November 10th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alumnus"
"alumnus"
Literally "nursling" or "foster child," but used in English to mean "graduate" - someone who was "nursed" by the school from which they graduate, their alma mater ("nourishing mother")
a.d. IV Idus Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 26th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "altissima quaeque flumina minimo sono labi"
"altissima quaeque flumina minimo sono labi"
"All the deepest rivers flow with the least sound." - like the English "Still waters run deep."
a.d. VII Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 25th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alter ego"
"alter ego"
Literally "another I" - "another self" - a term used in English both for a very close friend and for another identity
a.d. VIII Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 24th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alma mater"
"alma mater"
Literally "nourishing mother," used metaphorically in English for the institutions (particularly schools) one attended, and sometimes for symbols thereof (like the "school song" is sometimes referred to as the alma mater)
a.d. IX Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 23rd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Cui des videto"
"Cui des videto"
"Look at to whom you would give," "Consider to whom you give" ~ from the Monostichs of Dionysius Cato
a.d. X Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 22nd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alis volat propriis"
"alis volat propriis"
"she flies on her own wings" ~ State Motto of Oregon
a.d. XI Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 21st, 2023 Latin of the Day - "aliquando bonus dormitat Homerus"
"aliquando bonus dormitat Homerus"
"sometimes good Homer nods off" - meaning sometimes even the greatest poet fails to be as incredible as usual, even the greatest in any field can be off their game and no one is perfect all the time - from Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace)
a.d. XII Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 20th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alieni iuris"
"alieni iuris"
"of a another's law" or "of another's right" - a legal Latin term designating a person as being under the authority of another by law, as with children or those not mentally competent to manage their own affairs
a.d. XIII Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 19th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alieni generis"
"alieni generis"
"of a different kind," "of another kind"
a.d. XIV Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 18th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Mutuum da!"
"Mutuum da!"
"Give a loan!" (literally, perhaps better translated more loosely, as in the Loeb's "Be willing to lend!"
a.d. XV Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 17th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Tempus fugit"
"Tempus fugit"
"Time flies" is the traditional translation - "time is escaping," "time is fleeing" is the sense . . .
a.d. XVI Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 16th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alibi"
"alibi"
"other-there," "literally - equivalent of English "elsewhere." used quite commonly in English to mean an excuse that one was elsewhere when some crime or misdeed was committed, and therefore one could not have committed it.
a.d. XVII Kalendas Novembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 15th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alias (dictus)"
"alias dictus," shortened to just "alias" in English usage
"otherwise (called)" - Roman usage of "alias dictus" was as a way of introducing a nickname (without the implied deceit of the English "alias"), somewhat similar to modern English "a.k.a." ("also known as")
Idibus Octobribus anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 14th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alere flammam"
"alere flammam"
"to feed the flame" - used figuratively, as in modern English
Pridie Idus Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 13th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "alea iacta est"
"alea iacta est"
"let the die be cast" - words sometimes attributed to Julius Caesar as he crossed the Rubicon River with his army and initiating a Roman Civil War
a.d. III Idus Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 12th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Alcinoo poma dare"
"Alcinoo poma dare"
"to give fruit to Alcinous," roughly equivalent to English "to carry coals to Newcastle," in the Odyssey, Alcinous the Phaeacian has marvelous gardens and orchards, so giving him fruit represents something superfluous and unnecessary
a.d. IV Idus Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 11th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Familiam cura!"
"Familiam cura!"
"Care for your household!" It is fair, I think, to translate this by the modern cognate (:Care for your family!"), but the Latin familia was much broader than the English "family" - it really translates more accurately as "household." From the Monostichs of Dionysius Cato
a.d. V Idus Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 10th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "albo lapillo notare diem"
"albo lapillo notare diem"
"to mark the day with a white stone" - from Pliny the Elder's Natural History VII.xl.41, referring to a custom purported to go back to the Thracians of marking good and bad days with white and black stones in an urn, and being able to take out the pebbles at the end of a month and look over the number of good and bad days.
a.d. VI Idus Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 9th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "albae gallinae filius"
"albae gallinae filius"
"son of a white hen" literally, meaning a very fortunate person, a person "born lucky"
a.d. VII Idus Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 8th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "a latere"
"a latere"
"from the side" - can be used quite literally as "from the side" (the source of the English "lateral" and "laterally," but also used in the Catholic Church for cardinals with the confidence of the pope ("from his side") - a legatus a latere is a papal legate enjoying the special confidence of the pope. In diplomacy, a legatus a latere can be a representative plenipotentiary. The word can also be used in law for succession of property rights - hence the English word "collateral"
a.d. VIII Idus Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 7th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "agnosco veteris vestigia flammae"
"agnosco veteris vestigia flammae"
"I recognize the traces of the old flame" - Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneid, IV.23 - recognizing the traces of romantic love - the "old flame"
Nonis Octobribus anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 6th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "age quod agis"
"age quod agis"
"Do what you are doing" - pay attention to the business at hand!
