non olet ("it doesn't smell"). From this, the phrase was expanded to pecunia non olet, or rarely aes non olet ("copper doesn't smell"). |
| pecunia, si uti scis, ancilla est; si nescis, domina |
"if you can use money, money is your slave; if you can't, money is your master" |
Written on an old Latin tablet in downtown Verona (Italy). |
| pendent opera interrupta |
"the work hangs interrupted" |
From the Aeneid of Virgil, Book IV. |
| per |
"By, through, by means of" |
See specific phrases below. |
| per angusta ad augusta |
"through difficulties to greatness" |
The motto of numerous educational establishments. |
| per annum (pa.) |
"through a year" |
Thus, "yearly"—occurring every year. |
| per ardua |
"through adversity" |
Motto of the British RAF Regiment |
| per ardua ad astra |
"through struggles to the stars" |
Motto of the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The phrase is used by Latin Poet Virgil in the Aeneid also used in H. Rider Haggard's famous novel The People of the Mist, and was selected and approved as a motto for the Royal Flying Corps on March 15, 1913. In 1929, the Royal Australian Air Force decided to adopt it as well. It is also the school slogan for Trondheim Cathedral School (Scholae Cathedralis Nidrosiensis) and the Bundaberg State High School. |
| per aspera ad astra |
"through hardships to the stars" |
From Seneca the Younger. Motto of NASA and the South African Air Force. A common variant, ad astra per aspera ("to the stars through hardships"), is the state motto of Kansas. Ad Astra ("To the Stars") is the title of a magazine published by the National Space Society. De Profundus Ad Astra ("From the depths to the stars.") is the motto of the LASFS. |
| per capsulam |
"through the small box" |
That is, "by letter". |
| per capita |
"through the heads" |
"Per head", i.e., "per person". The singular is per caput ("through a head"). |
| per contra |
"through the contrary" |
Or "on the contrary" (cf. a contrario). |
| per curiam |
"through the senate" |
Legal term meaning "by the court", as in a per curiam decision. |
| per definitionem |
"through the definition" |
Thus, "by definition". |
| per diem (pd.) |
"through a day" |
Thus, "per day". A specific amount of money an organization allows an individual to spend per day, typically for travel expenses. |
| Per Mare per Terram |
"By Sea and by Land" |
Motto of the Royal Marines and (with small difference) of Clan Donald. |
| per mensem (pm.) |
"through a month" |
Thus, "per month", or "monthly". |
| per os (p.o.) |
"through the mouth" |
Medical shorthand for "by mouth". |
| per pedes |
"by feet" |
Used of a certain place can be traversed or reached by foot, or to indicate that one is travelling by foot as opposed to by a vehicle. |
| per procura (p.p.) or (per pro) |
"through the agency" |
Also rendered per procurationem. Used to indicate that a person is signing a document on behalf of another person. Correctly placed before the name of the person signing, but often placed before the name of the person on whose behalf the document is signed, sometimes through incorrect translation of the alternative abbreviation per pro. as "for and on behalf of". |
| per quod |
"by reason of which" |
In a UK legal context: "by reason of which" (as opposed to per se which requires no reasoning). In American jurisprudence often refers to a spouse's claim for loss of consortium. |
| per rectum (pr) |
"through the rectum" |
Medical shorthand. See also per os. |
| per se |
"through itself" |
Also "by itself" or "in itself". Without referring to anything else, intrinsically, taken without qualifications, etc. A common example is negligence per se. See also malum in se. |
| per stirpes |
"through the roots" |
Used in wills to indicate that each "branch" of the testator's family should inherit equally. Contrasted with per capita. |
| per unitatem vis |
"through unity, strength" |
Motto of Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets. |
| per veritatem vis |
"through truth, strength" |
Motto of Washington University in St. Louis. |
| per volar sunata |
"born to fly upwards" |
Motto of St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School and St Margaret's Anglican Girls School. |
| perpetuum mobile |
"thing in perpetual motion" |
A musical term. Also used to refer to hypothetical perpetual motion machines. |
| persona non grata |
"person not pleasing" |
