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Latin/Questions Answered by Expert Michael
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Ablative of the Gerund with a Direct Object | 2/1/2012 |
| Q: Please help me again! From the second prayer of blessing of candles on the feast of Candlemas: " . ... A: Actually, "offerendo" is the ablative case of the gerund, which is dependent upon the adjective ... | |
| Carpe Diem | 1/27/2012 |
| Q: For quite some time I've been trying to understand different translations of a particular quote, but ... A: This case presents a good example of why translations always fall short of the meaning that one gets ... | |
| Declension of "Thisbe | 1/3/2012 |
| Q: what declension is Thisbe and how do you decline it? A: "Thisbe" is a Greek noun of the First Declension. When First Declension nouns are borrowed from the ... | |
| Interpretation of a Latin Phrase | 12/28/2011 |
| Q: In several 18th century marriage records I have seen the phrase "praemissis tribus proclamationibus ... A: It does indeed come from "interpolo," but with a post-classical, ecclesiastical meaning, "to ... | |
| "Ad Inferos" in Apostles Creed | 12/19/2011 |
| Q: Michael, In May 2008 you explained to an inquirer that "ad caelos" in the Apostles Creed is not ... A: The plural of "inferus" is used in the masculine to refer to the place of the dead (literally, "the ... | |
| Recapitulatory Adjective | 12/17/2011 |
| Q: This is a very easy one for you, but puzzling to me. I have had only ecclesiastical latin training, ... A: The adjective (or pronoun) "is, ea, id" generally performs one of two functions. First, it can be a ... | |
| Publilius Syrus | 12/11/2011 |
| Q: I have had an more than eventful year and have been searching for inspirational quotes for a piece ... A: Publilius Syrus is available only in fragments, and the textual transmission is not always the best. ... | |
| translation | 12/10/2011 |
| Q: What does "uva uvam vivendo varia fit "mean? A: UVA UVAM VIDENDO VARIA FIT. "A grape by seeing a grape becomes varied [in color]." The sense is ... | |
| The Word for "Moth" in Latin | 12/9/2011 |
| Q: What's moth in Latin? I know it's very stupid and extremely simple question but, please answer it. ... A: In classical Latin, the generic word to use for "moth" would be "papilio." In modern scientific ... | |
| Pluperfect Subjunctive Representing the Future Perfect | 11/29/2011 |
| Q: "Xerxes praemium proposuit qui invenisset novam voluptatem." This above sentence is taken from an ... A: Granted, this is complicated point of Latin grammar! The general principle is that in the secondary ... | |
| Sentences Joined | 11/28/2011 |
| Q: Is it possible to put together the following words to make a sentence: in all things i search for ... A: Yes, but the two sentences would be awkwardly joined that way. Better would be to connect the two ... | |
| Accusative Subject of Infinitive | 11/14/2011 |
| Q: "quid stultius quam aliquem eo sibi placere quod ipse non fecit." (from #420 of Gildersleeve's) Is ... A: That is correct. The accusative and infinitive phrase "aliquem sibi placere" (for a man to pride ... | |
| Latin Stress Accent | 11/2/2011 |
| Q: PLEASE CAN YOU SEND ME THE RULES OF LATIN LANGUAGE( THAT INCLUDES STRESS POSITION IN A WORD) HOPE ... A: The following is a simplified explanation of the Latin stress accent. The stress can occur only on ... | |
| Poem | 10/20/2011 |
| Q: all that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost, the old that is strong does ... A: Actually, that's pretty good! The only real problem that I see is "vetum valente." "Vetus" is a ... | |
| Help with Latin Terms | 10/6/2011 |
| Q: Mike. I am struggling with translating two simple English terms into Latin. I want to be sure they ... A: "For God" could be expressed simply by the Latin dative, "Deo." "Pro Deo" ("Pro Deus" is ... | |
| Virtus | 9/29/2011 |
| Q: I am enquiring about the word "virtus" and the context with which it can be used. I read that it can ... A: The Latin "virtus" has more the sense of manliness or moral excellence. Normally, the concept of ... | |
| Scansion | 9/19/2011 |
| Q: I have problems with scanning. Each site gives me different and sometimes confusing answers. From ... A: The scansion that you have provided is correct. If you are asking about the third foot (-tum to-), ... | |
