Common Latin Sayings and translations
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| Ab ovo usque ad mala | From first to last (literally, “from the egg to the apples,” meaning from the first course until dessert)
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| Ab urbe condita | From the building of the city (Rome)
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| Ad hominem | To the man
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| Ad nauseam | To the point of disgust
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| Ad vitam aut ad culpam | Till the end of life or until found guilty (e.g., “they will hold office ad vitam aut ad culpam”)
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| Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi | Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
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| Alea iacta est | The die has been cast (Julius Caesar, crossing the Rubicon)
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| Alma mater | Nurturing mother
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| Amor omnia vincit | Love conquers all (Virgil)
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| Anno Domini, A.D. | In the year of our Lord
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| Ante bellum | Before the war (War between the States)
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| Amor omnia vincit | Love conquers all (Virgil)
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| Anno Domini, A.D. | In the year of our Lord
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| Ante bellum | Before the war (War between the States)
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| Ante meridiem (a.m.) | Before the middle of the day (morning)
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| Aqua vitae | The water of life
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| Arma virumque cano | I sing of arms and a man (Virgil)
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| Ars gratia artis | Art for the sake of art (M.G.M.’s motto)
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| Ars longa, vita brevis | Art is long, life is short
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| Aut disce aut discede | Either learn or leave
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| Ave atque vale | Hello and goodbye (lit. hail and farewell)
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| Ave atque vale in perpetuum | Hail and farewell for all time
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| Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutamus! (Roman gladiators) | Hail, Caesar, we who are about to die, salute you!
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| Bis in die (b.i.d.) | Twice in a day
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| Bona fide | With good faith
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| Caelum et terra | Heaven and earth
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| Carpe crustulum | Seize the cookie
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| Carpe diem | Seize the day (Horace)
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| Carthago delenda est! | Carthage must be destroyed! (Cato the Elder)
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| Caveat emptor | Let the buyer beware
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| Cave canem | Beware of the dog (found in Pompeii)
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| Centum (C) | A hundred
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| Cogito ergo sum | I think, therefore I am (Descartes)
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| Compara (cp.) | Compare
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| Confer (cf.) | Compare
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| Corpus delicti | The body of the crime
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| Credenda/Agenda | Things to be believed/Things to be done
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| Cum grano salis | With a grain of salt
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| De facto | Actually, in fact, in reality
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| De gustibus non est disputandum | There is no disputing about tastes
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| Dei gratia | By the grace of God
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| De mortuis nil nisi bonum | Do not speak ill of the dead (lit. of the dead, say nothing except what is good)
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| Deo gratias | Thanks be to God
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| Dies Irae | The wrath (anger) of God
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| Dum spiro, spero | While I breathe, I hope
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| Errare est humanum | To err is human
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| Et alii (et al.) | And others
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| Et cetera (etc.) | And others
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| Et tu, Brute? | And you, Brutus? (Gr: Kai su, pais?—and you, child?)
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| Exempli gratia (e.g.) | For the sake of example
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| Famam extendimus factis | We spread our fame by our deeds
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| Festina lente | Make haste slowly
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| Gens togata | The toga-clad nation
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| Habeas corpus (ad subiciendum) | You may allow the prisoner (to be handed over for pre-trial determination)
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| Hannibal ad portas! | Hannibal at the gates!
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| Hic iacet… | Here lies…
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| Hodie Christus natus est | Today Christ is born
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| Ibidem (ibid.) | The same (place cited)
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| Id est (i.e.) | That is
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| Ignorantia legis neminem excusat | Ignorance of the law excuses no one.