An unwelcome, unwanted or undesirable person. In diplomatic contexts, a person rejected by the host government. The reverse, persona grata ("pleasing person"), is less common, and refers to a diplomat acceptable to the government of the country to which he is sent. |
| petitio principii |
"request of the beginning" |
Begging the question, a logical fallacy in which a proposition to be proved is implicitly or explicitly assumed in one of the premises. |
| pia desideria |
"pious longings" |
Or "dutiful desires". |
| pia fraus |
"pious fraud" |
Or "dutiful deceit". Expression from Ovid. Used to describe deception which serves Church purposes. |
| pia mater |
"pious mother" |
Or "tender mother". Translated into Latin from Arabic. The delicate innermost of the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. |
| pinxit |
"one painted" |
Thus, "he painted this" or "she painted this". Formerly used on works of art, next to the artist's name. |
| pluralis majestatis |
"plural of majesty" |
The first-person plural pronoun when used by an important personage to refer to himself or herself; also known as the "royal we". |
| plus Ultra |
"further beyond" |
The national motto of Spain and a number of other institutions. |
| pollice verso |
"with a turned thumb" |
Used by Roman crowds to pass judgment on a defeated gladiator. The type of gesture used is uncertain. Also the name of a famous painting depicting gladiators by Jean-Léon Gérôme. |
| pons asinorum |
"bridge of asses" |
Any obstacle that stupid people find hard to cross. Originally used of Euclid's Fifth Proposition in geometry. |
| Pontifex Maximus |
"Greatest High Priest" |
Or "Supreme Pontiff". Originally an office in the Roman Republic, later a title held by Roman Emperors, and later a traditional epithet of the pope. The pontifices were the most important priestly college of the ancient Roman religion; their name is usually thought to derive from pons facere ("to make a bridge"), which in turn is usually linked to their religious authority over the bridges of Rome, especially the Pons Sublicius. |
| posse comitatus |
"force of the county" |
Thus, to be able to be made into part of a retinue or force. In common law, posse comitatus is a sheriff's right to compel people to assist law enforcement in unusual situations. |
| post aut propter |
"after it or by means of it" |
Causality between two phenomena is not established (cf. post hoc, ergo propter hoc). |
| post cibum (p.c.) |
"after food" |
Medical shorthand for "after meals" (cf. ante cibum).
Persona non grata datta le meeco def: bad man
|
| Post Coitum Omne Animal Triste Est |
"After sexual intercourse every animal is sad" |
Latin proverb. |
| post coitus |
"After sex" |
After sexual intercourse. |
| post hoc ergo propter hoc |
"after this, therefore because of this" |
A logical fallacy where one assumes that one thing happening after another thing means that the first thing caused the second. The title of a West Wing episode. |
| post meridiem (p.m.) |
"after midday" |
The period from noon to midnight (cf. ante meridiem). |
| post mortem (pm) |
"after death" |
Usually rendered postmortem. Not to be confused with post meridiem. |
| Post mortem auctoris (p.m.a.) |
"after the author's death" |
The phrase is used in legal terminology in the context of intellectual property rights, especially copyright, which commonly lasts until a certain number of years after the author's death. |
| post prandial |
"after the time before midday" |
Refers to the time after any meal. Usually rendered postprandial. |
| post scriptum (p.s.) |
"after what has been written" |
A postscript. Used to mark additions to a letter, after the signature. Can be extended to post post scriptum (p.p.s.), etc. |
| Post Tenebras Lux, post tenebras spero lucem (Vulgata) |
"after darkness, [I hope for] light" |
A motto of the Protestant Reformation inscribed on the Reformation Wall in Geneva, Switzerland from Job 17:12. A former motto of Chile, replaced by the current one, Por la Razón o la Fuerza (Spanish: "By Right or Might"). A motto of Robert College of Istanbul. Another obsolete motto is aut concilio aut ense. |
| Praemonitus praemunitus |
"forewarned is forearmed" |
The motto that to be forewarned is to be forearmed. |
| Praesis ut Prosis ne ut imperes |
"Lead in order to serve, not in order to rule" |
The motto of Lancaster Royal Grammar School. |
| prima facie |
"at first sight" |
Used to designate evidence in a trial which is suggestive, but not conclusive, of something (e.g., a person's guilt). |
| prima luce |
"at dawn" |
Literally "at first light" |
| Primas sum: primatum nil a me alienum puto |