| Lucius Accius Quotation | 9/1/2011 |
| Q: Hopefully you can help me with a quick query? The following , I believe is attributed to Lucius ... A: It took a bit of hunting, because Accius is extant only in fragments, but I did find the line in ... | |
| Beautiful | 8/28/2011 |
| Q: Okay. I was told that beautiful in latin is 'bellus' but again i got intel that its pelcha(or ... A: Just like English and every other language, Latin often has more than one word to express a ... | |
| Joke in Latin | 8/24/2011 |
| Q: For the purpose of a joke I would like to combine the famous phrase "Non sibi sed omnibus" with ... A: This case indicates why one must be very careful to understand first the English that is to be ... | |
| Sed Tantum Dic Verbo | 8/20/2011 |
| Q: My question relates to the line from the Latin of the Mass: "Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub ... A: It is true that the cognate accusative would be the more common construction. The cognate ... | |
| The Different Words for "Then" in Latin | 8/14/2011 |
| Q: I am a bit confused when it comes to using "then" in Latin. I know there are different words for it ... A: The first step in undestanding this question is to realize that English is inexact in comparison to ... | |
| Caledonia | 7/28/2011 |
| Q: I have queried a number of scholars with moderate Latin familiarity, and come up blank; I'm ... A: It appears that the name Caledonia, used by the Roman historian Tacitus and the Greek historian Dio ... | |
| Life | 7/17/2011 |
| Q: I spent hours of internet and library time to translate this phrase "Life is a beautiful struggle". ... A: That won't quite work because "nixor" is a verb form, not a noun. For the concept of "struggle," ... | |
| Family Motto Meaning | 7/13/2011 |
| Q: I have found that our family motto which dates back over 1000 years ago is "Tacitumia Pisce" but i ... A: It is a strange phrase, but oftentimes the origins of these pithy mottos are difficult to decipher. ... | |
| Misuse of "Quod" | 7/8/2011 |
| Q: A friend and I have an argument that needs to be settled. We both had introductory Latin in middle ... A: An understanding of this matter first begins with an analysis of the English sentences. "What" in ... | |
| Hoc Quoque | 6/26/2011 |
| Q: can you please confirm what the correct English translation is for "hoc quoque transibit" and "teneo ... A: The first is correct. The second is not correct, as you have the wrong word for "know," and the ... | |
| Declension | 6/25/2011 |
| Q: Please advise how anus (adj. old) is declined. Thanks. A: Even though "anus" (old woman) is one of the few feminine nouns of the fourth declension, it is ... | |
| Johannes Kepler | 5/30/2011 |
| Q: I would be very grateful for an accurate rendition of the title of Kepler's 1604 book "Ad ... A: I would suggest: A Supplement to Vitellio, by which the optical part of Astronomy is treated. ... | |
| Contra / Versus | 5/16/2011 |
| Q: Difference between "contra" and "versus"? A: In Latin, "contra" can be used as an adverb ("opposite") or as a preposition taking the accusative ... | |
| Art Expression | 5/13/2011 |
| Q: I am a student at a high school that has only recently been established, and am collaborating with ... A: That grammatical formulation is incorrect (those machine "translators" are worthless: they just ... | |
| Participles | 4/28/2011 |
| Q: aurum in agro celeratum inuenire possumus. celeratum is a participle which translates I think as ... A: There are two considerations here. 1) The verb "to hide" is "celare," whose perfect passive ... | |
| Lost | 4/19/2011 |
| Q: I was wondering what the Latin translation is for the word "Lost" & for the phase "Lost Dreams". ... A: As you have indicated, you can use a gramatically-appropriate form of the participle "damnatus" to ... | |
| Family | 4/9/2011 |
| Q: I have heard that their are two ways to translate something into Latin. The first is word for word, ... A: One language can never be rendered completely into another. Therefore, "word for word" renditions ... | |
| Luxury | 3/24/2011 |
| Q: The online etymological dictionary contends that the word 'luxury' comes from a stem meaning ... A: There is a Latin noun used by several classical authors, "luxus," a masculine of the fourth ... | |