Pridie Nonas Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 5th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "a fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi"
"a fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi"
"a precipice from the front, wolves from behind" - Ancient Roman equivalent of "between the Devil and the deep blue sea" or "between a rock and a hard place" - being caught between choices of equally unpleasant alternatives
a.d. III Nonas Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 4th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "a fortiori"
"a fortiori"
"from a stronger [argument or reason]," "with stronger reason," "all the more" - a phrase used in philosophy and law to indicate an argument based on an even stronger one
a.d. IV Nonas Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 3rd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "aetatis suae"
"aetatis suae"
"of their own age" - found on tombstones, e.g. "Obiit aetatis suae XLVIII" would mean "Died at the age of 48," "Died at 48 years of their own age"
a.d. V Nonas Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 2nd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Fiat lux!"
"Fiat lux!"
"Let there be light!" or "Let light be made!" (Genesis 1:3 in the Vulgate)
a.d. VI Nonas Octobres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
October 1st, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Rem tuam custodi!"
"Rem tuam custodi!"
"Guard your own property," "Protect your own affair(s)," perhaps even to be rendered by the English expression, "Mind your own business!" - from the Monostichs of Cato
Kalendis Octobribus anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
August 21st, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Cum bonis ambula!"
"Cum bonis ambula!"
"Walk with good (people)," "Walk in good company!" - from the Monostichs of Cato
a.d. XII Kalendas Septembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
August 20th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Foro parce!"
"Foro parce!"
"Avoid the marketplace!" - from the Monostichs of Cato (possibly anticipating Bacon's "idols of the marketplace")
a.d. XIII Kalendas Septembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
August 18th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Datum serva!"
"Datum serva!"
"Keep what is given (to you)," "Take care of what you have been given!" - from the Monostichs of Cato
a.d. XV Kalendas Septembres anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
July 10th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Supplica deo!"
"Supplica deo!"
"Be humble to divinity," or simply "Pray to God" - from the Monostichs of Cato
a.d. VI Idus Quintiles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
Tomorrow (June 2nd, 2023) I shall cross the border from Connecticut to Rhode Island, which when I left (in June 2011) was still the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. I had always intended to return when possible, and I am fortunate indeed that it is now possible. And I always had in mind, even the day I left, a letter from H.P. Lovecraft to Frank Belknap Long, dated May 1st, 1926. I always used to quote it whenever I returned to RI for a visit from Massachusetts, so it has certainly worn a groove in my psyche, but it has never been more fitting than now. That letter reads in part:
" . . . GOD, I AM ALIVE! And this is Home! Novanglia /Eternal Novanglia Caput Mundi! His Majesty’s Province of Connecticut, which on the East adjoins the Centre of Civilisation! . . . New Haven—New London—and then quaint Mystic, with its colonial hillside and landlocked cove. Then at last a still subtler magick fill’d the air—nobler roofs and steeples, with the train rushing airily above them on its lofty viaduct— Westerly —in His Majesty’s Providence of RHODE-ISLAND & PROVIDENCE-PLANTATIONS! GOD SAVE THE KING!! Intoxication follow’d—Kingston—East Greenwich with its steep Georgian alleys climbing up from the railway —Apponaug and its ancient roofs—Auburn—just outside the city limits.—I fumble with bags and wraps in a despearate effort to appear calm _THEN—a delirious marble dome outside the window—a hissing of air brakes—a slackening of speed—surges of ecstasy and dropping of clouds from my eyes and mind—HOME—UNION STATION— PROVIDENCE!!!! Something snapped—and everything unreal fell away. There was no more excitement; no sense of strangeness, and no perception of the lapse of time since last I stood on that holy ground. Of disillusion, or of disparity betwixt expectation and fulfilment, there was not the faintest microscopic suggestion, because the wildly improbable notion of ever having been away had utterly receded into the gulfs of fantasy and dream. What I had seen in sleep every night since I left it, now stood before me in prosaic reality—precisely the same, line for line, detail for detail, proportion for proportion. Simply, I was home— and home was just as it had always been . . . There is no other place for me. My world is Providence. . . . Contented? Why, gentlemen, I am home! . . . Let no one tell me that Providence is not the most beautiful city in the world! Line for line, atmospheric touch for atmospheric touch, it positively and absolutely is! Colour, shade, contour, diversity, quaintness, impressiveness—all are there; and nothing save an aesthetick blind spot could possibly prevent any cultivated observer of Yankee tastes from recognising and reversing this supremacy at once. God knows I want no literature to feed my sense of beauty and variety when I live in the midst of this focus of scenick charm and historick richness! I must write about it—all other subjects seem flat and tame! . . . And so it goes. The world is right side up again, and I can once more view the terrestiral scene from my normal angle as a placid and provincial Providentian. Be good boys, all of you, and write the Old Gentleman . . . "
That is how I feel about coming home . . .