"I am a primate; nothing about primates is outside of my bailiwick" |
A sentence by the American anthropologist Earnest Albert Hooton and the slogan of primatologists and lovers of the primates. |
| primum mobile |
"first moving thing" |
Or "first thing able to be moved". See primum movens. |
| primum movens |
"prime mover" |
Or "first moving one". A common theological term, such as in the cosmological argument, based on the assumption that God was the first entity to "move" or "cause" anything. Aristotle was one of the first philosophers to discuss the "uncaused cause", a hypothetical originator—and violator of—causality. |
| primum non nocere |
"first, to not harm" |
A medical precept. Often falsely attributed to the Hippocratic Oath, though its true source is probably a paraphrase from Hippocrates' Epidemics, where he wrote, "Declare the past, diagnose the present, foretell the future; practice these acts. As to diseases, make a habit of two things: to help, or at least to do no harm." |
| primus inter pares |
"first among equals" |
A title of the Roman Emperors (cf. princeps). |
| principia probant non probantur |
"principles prove; they are not proved" |
Fundamental principles require no proof; they are assumed a priori. |
| prior tempore potior iure |
"earlier in time, stronger in law" |
A legal principle that older laws take precedent over newer ones. Another name for this principle is lex posterior. |
| pro bono |
"for the good" |
The full phrase is pro bono publico ("for the public good"). Said of work undertaken voluntarily at no expense, such as public services. Often used of a lawyer's work that is not charged for. |
| pro Brasilia fiant eximia |
"let exceptional things be made for Brazil" |
Motto of São Paulo state, Brazil. See also non ducor duco. |
| Pro deo et patria |
"For God and Country" |
Motto of St. Johns High School, Chandigarh, India, American University, Washington, DC, St Peter's College, South Australia, and Iona Presentation College, Perth. |
| pro forma |
"for form" |
Or "as a matter of form". Prescribing a set form or procedure, or performed in a set manner. |
| pro gloria et patria |
"for gloria and fatherland" |
Motto of Prussia |
| pro hac vice |
"for this occasion" |
Request of a state court to allow an out-of-state lawyer to represent a client. |
| Pro multis |
"for many" |
It is part of the Rite of Consecration of the wine in the Western Christian tradition, as part of the Mass. |
| pro patria |
"for country" |
Pro Patria Medal:- for operational service (minimum 55 days) in defence of the Republic South Africa or in the prevention or suppression of terrorism; issued for the Border War (counter-insurgency operations in South West Africa 1966-89) and for campaigns in Angola (1975-76 and 1987-88). Motto of the Royal Canadian Regiment and Royal South Australia Regiment |
| pro patria Vigalans |
"watchful for the country" |
Motto of the United States Army Signal Corps. |
| pro rata |
"for the rate" |
i.e., proportionately. |
| pro rege et lege |
"for king and the law" |
Found on the Leeds coat of arms |
| pro re nata (prn) |
"for a thing that has been born" |
Medical shorthand for "as the occasion arises" or "as needed". Also "concerning a matter having come into being" Used to describe a meeting of a special Presbytery or Assembly called to discuss something new, and which was previously unforeseen (literally: "concerning a matter having been born"). |
| pro studio et labore |
"for study and work" |
|
| pro se |
"for oneself" |
to defend oneself in court without counsel ("pro per" -persona-in California) |
| pro tanto |
"for so much" |
Denotes something that has only been partially fulfilled. A philosophical term indicating the acceptance of a theory or idea without fully accepting the explanation |
| pro tempore |
"for the time" |
Equivalent to English phrase "for the time being". Denotes a temporary current situation. |
| probatio pennae |
"testing of the pen" |
A Medieval Latin term for breaking in a new pen. |
| procol harum |
"beyond these things" |
1960's progressive group |
| propria manu (p.m.) |
"by one's own hand" |
| propter vitam vivendi perdere causas |
"to destroy the reasons for living for the sake of life" |
That is, to squander life's purpose just in order to stay alive, and live a meaningless life. From Juvenal, Satyricon VIII, verses 83–84. |
| provehito in altum |
"launch forward into the deep" |
Motto of Memorial University of Newfoundland, as well as of the band 30 Seconds to Mars..