| Latin Formatting | 3/23/2011 |
| Q: I have set myself to learning Latin, and I am confused on how exactly to format my writings. I have ... A: Latin is never written right to left. Typically, printed texts will be capitalized and punctuated ... | |
| Caveat Samaritanus | 3/20/2011 |
| Q: Sorry, this is probably a stupid question but does 'Caveat Samaritanus' mean 'beware samaritan' or ... A: A little more literally, it would be: "Let the Samaritan beware." In the "classical" or "academic" ... | |
| Latin Phases and Pronunciation | 3/9/2011 |
| Q: These questions may have answered these ones already, though it would be greatly appreciated if you ... A: The formulations are: 1) Deus me custodiat. (The word order is not significant to the basic ... | |
| Tattoo | 3/6/2011 |
| Q: I am considering getting a tattoo. I love ravens and believe the Latin for raven is Corvus. I ... A: Sorry, I can't get involved with contributing to the dangerous practice of defacing the body with ... | |
| Dates and v or u | 2/22/2011 |
| Q: I've found writting dates in Latin to be confusing. Is a.d. Non.Feb. anno MMDCCLXIV a.U.c. correct ... A: 1 B.C. is A.U.C. 753, A.D. 1 is A.U.C. 754, so add 753 to the year A.D. 2011, therefore, would be ... | |
| Vocative | 2/15/2011 |
| Q: I have a question regarding the proper use of the nominative case. The sentence in question is "Deo ... A: That rendition does not work in Latin. You need to use: "Deus, scis me te amare." Since you are ... | |
| Carpe Diem | 2/14/2011 |
| Q: Regarding your answer I have two questions. Carpe diem, quam minimum crdeula postero. 1. credula ... A: 1) Horace addresses his Ode to a woman, Leuconoe; therefore, he puts the adjective is in the ... | |
| Carpe Diem | 2/12/2011 |
| Q: Please parse the famouse latin saying and advise exact meaning. Carpe diem, quam minimum credula ... A: A literal rendition would be: "Pluck the day, believing as little as possible in the next (day)." ... | |
| Mendacem | 2/7/2011 |
| Q: Please parse the sentence for better understanding. "Mendacem oportet esse memorem." Thank you. A: Literally: It is necessary for a liar to be mindful (have a good memory). Oportet (it is ... | |
| Verb Agreement | 1/26/2011 |
| Q: I have a question of a well-known Latin saying. Amantium irae amoris integratio est. I think ... A: Technically, "irae" is the subject and "integratio" is a predicate nominative. Strictly speaking, ... | |
| Latin Subjunctive | 1/12/2011 |
| Q: I'm comparing the Greek bible verse from Acts 2:38 to what Jerome translated into the Vulgate. The ... A: As usual, St. Jerome's rendition of the the Greek is quite literal. In the first instance, ... | |
| Evolution of "Ambulare" | 1/4/2011 |
| Q: Salve Michael! I took both Latin and Spanish in high school. I apologize if my question is not of ... A: The words in your question do not derive directly from "ambulare," but from another verb, "ambire," ... | |
| Latin Equivalent for "Liturgy" | 1/1/2011 |
| Q: I know liturgy is a Greek term literally meaning (or so I've been told) "the work of the people". ... A: The Greek "leitourgia" does not mean "the work of the people," but rather a work FOR the people, ... | |
| Vox Populi Vox Dei | 12/29/2010 |
| Q: The abovementioned phrase ("vox populi vox dei") is, I think, fairly well known. I believe that it ... A: One of the earliest extant references is in Alcuin in the time of Charlesmagne. Perhaps it is the ... | |
| Word Order | 12/27/2010 |
| Q: ) tuum sequere cor ,sequere cor tuum ,or cor tuum sequere A: Any of the three is acceptable. Latin is an inflected language, so the syntactical relationship ... | |
| Word Ending | 12/16/2010 |
| Q: Ave Maria! What does the word ending "-us" mean? A: Many types of Latin words end in -us. For example, it denotes the nominative masculine singular ... | |
| Grammar in Cicero's "De Amicitia" | 12/13/2010 |
| Q: Could you please help me with the following questions: (the sentences are from Cicero’s De ... A: (1)(a) Often in Latin you will find long passages in indirect discourse dependent upon upon a verb ... | |
| Demons | 12/11/2010 |
| Q: I've been writing an essay in school about faceing your own inner demons. And fittingly enough I ... A: That word-by-word rendition doesn't work grammatically in Latin -- just another case of how those ... | |