May 10th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Brevitas delectat."
"Brevitas delectat."
"Brevity is pleasing." - Could not find a source for this one other than the notation "medieval," but it is certainly true!
a.d. VI Idus Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
May 9th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Haec ego mitto; his redimo meque meosque fabis!"
"Haec ego mitto; his redimo meque meosque fabis!."
"I send these; with these beans i redeem me and mine!" - The traditional chant of the Lemuria, an ancient Roman festival observed on the nights of May 9th, 11th, and 13th. It is a ritual of purification for the household, driving away evil spiits. In the middle of the night, the paterfamilias casts beans and chants this prayer.
a.d. VII Idus Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
May 8th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Quot homines tot sententiae; suos quoique mos."
"Quot homines tot sententiae; suos quoique mos."
"However many human beings (there are), (there are) that many opinions; to each their own way." - "Suos" is an archaic spelling for Classical Latin "suus," "quoique" is an archaic spelling for Classical Latin "cuique."
~ Publius Terentius Afer (c. 195/185 - c. 159 B.C.E.), Phormio, 454
a.d. VIII Idus Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
May 7th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "aere perennius"
"aere perennius"
"more lasting/enduring than bronze" - Horace describes his book of poetry as a monument "more lasting than bronze" - most bronze monuments of his era were melted down over a millennium ago, but we still read Horace, so he was right!
~ Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65 - 8 B.C.E.), Odes III.xxx.1
Nonis Maiis anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
May 6th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "aequo animo"
"aequo animo"
"with an even spirit," id est, calmly, with a calm mind. The inflectional form of the nouns tells us that it is not simply "an even spirit," but "WITH an even spirit."
Pridie Nonas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
May 5th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "aequam servare mentem"
"aequam servare mentem"
"to keep an even mind," id est, "keep calm," "keep one's cool"
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65 - 8 B.C.E.), Odes, II.iii.1 - this expression is an abbreviation of Horace's "aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem" - "remember to keep an even mind in difficult circumstances"
a.d. III Nonas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
May 4th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Ubi libertas, ibi patria."
"Ubi libertas, ibi patria."
"Where there is liberty, there is my country." - Happy Rhode Island Independence Day!
a.d. IV Nonas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
May 3rd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "aegrotat"
"aegrotat"
"He/she is sick." Following usage from Oxbridge and Cambridge universities, also a general name for a doctor's note or other document certifying that a student is too ill to participate; a medical excuse . . . presumably because such a document would say, "He or she is sick."
a.d. V Nonas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
May 2nd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Aegrescit medendo."
"Aegrescit medendo."
"He/she/it becomes more ill from the remedy." - The idea of "the cure is worse than the disease," this phrase is from Vergil's Aeneid, in which King Latinus tries to calm Turnus' anger against the Trojans, only to inflame it further.
~ Publius Vergilius Maro (70 - 21 B.C.E.), Aeneid, xii.46
a.d. VI Nonas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
May 1st, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Nullumst iam dictum quod non sit dictum prius."
"Nullumst iam dictum quod non sit dictum prius."
"There is nothing said now which has not been said previously."
~ Publius Terentius Afer (c. 185 - 159 B.C.E.), Eunuchus, 41
Kalendis Maiis anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 30th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Animum debes mutare, non caelum."
"Animum debes mutare, non caelum."
"You ought to change your mind, not your sky." - Seneca's formulation of Horace's observation that changing climates does not necessarily change who you are, which is presumably your real problem. You would be better off solving your problems where you are than expecting that moving elsewhere will solve them. I post this as I am preparing to move back to my home state of Rhode Island after 12 years!