|
| proxime accessit |
"he came next" |
The runner-up. |
| proximo mense (prox.) |
"in the following month" |
Formerly used in formal correspondence to refer to the next month. Used with ult. ("last month") and inst. ("this month"). |
| pulvis et umbra sumus |
"we are dust and shadow" |
From Horace, Carmina book IV, 7, 16. |
| punctum saliens |
"leaping point" |
Thus, the essential or most notable point. |
| Latin |
Translation |
Notes |
| qua patet orbis |
"as far as the world extends" |
Motto of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. |
| quaecumque vera |
"whatever is true" |
Motto of the University of Alberta. Also motto of Northwestern University as quaecumque sunt vera. Taken from Phillipians 4:8 of the Bible |
| quaecumque vera doce me |
"Teach me whatsoever is true" |
Motto of St. Joseph's College, Edmonton at the University of Alberta. |
| quaere |
"seek" |
Or "you might ask..." Used to suggest doubt or to ask one to consider whether something is correct. Often introduces rhetorical or tangential questions. |
| quaerite primum regnum Dei |
"seek ye first the kingdom of God" |
Also quaerite primo regnum dei. Motto of Newfoundland and Labrador. Motto of Shelford Girls' Grammar, St Columb's College, and Philharmonic Academy of Bologna. |
| qualis artifex pereo |
"As what kind of artist do I perish?" |
Or "What an artist dies in me!" Attributed to Nero by Suetonius. |
| quamdiu bene gesserit |
Legal Latin: "as long as he shall have behaved well" |
I.e., "[while on] good behavior." From which Frank Herbert extracted the name for the sisterhood in the Dune novels. |
| quando omni flunkus, mortati |
"When all else fails, play dead" |
Mock-Latin phrase said at the end of The Red Green Show. |
| quantum libet (q.l.) |
"as much as pleases" |
Medical shorthand for "as much as you wish". |
| quantum sufficit (qs) |
"as much as is enough" |
Medical shorthand for "as much as needed" or "as much as will suffice". |
| quaque hora (qh) |
"every hour" |
Medical shorthand. Also quaque die (qd), "every day", quaque mane (qm), "every morning", and quaque nocte (qn), "every night". |
| quare clausum fregit |
"wherefore he broke the close" |
An action of tresspass; thus called, by reason the writ demands the person summoned to answer to wherefore he broke the close (quare clausum fregit), i.e. why he committed such a trespass. |
| quater in die (qid) |
"four times a day" |
Medical shorthand. |
| quem deus vult perdere, dementat prius |
"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make insane" |
|
| quem di diligunt adulescens moritur |
"he whom the gods love dies young" |
Other translations of diligunt include "prize especially" or "esteem". From Plautus, Bacchides, IV, 7, 18. In this comic play, a sarcastic servant says this to his aging master. The rest of the sentence reads: dum valet sentit sapit ("while he is healthy, perceptive and wise"). |
| questio quid iuris |
"I ask what law?" |
From the Summoner's section of Chaucer's General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, line 648. |
| qui bono |
"who with good" |
Common nonsensical Dog Latin misrendering of the Latin phrase cui bono ("who benefits?"). |
| qui pro quo |
literally qui instead of quo (medieval Latin) |
Unused in English, but common in other modern languages (for instance Italian, Polish and French). Used as a noun, indicates a misunderstanding. |
| qui tacet consentire videtur |
"he who is silent is taken to agree" |
Thus, silence gives consent. Sometimes accompanied by the proviso "ubi loqui debuit ac potuit", that is, "when he ought to have spoken and was able to". |
| qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac parte sequitur |
"he who brings an action for the king as well as for himself" |
Generally known as 'qui tam,' it is the technical legal term for the unique mechanism in the federal False Claims Act that allows persons and entities with evidence of fraud against federal programs or contracts to sue the wrongdoer on behalf of the Government. |
| qui totum vult totum perdit |
"he who wants everything loses everything" |
Attributed to Seneca. |
| qui transtulit sustinet |
"he who transplanted still sustains" |
Or "he who brought us across still supports us", meaning God. State motto of Connecticut. Originally written as sustinet qui transtulit in 1639. |