| Impersonal Verbs | 12/10/2010 |
| Q: Ventum est. Pugnatum est. I guess that ventum and pugnatum are the past participle of venio and ... A: First of all, these are not impersonal verbs. "Venio" is an intransitive verb; that is, it does not ... | |
| Apple | 12/9/2010 |
| Q: I have been trying to translate this phrase for an essay in my Latin class, but I cannot seem to get ... A: I would say: "Malum de arbore longe numquam cadit." "Distante arboris" is not meaningful in Latin. ... | |
| Grace | 11/26/2010 |
| Q: What does "Dei gracia aut via inveniam aut faciam" mean? How should I say "in god's will, I will ... A: The Latin expression could be rendered: "By the grace of God, either I shall find a way, or I shall ... | |
| Quotation Attributed to Vergil | 11/19/2010 |
| Q: I recently ran across a quote attributed to Vergil. The quote is "Tact is for people not witty ... A: This expression is considered to be a very loose interpretation of Vergil's "Flectere si nequeo ... | |
| Stresses on a Gospel excerpt | 11/18/2010 |
| Q: I would be indeed grateful if you could mark the accents in this Gospel excerpt, to be read aloud by ... A: I have capitalized the accented syllables as follows: cum AUtem VEnerit parAclitus, quem Ego MITtam ... | |
| Cuius Regio | 10/11/2010 |
| Q: What does "Cuius regio eius veritas" mean? Thanks A: The usual form of this aphorism is "Cuius regio eius religio," loosely, As their region so their ... | |
| How to Translate a Comparative Phrase | 9/2/2010 |
| Q: first of all, thank you for your help. I am trying to translate de sentence "For love is strong as ... A: Neither version is grammatical or meaningful Latin, but the second is closer. It seems that someone ... | |
| Clarification on "Fit" | 8/17/2010 |
| Q: I'm curious to find out what exactly are the differences between the translations for "nihil fit ... A: "Fit" is essentially a copula in Latin, like "est" (is). It is a weak connective and is therefore ... | |
| Clarification on a Tibullus Verse | 8/14/2010 |
| Q: A few years ago I read the following quote, attributed to Albius Tibullus: "Credula vitam spes fovet ... A: The verse comes from lines 19 and 20 of poem VI in Book II of Tibullus: "credula vitam spes fovet ... | |
| Quidquius Operat | 7/10/2010 |
| Q: Sir: I used to be part of an organization that the motto, "Quidquius operat." Other members ... A: That may have been the sentiment that the writer was trying to render, but it came out wrong. There ... | |
| Latin Syllables/Accents | 4/30/2010 |
| Q: Michael. I am attempting to learn some Psalms in Latin, but I cannot figure out where to accent ... A: I have indicated the accented syllables below for you: 1. operibus - PE 2. manuum - MA 3. ... | |
| Passion | 4/20/2010 |
| Q: I would like to know the proper translation for "Passion is the essence of life" from English to ... A: "Passion" in English covers a multitude of meanings. Latin is more precise. For the connotation ... | |
| Imperative and Jussive Subjunctive | 12/24/2009 |
| Q: How would the Latin imperative " let go " read, as in ...." let go and let god.." could I have just ... A: "Let go" would be in the imperative. "Let God..." would not be in the imperative, since Latin ... | |
| Unconquerable | 12/23/2009 |
| Q: I don't quite understand how to go about constructing Latin phrases and sentences I've tried to come ... A: "Invictus" is the perfect passive participle of "vincere," meaning "unconquered," that is, being in ... | |
| Cicero | 12/21/2009 |
| Q: Could you please give a literal translation of the following clause (from De Senectute VII.22, ... A: "Just as in our custom there is wont to be a restraining of fathers badly managing their affairs ... | |
| Grammar | 12/5/2009 |
| Q: Could you help me with the following questions: 1. “… hoc enim onere, quod mihi commune tecum est, ... A: 1) "Hoc onere" is an ablative of separation: "to be relieved of [from] this burden." 2) This is a ... | |
| Horace | 11/27/2009 |
| Q: Re vītae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohāre longam (I hope the macrons show up ... A: This does come from Horace's Odes, Book I, Number 4, line 15: The sum-total of a brief life ... | |
| Use of Gerund | 11/19/2009 |