~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 B.C.E. - 65 C.E.), Letters to Lucilius, XXVIII
Pridie Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 29th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Caelum non animum mutant, qui trans mare currunt."
"Caelum non animum mutant, qui trans mare currunt."
"Those who go running across the sea change their sky but not their mind." - I remind myself as I am less than a month out from running across the country (not the sea) to a place I'd much rather live . . .
~ Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65 - 8 B.C.E.). Epistles I.XI.27
a.d. III Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 28th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Pro Bono Publico"
"Pro Bono Publico"
"For the Public Good"
~ Motto on the flag of East Providence, Rhode Island - Where I shall reside beginning in June 2023!
a.d. IV Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 27th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Sors aspera monstrat amicum."
"Sors aspera monstrat amicum."
"Harsh fate/bad luck/bitter circumstance reveals a friend." - The idea that you an tell who your real friends are because they stand by you even when your circumstance - your luck - has turned harsh.
a.d. V Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 26th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Homo sum; humani nil a me alienum puto."
"Homo sum; humani nil a me alienum puto."
"I am a human being; I consider nothing human to be foreign to me."
~ Publius Terentius Afer (c. 185 - 159 B.C.E.), Heauton Timorumenos, 77
a.d. VI Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 25th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "aeger"
"aeger"
"ill" or "invalid" - used in some English schools to mark the record of someone excused due to illness
a.d. VII Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 24th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "advocatus diaboli"
"advocatus diaboli"
"the devil's advocate" - not what most people think! A person appointed by the Catholic church to argue against the canonization of saints, to ensure a degree of rigor in the canonization process
a.d. VIII Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 23rd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad vitam aut culpam"
"ad vitam aut culpam"
"for life or until fault" - a medieval, feudal practice of granting property or privileges that last for one's entire life, but can be revoked upon some misdeed by the recipient. The grant is for life . . . as long as one doesn't screw up.
a.d. IX Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 22nd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad vitam"
"ad vitam"
"for life," a bit of legal Latin found in wills to mean "for use during a person's life only"
a.d. X Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 21st, 2023 Latin of the Day - "adversaria"
"adversaria"
Vide note for April 20th on adversa; literally something like "things to which one has turned," a plural noun referring to notes or written observations. Also, used in English as a singular noun meaning a journal or commonplace book used for recording one's observations and collecting poems, brief essays, etc.
a.d. XI Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 20th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "adversa"
"adversa"
An expression used by scholars to refer to observations they have made, literally something like "things noticed"
a.d. XII Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 19th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad verbum"
"ad verbum"
"to the word," "word for word"
a.d. XIII Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 18th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad utrumque paratus"
"ad utrumque paratus"
"prepared for either (circumstance)"
~ Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneid, ii.61
a.d. XIV Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 17th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad usum Delphini"
"ad usum Delphini"
"for the use of the Dauphin" - expurgated;"the Dauphin" was the prince of France. Refers to a series of expurgated texts for the education and use of the prince.
a.d. XV Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 16th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad unum omnes"
"ad unum omnes"
"all to one" - id est, unanimously
a.d. XVI Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 15th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "adscriptus glebae"
"adscriptus glebae"
"allocated to the soil" - a Legal Latin description of a serf, one bound (literally, written into the records) to the soil
a.d. XVII Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 14th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad unguem"
"ad unguem"
"to the fingernail" - id est, to perfection - a sculptor in antiquity would test the smoothness of a polished surface by running his fingernail over it
a.d. XVIII Kalendas Maias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 13th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "adsum"
"adsum"
"I am present," "I am here" - a formal answer to a roll call
Idibus Aprilibus anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 12th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad rem"
"ad rem"
"to the matter (at hand)" - id est, directly, to the matter at hand
Pridie Idus Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 11th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad referendum"
"ad referendum"
"for consideration" - diplomatic term; when diplomats accept a proposal on behalf of their governments, they often do so ad referendum, meaning their acceptance is subject to the consideration and approval of their governments.
a.d. III Idus Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 10th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad quod damnum"
"ad quod damnum"
"to what damage" - a bit of legal Latin referring to a writ used for assessing damages relating to land taken for public use
a.d. IV Idus Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 9th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad quem"
"ad quem"
"to/for whom/which"
a.d. V Idus Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 8th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Ad praesens ova cras pullis sunt meliora."
"ad praesens ova cras pullis sunt meliora."