| quia suam uxorem etiam suspiciore vacare vellet |
"because he should wish even his wife to be free from suspicion" |
Attributed to Julius Caesar by Plutarch, Caesar 10. Translated loosely as "because even the wife of Caesar may not be suspected". At the feast of Bona Dea, a sacred festival for females only, which was being held at the Domus Publica, the home of the Pontifex Maximus, Caesar, and hosted by his second wife, Pompeia, the notorious rhetorian Clodius arrived in disguise. Caught by the outraged noblewomen, Clodius fled before they could kill him on the spot for sacrilege. In the ensuing trial, allegations arose that Pompeia and Clodius were having an affair, and while Caesar asserted that this was not the case and no substantial evidence arose suggesting otherwise, he nevertheless divorced, with this quotation as explanation. |
| quid agis |
"What's going on?" |
What's happening? What's going on? What's the news? What's up? |
| quid est veritas |
"What is truth?" |
In the Vulgate translation of John 18:38, Pilate's question to Jesus. A possible answer is an anagram of the phrase: est vir qui adest, "it is the man who is here." |
| quid novi ex Africa |
"What of the new out of Africa?" |
Less literally, "What's new from Africa?" Derived from an Aristotle quotation. |
| quid pro quo |
"what for what" |
Also translated "this for that" or "a thing for a thing". Signifies a favor exchanged for a favor. |
| quid nunc |
"What now?" |
Commonly shortened to quidnunc. As a noun, a quidnunc is a busybody or a gossip. Patrick Campbell worked for The Irish Times under the pseudonym "Quidnunc". |
| quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur |
"whatever has been said in Latin seems deep" |
Or "anything said in Latin sounds profound". A recent ironic Latin phrase to poke fun at people who seem to use Latin phrases and quotations only to make themselves sound more important or "educated". Similar to the less common omnia dicta fortiora si dicta latina. |
| quis custodiet ipsos custodes? |
"Who will guard the guards themselves?" |
Commonly associated with Plato who in the Republic poses this question; and from Juvenal's On Women, referring to the practice of having eunuchs guard women and beginning with the word sed ("but"). Usually translated less literally, as "Who watches the watchmen?" This translation is a common epigraph, such as of the Tower Commission and Alan Moore's Watchmen comic book series. |
| quis leget haec? |
"Who will read this?" |
|
| quis ut Deus |
"Who [is] as God?" |
Usually translated "Who is like unto God?" Questions who would have the audacity to compare himself to a Supreme Being. |
| quo errat demonstrator |
"where the prover errs" |
A pun on quod erat demonstrandum. |
| quo fata ferunt |
"where the fates bear us to" |
Motto of Bermuda. |
| quo usque tandem |
"For how much longer?" |
From Cicero's Ad Catilinam speech to the Roman Senate regarding the conspiracy of Catiline: quo usque tandem abutere Catilina patientia nostra ("For how much longer, Catiline, will you abuse our patience?"). |
| quo vadis |
"Where are you going?" |
According to Vulgate translation of John 13:36, Saint Peter asked Jesus Domine, quo vadis ("Lord, where are you going?") on the Appian Way in Rome. The King James Version has the translation "Lord, whither goest thou?" |
| quod erat demonstrandum (Q.E.D.) |
"which was to be demonstrated" |
The abbreviation is often written at the bottom of a mathematical proof. Sometimes translated loosely into English as "The Five Ws", W.W.W.W.W., which stands for "Which Was What We Wanted". |
| quod erat faciendum (Q.E.F) |
"which was to be done" |
Or "which was to be constructed". Used in translations of Euclid's Elements when there was nothing to prove, but there was something be constructed, for example a triangle with the same size as a given line. |
| quod est (q.e.) |
"which is" |
|
| quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur |
"what is asserted without reason may be denied without reason" |
If no grounds have been given for an assertion, there is no need to provide grounds for contradicting it. |
| quod licet Iovi non licet bovi |
"what is permitted to Jupiter is not permitted to an ox" |