| Q: Michael, First of all a big thank-you for all your work as a expert - what an amazing track record! ... A: "Idoneus" admits of several constructions in Classical Latin. The "qui" clause of characteristic ... | |
| Tattoo | 11/4/2009 |
| Q: I am joining the military quite soon and i have just had a son. i am getting a tattoo of his hand ... A: Sorry, I can't get involved with contributing to the dangerous practice of tattooing, which involves ... | |
| First Declension | 11/1/2009 |
| Q: Could you help me with the declension of the name Antiochia in the following sentence: (in general, ... A: It is a normal feminine-gender noun of the first declension. If you look it up in a Latin ... | |
| Tattoo | 10/12/2009 |
| Q: I have recently had my grandparents in the UK pass away and I didn't get the chance to say goodbye, ... A: Sorry, I can't get involved with contributing to the dangerous practice of tattooing, which involves ... | |
| Past-tense Endings | 10/9/2009 |
| Q: Could you please give me the past tense verbs and pronouns of the following short sentences, as a ... A: Latin does not typically use pronouns for the subject of verbs unless there is some special reason ... | |
| John Chapter 21 (Vulgate) | 10/1/2009 |
| Q: My questions are both linguistic and theological. Perhaps one of the most moving passages of the ... A: There is a difference. Diligo here represents the Greek agapao; amo represents the Greek phileo. ... | |
| Post Hoc | 9/27/2009 |
| Q: I am writing a book, and within it I define a few principles for living an honorable life. These ... A: "Post hoc ergo propter hoc," After this, therefore because of this, is the Latin expression for a ... | |
| How to Get Proficiency in Reading Latin | 9/12/2009 |
| Q: I am an amateur Latinist. I have been studying the Latin language (and I enjoy it) for about three ... A: Like everything, practice makes perfect. You need to read as much as you can to become proficient. ... | |
| Definition of Personal Responsibility | 9/8/2009 |
| Q: What is the Latin word for the English word "responsibility" (as in the meaning of a personal ... A: Putting oneself in the Roman mindset, the most appropriate expression of that concept would be ... | |
| Word Order | 8/19/2009 |
| Q: When it comes to the phrase: "All things for all people"...Is the correct word order "omnia omnibus" ... A: In Latin, word order is used more often for emphasis, style, rhythm, etc., than for syntactical ... | |
| Grammar | 8/2/2009 |
| Q: Could you please help me with the following two questions: (All sentences are from Bradley's Arnold ... A: 1) Bradley may be using this sentence as an an example of a possessive dative with "sunt," but one ... | |
| Bradley's Arnold | 7/19/2009 |
| Q: Could you please help me with the following two questions: (1)"qua erat animi benignitate, omnibus ... A: 1) Literally, "of what kindness of spirit he was, he gave pardon to all." That is very awkward in ... | |
| Club Mottos | 7/1/2009 |
| Q: This is for my hiking patches... what is the translation in latin for this motto "No Boundaries".. ... A: Sorry, I mistyped. It would be "Nulli sint fines!" But you can leave out the "sint." Answer: You ... | |
| Cicero De Oratore | 6/24/2009 |
| Q: I wonder whether you can help me with the following two short questions (I put the whole Latin ... A: (1) That is correct. The "is" is recapitulatory, to add the final descriptive clause. The subject ... | |
| Perfect Passive Infinitive | 6/20/2009 |
| Q: Could you please help me with the following1. Latin: Allatum est praedatores, dum latius vagantur, ... A: The form, if supplied, would not be "sunt," but rather "esse," as "interceptos" is a perfect passive ... | |
| Josue 1:15 | 6/15/2009 |
| Q: I was trying to translate a part of the Bible verse Joshua 1:5, into Latin. The latter half in ... A: Yes, that is St. Jerome's Vulgate Latin rendition of that passage. No pronoun is necessary as the ... | |
| Word Order | 5/28/2009 |
| Q: Michael, I was wondering what the Latin translation was for "Above all things, Freedom". I know ... A: In Latin, word order is more flexible than in English because Latin is an inflected language (shows ... | |
| Ave regina caelorum | 5/17/2009 |
| Q: i have found this prayer and i love it. i say it everyday but i dont know exactly what is means. i ... A: It is a quite famous Gregorian hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary: Hail, queen of the heaven, Hail, ... | |