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| In hoc signo, vinces | In this sign, you will conquer (words and cross appeared to Constantine before the battle of Milan, A.D. 312)
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| In loco parentis | In the place of the parents
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| Ipse dixit | He himself said
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| Ipso facto | By that very fact
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| Labor omnia vincit | Work conquers all (Virgil)
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| Lapsus linguae | Slip of the tongue
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| Lex non scripta | Common law
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| Magister artium (M.A.) | Master of arts
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| Magnum opus | A great work
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| Mater Italiae—Roma | The mother of Italy—Rome (Florus, historian)
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| Mea culpa | My fault
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| Mens sana in corpore sano | A healthy mind in a healthy body
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| Miles Christi sum | I am a soldier of Christ
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| Mille (M) | A thousand
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| Mirabile dictum | Amazing to say
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| Mirabile visu | Amazing to see
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| Natura non facit saltum | Nature does not make leaps
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| Ne credite equo | Do not trust the horse (i.e., don’t look a gift horse in the mouth—said by Laocoon the priest)
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| Nil desperandum | Never despair (no cause for despairing)
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| Nolo contendere | I don’t want to contest the charges (and I accept the penalty without admitting guilt)
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| Nota bene (n.b.) | Note well
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| Novus ordo seclorum | New order of the ages
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| Nunc aut numquam | Now or never
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| Ora et labora | Pray and work (St. Benedict)
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| O tempora, O mores! | O the times, O the customs! (Cicero)
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| Pax Romana | The Roman peace
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| Pax vobiscum (sing: tecum) | Peace be with you
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| Per annum | Annually
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| Per diem | Daily
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| Per se | Through itself, by itself
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| Persona non grata | Unwelcome, fully unacceptable
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| Philosophiae doctor (Ph.D.) | Doctor of philosophy
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| Post meridiem (p.m.) | After the middle of the day (afternoon)
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| Post mortem (P.M.) | After death
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| Post scriptum (p.s.) | Written afterwards
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| Prima luce | At first light (dawn)
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| Pro bono | Something done out of good will with no charge
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| Quid est (q.e.) | That which is
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| Quid pro quo | One thing for another
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| Quod erat demonstrandum | (Q.E.D.) That which was to be proved
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| Quo modo | In what manner
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| Quo vadis? | Where are you going?
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| Quo vide (q.v.) | Which see
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| Rara avis | A rare bird
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| Repetitio mater studiorum | Repetition is the mother of learning
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| Requiescat in pace (R.I.P.) | Rest in peace
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| Retro Satana | Get thee behind me, Satan (Jesus Christ)
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| Rident stolidi verba Latina. | Fools laugh at the Latin language (Ovid)
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| Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth | Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts
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| Scientia est potentia | Knowledge is power
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| Scilicet (sc./scii.—scire licet) | Actually
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| Semper fidelis | Always faithful (motto of the marines)
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| Semper paratus | Always prepared (motto of the coast guard)
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| Senatus Populusque Romanus | S.P.Q.R. The Senate and the People of Rome
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| Sic semper tyrannis! | Thus always to tyrants! (John Wilkes Booth)
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| Sic transit Gloria munda | So passes the glory of the world
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| Signum crucis | The sign of the cross
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| Sine die | Without a day set (e.g., “they adjourned sine die” means “they adjourned with a day set for another meeting”)
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| Si vales, valeo (S.V.V.) | If you are strong/well, I am strong/well (letter greeting)
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| Status quo | The existing state of affairs (the way things are now)
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| Stupor mundi | Wonder of the world
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| Summa cum laude | With highest praise
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| Summum bonum | The highest good
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| Suum cuique | To each his own
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| Tempus fugit | Time flies
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| Terra firma | Solid ground
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| Terra incognito | Unknown territory
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| Tolle lege | Take and read (St. Augustine)
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| Vade retro | Get thee behind me [Satan] (Jesus Christ)
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| Veni, vidi, vici | I came, I saw, I conquered (Julius Caesar, Asia Minor)
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| Verbum satis sapienti est | A word to the wise is enough (abbreviated: verbum sap A word to the wise)
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| Versus (vs.) | Against, in contrast to
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| Vox populi, vox Dei. | The voice of the people is the voice of God. (Roman proverb.)
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| E pluribus unum | One out of many
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| Audemus Iura Nostra Defendere | We dare to defend our rights
Alabama
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| Ditat Deus | God Enriches
Arizona
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| Regnant Populi | The people rule
Arkansas
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| Nil sine Numine | Nothing without Providence
Colorado
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| Qui Transtulit Sustinet | He who transplated still sustains
Conneticut
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| Esto perpetua | May she be perpetual
Idaho
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| Ad astra per aspera | Kansas
To the stars through difficulties
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| Dirigo | I direct
Maine
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| Ense petit placidam sub libertatem quietem | By the sword she seeks peace but only under liberty
Massachusetts
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| Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice | If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you
Michigan
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| Virtute et armis | By valor and arms
Mississippi
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| Salus populi suprema lex esto | Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law
Missouri
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| Crescit Eundo | It grows as it grows
New Mexico
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| Excelsior | Ever higher
New York
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| Esse quam vincit | To be rather than to seem
North Carolina
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| Labor omnia vincit | Labor conquers all things
Oklahoma
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| Dum spiro spero | While I breathe, I hope
South Carolina
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| Animis Opibusque Parati | Prepare in mind and resources
South Carolina
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| Sic semper tyrannis | Thus always to tyrants
Virginia
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| Montani semper libri | Mountaineers are always freemen
West Virginia
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| Iustitia omnibus | Justice to all
District of Columbia (Washington D.C.)
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