If an important person does something, it does not necessarily mean that everyone can do it (cf. double standard). Iovi (also commonly rendered Jovi) is the dative form of Iuppiter ("Jupiter" or "Jove"), the chief god of the Romans. |
| quod me nutrit me destruit |
"what nourishes me destroys me" |
Thought to have originated with Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe. Generally interpreted to mean that that which motivates or drives a person can consume him or her from within. This phrase has become a popular slogan or motto for pro-ana websites, anorexics and bulimics. In this case the phrase is literally describing food. |
| quod natura non dat Salmantica non praestat |
"what nature does not give, Salamanca does not provide" |
Refers to the Spanish University of Salamanca, meaning that education cannot substitute the lack of brains. |
| quod vide (q.v.) |
"which see" |
Used after a term or phrase that should be looked up elsewhere in the current document or book. For more than one term or phrase, the plural is quae vide (qq.v.). |
| quomodo vales |
"how are you?" |
|
| quorum |
"of whom" |
The number of members whose presence is required under the rules to make any given meeting constitutional. |
| quot homines tot sententiae |
"how many people, so many opinions" |
Or "there are as many opinions as there are people". |
| Latin |
Translation |
Notes |
| radix malorum est cupiditas |
"the root of evils is desire" |
Or "greed is the root of all evil". Theme of the Pardoner's Tale from The Canterbury Tales. |
| Rara avis |
"Rare bird" |
An extraordinary or unusual thing. From Juvenal's Satires: rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno ("a rare bird in the lands, and very like a black swan"). |
| ratio decidendi |
"reasoning for the decision" |
The legal, moral, political, and social principles used by a court to compose a judgment's rationale. |
| ratio legis |
"reasoning of law" |
A law's foundation or basis. |
| ratione soli |
"by account of the ground" |
Or "according to the soil". Assigning property rights to a thing based on its presence on a landowner's property. |
| re |
"[in] the matter of" |
More literally, "by the thing". From the ablative of res ("thing" or "circumstance"). Often used in e-mail replies. It is a common misconception that the "Re:" in correspondence is an abbreviation for regarding or reply; this is not the case. The use of Latin re, in the sense of "about, concerning", is English usage. |
| rebus sic stantibus |
"with matters standing thus" |
The doctrine that treaty obligations hold only as long as the fundamental conditions and expectations that existed at the time of their creation hold. |
| recte et fideliter |
"Upright and Faithful" |
Also "just and faithful" and "accurately and faithfully". Motto of Ruyton Girls' School |
| reductio ad absurdum |
"leading back to the absurd" |
A common debate technique, and a method of proof in mathematics and philosophy, that proves the thesis by showing that its opposite is absurd or logically untenable. In general usage outside mathematics and philosophy, a reductio ad absurdum is a tactic in which the logic of an argument is challenged by reducing the concept to its most absurd extreme. Translated from Aristotle's "ἡ εις άτοπον απαγωγη" (hi eis atopon apagogi, "reduction to the impossible"). |
| reductio ad infinitum |
"leading back to the infinite" |
An argument that creates an infinite series of causes that does not seem to have a beginning. As a fallacy, it rests upon Aristotle's notion that all things must have a cause, but that all series of causes must have a sufficient cause, that is, an unmoved mover. An argument which does not seem to have such a beginning becomes difficult to imagine. |
| regnat populus |
"the people rule" |
State motto of Arkansas, adopted in 1907. Originally rendered in 1864 in the plural, regnant populi ("the peoples rule"), but subsequently changed to the singular. |
| Regnum Mariae Patrona Hungariae |
"Kingdom of Mary, the Patron of Hungary" |
Former motto of Hungary. |
| remit |
|
That which is sent back - a question sent for report or reconsideration by a court to a lower court or to a committee. |
| repetitio est mater studiorum |
"repetition is the mother of study" |
|
| requiescat in pace (R.I.P.) |
"let him rest in peace" |