| Coin | 5/10/2009 |
| Q: I found this Latin on a coin, military I think. I found several translations of individual words but ... A: The first phrase is probably: Ad utrumque paratus - Prepared for both. Decepti - Caught. Veritas ... | |
| Seneca | 4/26/2009 |
| Q: Could you please help me with the following two questions: (1) Non vitae, sed scholae, discimus. ... A: 1) Literally: We study not for life, but for school. Of course, Seneca here is speaking ... | |
| meaning of words | 4/21/2009 |
| Q: Could you help me with the following two questions: (1) Nympha Echo Narcissum diu amaverat, sed ... A: 1) "Alterius" can be rendered "of the other," that is, Narcissus. Echo could not speak any word of ... | |
| Satanae | 4/11/2009 |
| Q: In the bible, the phrase "synagoga Satanae" is used and this is one of very few instances where the ... A: It appears that in the Latin Vulgate Old Testament, the indeclinable "Satan" is used. In the New ... | |
| Wheelock's Text | 4/5/2009 |
| Q: I have started to do the exercises from his book, "Latin, An Introductory Course Based on Ancient ... A: Yes, the last edition of the book, the Sixth Revised Edition (2005), includes a new section entitled ... | |
| Latin Fluency | 2/13/2009 |
| Q: Patricius Michaelo salutem dat plurimam, potesne quaestionem resolvere? Sed vernacula Anglico ... A: Latin is no different from any other language in this regard. Your teacher is right about that. ... | |
| English Hymn into Latin | 1/15/2009 |
| Q: I'm Ra, a Divinity student. I'm only beginning to study Latin, so I'm not sure whether my rendering ... A: There are a few errors. These are corrected below (I am assuming that this is not a homework ... | |
| Latin Pronunciation | 1/11/2009 |
| Q: my question today is how to pronounce a few phrases. the first is "Mi gladius, fiat iustitia et ... A: Pronunciations given are classical academic, broadly representing the period around the turn of B.C. ... | |
| Superciliaris | 1/10/2009 |
| Q: Can you tell me the grammatical difference between superciliaris, superciliosus and superciliosa. ... A: "Superciliaris" and "superciliosus" are both masculine singular nominatives of the respective ... | |
| Latin Pronunciation | 12/21/2008 |
| Q: hey! can you please explain to me how you would pronounce these phases: "Omnibus locis fit caedes" ... A: The first translation is okay. The Latin would be pronounced (in the academic classical ... | |
| Declension | 12/12/2008 |
| Q: My question is: how can I know what declension the latin word is? Can I see it in word itself or is ... A: Dictionaries give the nominative and genitive and the gender for each noun listed. From the ... | |
| Cases in Latin | 12/1/2008 |
| Q: I am in Latin one and have been out due to appendicitis for about two weeks. I'm just starting to ... A: This topic is complicated, and your teacher will obviously have to explain to you the details, but ... | |
| Biblical Quotation | 11/27/2008 |
| Q: Good evening sir, I've tried other sites to translate "I am what I am" from English to Latin and was ... A: The phrase, from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 15:10, is rendered by St. Jerome in the ... | |
| Constructions with Volo | 11/5/2008 |
| Q: I recently read a few lines from one of Plautus' comedies, which included the well known pun on ... A: In classical Latin "volo" takes several different constructions: (1) accusative and infinitive, (2) ... | |
| Latin Exercise | 10/28/2008 |
| Q: I am trying to learn latin the old fashioned way (books) but I have no one to check and make sure I ... A: Close. Try: "Est nunquam molestum lupo quot oves exsistant." The indirect question "quot oves ... | |
| Latin Pronunciation | 10/22/2008 |
| Q: When I took Latin in high school my teacher told us to pronounce the Latin "v" as a "w", apparently ... A: There are a number of pronunciation systems for Latin. The one commonly used in schools, known as ... | |
| Adjective Endings in Comparatives | 10/21/2008 |
| Q: Why do comparative adjectives have the e for ablative singular endings rather than the i which is ... A: Actually, both "i" and "e" are found in the ablative singular of comparatives, as they are in many ... | |
| History | 10/5/2008 |