"Eggs at the present are better than chickens tomorrow." - A Roman version of "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
a.d. VI Idus Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 7th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad populum"
"ad populum"
"To the people" - a statement addressed ad populum is intended for all of the people
a.d. VII Idus Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 6th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad patres"
"ad patres"
"To the fathers" - id est, dead. Having been sent or gathered ad patres, to one's fathers/ancestors, means to the afterlife, to be dead.
a.d. VIII Idus Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 5th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad nauseam"
"ad nauseam"
"To nausea," "to seasickness," "to the point of illness," - we use this Latin expression in English, but rarely consider that our word "nausea" has nautical roots; the "NAU-" root means "ship," so "nausea" literally means "ship-sickness," "sea-sickness," whereas in English we think of it as an all-around turn for an upset stomach . . .
Nonis Aprilibus anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 4th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Res publica virum docet."
"Res publica virum docet."
"Public affairs teach a man." Res publica is notoriously difficult to translate, but here the intention seems to be "public matters" rather than "the State" or "the Republic." The language is definitely gendered, which is not surprising considering the ancient Roman experience - "teaches a man," where we might think "educates and adult person," or "teaches a human beng."
a.d. IV Nonas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 3rd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Serit arbores quae alteri saeclo prosint."
"Serit arbores quae alteri saeclo prosint."
"He plants trees that they may benefit another age/generation." Saeclo is a common syncopation of saeculo, an odd term for a poorly-defined period of time, usually 110 or 100 years. It often seems to be used roughly as "age" is used in English. As a reference to worldly time, it is later used to refer to the human world as opposed to the divine, the origin of the English word "secular," hence the common translation of the inscription on the seal of the United States, Novus Ordo Seclorum, as "New World Order" rather than the strictly more accurate "New Order of the Ages."
~ Caecilius Statius (c. 220 - 166 B.C.E.), Synephebi
a.d. III Nonas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 2nd, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad misericordiam"
"ad misericordiam"
"To pity/mercy" - id est, an argument or appeal to mercy or pity
a.d. IV Nonas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
April 1st, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad locum" (ad loc.)
"ad locum" (abbreviated ad loc.)
"To/at the place" - usually, in English usage, referring to a place where a matter is explored most fully in a book.
Kalendis Aprilibus anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
March 31st, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad litteram"
"ad litteram"
"To the letter"- literally, to the letter of the alphabet.
Pridie Kalendas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
March 30th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad litem"
"ad litem"
"To/for the suit/action" - a bit of legal Latin indicating that something is taken as valid only for the lis (the case or lawsuit) in question, e.g. a "guardian ad litem" is appointed by the court to represent a particular minor only with regard to the matter before the court, not as a general guardian (e.g. a foster or adoptive parent, a permanent guardian),
a.d. III Kalendas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
March 29th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Regnat Populus"
"Regnat Populus"
"The people rule" - the motto of the state of Arkansas. The original motto, dating back to at least 1836, was Regnant Populi (intending the meaning of the current motto, but inadvertently implying multiple peoples ruling), but it was emended in an act approved by Governor Xenephon O. Pindall on May 24, 1907 - and how great is THAT name?
~ Motto of the state of Arkansas
a.d. IV Kalendas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
March 28th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Hi sunt inimici pessumi fronte hilaro corde tristi."
"Hi sunt inimici pessumi fronte hilaro corde tristi."
"These are the worst enemies, cheerful of face and bitter of heart." The form pessumi is somewhat archaic; the classical form is pessimi.
~ Caecilius Statius (c. 220 - c. 166 B.C.E.), Hypobolimaeus, as recorded in Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights, XV.
a.d. V Kalendas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
March 27th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Impedit ira animum, ne possit cernere verum."
"Impedit ira animum, ne possit cernere verum."
"Anger hinders the mind, so that it is not able to discern the truth." The word impedit literally means to get in the way of the foot, to trip up. Animum, literally "soul," is often used for "mind." Verum is not "truth" in the abstract, but more literally "a true thing," "that which is true."
~ Dionysius Cato (The Distichs of Cato)
a.d. VI Kalendas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
March 26th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad libitum" (ad lib.)
"ad libitum," commonly abbreviated as ad lib.
"to the point of pleasure," id est, "as much as pleases," "as much as one wants," or "at will"
a.d. VII Kalendas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
March 25th, 2023 Latin of the Day - "ad interim"
"ad interim"
"in the meantime," during the interval"
a.d. VIII Kalendas Apriles anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI
