As a student learning how to read and write Latin, it is fascinating to me how much of our English language derives from it. Not only does Latin constitute a large chunk of English’s word origins, but there are many Latin phrases that still pop up in everyday speech. I have devised a small guide to these foreign expressions so you can finally understand what they mean.
Alma mater – College graduates are familiar with this term but may be unaware of what it indicates. The actual translation is “nourishing mother”. Whether or not graduates find this new connotation somewhat disturbing is up to them.
Cum laude – Also familiar to graduates, this phrase means “with praise”. Magna cum laude translates to “with great praise”, while summa cum laude translates to “with highest praise.”
Circa – This word is used to suggest “about” what time something occurred and that is also its literal definition.
Deus ex machina – In English, this term refers to an event that takes place in the third act of a story that seems to magically save the main characters from an impossible plight. It is usually considered bad writing to have a deus ex machina, because it is often used when writers have written themselves into a corner they could not get out of. In Latin, it means “god from the machine”, based on ancient plays where a lazy writer could have a god appear on stage at the last minute and sort out all the characters’ conflicts.
Opus dei – Made infamous by novel, The Da Vinci Code, this Catholic organization translates to “work of god.”
Veni, vidi, vici – While not said too often in everyday speech, you have probably heard this famous Caesar quote before. “I came, I saw, I conquered,” is the direct translation, except to pronounce it correctly, each v has a “w” sound, and “vici” is pronounced “wee-key”.
Quid pro quo – In Latin, it means “what-for-what”, and has been a phrase carried over to signify an exchange of service or goods.
Sic – If a newspaper publishes a letter and a certain word is misspelled, this Latin word will follow in parentheses, like so: (sic). In its original language, it can be translated as “thus” and signifies that the original document was reproduced exactly as was found.
Bona fide – Meaning “with good faith”, this expression can be used to describe how much effort an individual put into a task. The phrase has also come to mean “the real thing”.
In utero – This phrase refers to an unborn baby still in the womb (as well as the Nirvana album). Unsurprisingly, it translates to “in the uterus”.
Et cetera – Though in English we have shortened it to ‘etc’, this phrase translates to “and the rest” and implies a similar string of words that would take too long to mention.
Magnum opus – You have probably heard this phrase in reference to an artist’s classic achievement, and that is exactly what it means – “great work”.
Pro bono – “For the good,” is the shortened version of a Latin phrase, “pro bono publico,” which means “for the public good.”
Carpe diem – My personal favorite Latin phrase and also a heavy plot device in the film, Dead Poet’s Society, carpe diem translates to “seize the day.” This phrase gets extra points for the way it uses “seize” to imply that a day is capable of running away – unless you are willing to hunt it down and claim it as your own.