| Q: WHAT IS THE OLD LATIN OR CLASSICAL LATIN WORD FOR HISTORY? A: In classical Latin, the word "historia" can mean *a* history, that is an account of some event, an ... | |
| Use of the Present/Perfect Tenses | 10/1/2008 |
| Q: The French use the present tense to express an action for which the English language uses the ... A: The French construction is directly analogous to the Latin, from which it derives. For the perfect ... | |
| Translation English - Latin | 9/17/2008 |
| Q: My father has passed away and I was wondering whether there was anything in the Latin language that ... A: If you are looking for an epigrammatic phrase, as for a headstone inscription, perhaps Cicero's ... | |
| Marks above Words in Latin | 9/2/2008 |
| Q: I have a question about those marks above words in Latin. (The lines above some letters in the ... A: The macron, or long mark, indicates that the vowel above which it stands is long in quantity. All ... | |
| Roman Dates in Time of Augustus | 8/26/2008 |
| Q: how were dates expressed in latin at the time of augustus I mean how would it be writting out? A: Dates, according to the Roman Calendar, are reckoned as follows:-- The first day of the month was ... | |
| What are the cases? | 8/21/2008 |
| Q: Hey I'm Amber I'm in my Schools Latin class, and my teacher is always so busy i can't ask him for ... A: Cases are inflexions, or variations in the endings of words, that are used to show the relationship ... | |
| Beauty | 8/18/2008 |
| Q: I've been working on writing some latin for a project and i think i've got most of it right. ... A: That will work. "Pulchritudo" ends in "o" because it is a feminine singular noun of the third ... | |
| Latin Names of Fungi | 8/3/2008 |
| Q: Good afternoon! I would like to ask you to answer my question regarding some special examples of ... A: Yes, that is correct. The "-i" ending often denotes the genitive, or possessive, case. Two "i"'s ... | |
| Black | 7/17/2008 |
| Q: Greetings Michael. I know you do not perform translations, but I hope you can possibly assist me? I ... A: You seem to be translating word by word from a dictionary, but that doesn't work. If you think ... | |
| Pronunciation of "s" in Church Music | 6/28/2008 |
| Q: i teach diction courses in the music school at northwestern university in evanston, illinois ... in ... A: A good source for questions of this kind is Robert S. Hines' "Singers Manual of Latin: Diction and ... | |
| Uva | 6/17/2008 |
| Q: I believe I copied this correctly. I do not know the language. UVA UVAM VIDENDOU VARIA FIT. I ... A: UVA UVAM VIDENDO VARIA FIT. A grape by seeing a grape becomes varied [in color]. The sense is that ... | |
| Italian Is just Vulgar Latin | 6/14/2008 |
| Q: Why did Latin die and Italian take over as the main language of Italy? Regards Sergio A: First of all, Latin never died. It remains as a living language to this day. Nor did Italian "take ... | |
| Oregon Motto | 6/4/2008 |
| Q: I have several questions regarding the phrase "Alis volat propiis," interestingly the state motto of ... A: These mottoes tend to be quite pithy, and including a feminine pronoun subject such as "illa" would ... | |
| Latin Prayer | 5/22/2008 |
| Q: I have come across seven different translations of the Fatima prayer: O my Jesus, forgive us our ... A: For such matters we refer you to the Traditio.com site, the earliest and most authoritative such ... | |
| "Ad Caelos" in the Apostles Creed | 5/16/2008 |
| Q: how are you? May I ask you something about the Apostles Creed in Latin? It goes " Credo in ... A: "Caelum" as a neuter second-declension noun is the most common classical form. However, there is an ... | |
| Placement of "Est | 3/24/2008 |
| Q: I was hoping you could help me clear up a question I have...it's not technically a "translation" ... A: Actually, the Biblical phrase, from St. Jerome's Vulgate, is "Deus caritas est. "Caritas" rather ... | |
| Latin Pronunciation | 3/6/2008 |
| Q: How to correctly pronounce the ending of words like meditatio; oratio; comtemplatio A: In the pronunciation system known as "Classical," which is the one generally used in secular schools ... | |
| Military Unit Crest with Latin | 3/3/2008 |
| Q: 'Undique Venimus' These are the words included on the US Army unit crest: 2nd Battalion, 71st Air ... A: That is what it means. "Venimus" can be either present ("we come") or past ("we came") tense. The ... | |