Or "may he rest in peace". A benediction for the dead. Often inscribed on tombstones or other grave markers. "RIP" is commonly mistranslated as "Rest In Peace", though the two mean essentially the same thing. |
| rerum cognoscere causas |
"to learn the causes of things" |
Motto of the University of Sheffield, the University of Guelph, and London School of Economics. |
| res gestae |
"things done" |
A phrase used in law representing the belief that certain statements are made naturally, spontaneously and without deliberation during the course of an event, they leave little room for misunderstanding/misinterpretation upon hearing by someone else ( i.e. by the witness who will later repeat the statement to the court) and thus the courts believe that such statements carry a high degree of credibility. |
| res ipsa loquitur |
"the thing speaks for itself" |
A phrase from the common law of torts meaning that negligence can be inferred from the fact that such an accident happened, without proof of exactly how. A mock Latin clause sometimes added on to the end of this phrase is sed quid in infernos dicit ("but what the hell does it say?"), which serves as a reminder that one must still interpret the significance of events that "speak for themselves". |
| res judicata |
"judged thing" |
A matter which has been decided by a court. Often refers to the legal concept that once a matter has been finally decided by the courts, it cannot be litigated again (cf. non bis in idem and double jeopardy). |
| respice adspice prospice |
"look behind, look here, look ahead" |
i.e., "examine the past, the present and future". Motto of CCNY. |
| respice finem |
"look back at the end" |
i.e., "have regard for the end" or "consider the end". Generally a memento mori, a warning to remember one's death. |
| respondeat superior |
"let the superior respond" |
Regarded as a legal maxim in agency law, referring to the legal liability of the principal with respect to an employee. Whereas a hired independent contract acting tortiously may not cause the principal to be legally liable, a hired employee acting tortiously will cause the principal (the employer) to be legally liable, even if the employer did nothing wrong. |
| res nullius |
"nobody's thing" |
Goods without an owner. Used for things or beings which belong to nobody and are up for grabs, e.g., uninhabited and uncolonized lands, wandering wild animals, etc. (cf. terra nullius, "no man's land"). |
| rex regum fidelum et |
"king even of faithful kings" |
Latin motto that appears on the crest of the Trinity Broadcasting Network of Paul and Jan Crouch. |
| rigor mortis |
"stiffness of death" |
The rigidity of corpses when chemical reactions cause the limbs to stiffen about 3–4 hours after death. Other signs of death include drop in body temperature (algor mortis, "cold of death") and discoloration (livor mortis, "bluish color of death"). |
| Roma invicta |
"Unconquerable Rome |
Inspirational motto inscribed on the Statue of Rome. |
| Romanes eunt domus |
"Romanes go the house" |
An intentionally garbled Latin phrase from Monty Python's Life of Brian. Its intended meaning is "Romans, go home!", but is actually closer to "'People called Romanes they go the house'", according to a centurion in the movie. When Brian is caught vandalizing the palace walls with this phrase, rather than punish him, the centurion corrects his Latin grammar, explaining that Romanus is a second declension noun and has its plural in -i rather than -es; that ire or eo ("to go") must be in the imperative mood to denote a command; and that domus takes the accusative case without a preposition as the object. The final result of this lesson is the correct Latin phrase Romani ite domum. |
| rosa rubicundior lilio candidior omnibus formosior semper in te glorior |
"redder than the rose, whiter than the lilies, fairer than all things, I do ever glory in thee" |
From the Carmina Burana's song "Si puer cum puellula". |
| rus in urbe |
"Farm in the city" |
Generally used to refer to a haven of peace and quiet within an urban setting, often a garden, but can refer to interior decoration. |
Technical style guides generally recommend the use of the phrase "for example" instead of e.g., and "that is," instead of i.e. The substitution of the English equivalent for the Latin is made in the interest of Clarity, one of the guiding principles of good technical writing.