| Grammar | 2/29/2008 |
| Q: I know that you don't do translations but I think this question is more about grammar and ... A: The second person singular imperative is Vive, the plural is Vivite, so the three English phrases ... | |
| Justice | 2/24/2008 |
| Q: I took latin several years ago and now I'm an trying to brush up on my skills alone. I am curious ... A: Justitia (sometimes spelled justicia in later Latin) denotes a generic concept of justice. Aequitas ... | |
| Si Clauses Tense Use | 2/22/2008 |
| Q: When translating from English to Latin, how do I know if I should the future or future perfect tense ... A: If the time of the action in the protasis (condition) occurs (is perfected) before the action in the ... | |
| Use of the Infinitive | 2/21/2008 |
| Q: The lion in Erasmus' dialogue says, after the bear tells him of some errors in the pronunciation of ... A: You have the meaning. The infinitive is not being use adverbially, but in apposition to "rem." ... | |
| Time Expressed in Latin | 1/30/2008 |
| Q: Good Day Michael, How would the Romans express time, give that they didn't have wristwatches. But ... A: In classical Rome, the period between sunrise and sunset was divided into twelve equal parts called ... | |
| Dative Case | 1/8/2008 |
| Q: I had a sentence to translate in Latin class that was "We carried much grain to our friends." I ... A: In Latin the dative is not used in prose to indicate place to which. In Latin that is indicated by ... | |
| Intercession | 1/3/2008 |
| Q: 1. What is the Latin word for intercession? 2. The meaning of the Latinwwdml word intercession A: In classical Latin, "intercessio" has a legal meaning, deriving from its components "inter" ... | |
| Subjunctive Mood | 12/21/2007 |
| Q: I know that this is sort of a vague question- but could you provide me a description of the ... A: Whereas the indicative is the mood of what is real and factual, the subjunctive is the mood of the ... | |
| Imperatives | 12/11/2007 |
| Q: I have some questions concerning Latin imperatives. I would first like to know how common it is to ... A: 1) Passive imperatives are regularly used if the sense calls for it -- which is not nearly as often ... | |
| Ovid's Metamorphoses | 11/19/2007 |
| Q: I'm having trouble parsing Metamorphoses IV.154-157 (Pyramus and Thisbe), in particular the word ... A: It is a bit strange to be sure. The nominative (meus) for the vocative (mi) in classical poetry is ... | |
| Vergil | 11/8/2007 |
| Q: Taylor A: The Roman epic poet Vergil [I.195] expressed exactly that thought in Book I of the Aeneid, when he ... | |
| Vergil | 10/25/2007 |
| Q: I was thinking of using a phrase from the aenied book VI as a motto line 95 in particular Tu ne cede ... A: Many editions would place a comman after "malis." Punctuation was not used originally and is ... | |
| Great Seal of the United States | 8/15/2007 |
| Q: please translate...is from the usa dollar bill "annuit coeptis" "novus ordo seclorum" thank you, ... A: The reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, found on the reverse of the dollar bill, has two ... | |
| Pronunciation of "g" | 7/26/2007 |
| Q: I conduct a choir in Brazil, and I'm in doubt about the spelling of the "ge" phoneme in certains ... A: By "spelling," I assume that you mean "pronunciation." In the Italianate pronunciation, which is ... | |
| Will | 6/27/2007 |
| Q: I would like to know the translation for "Will" in Latin. Many thank´s! / Christopher A: As English is a relatively imprecise language, the word "will" can mean several different things, or ... | |
| Tombstone | 6/17/2007 |
| Q: My family has a long history going back from the early colonies of America back to the Scottish ... A: It means: "Here lies the body of Angustius, the son of Lord Angus[i]us of Lla." That last is ... | |
| “neve … neve” | 3/16/2007 |
| Q: Sorry, an encoding problem: I tried to write long E and it seems to have come out like C cedilla. ... A: "Neque ... neque" is used in situations were a "non" is used (generally with the indicative mood). ... | |
| Virtues | 1/22/2007 |
| Q: I am interested in translating Dante's 7 virtues into Latin. They are: Prudence Justice Temperance ... A: They are: prudentia, iustitia, temperantia, fortitudo, fides, spes, caritas. "Peace" is "pax." ... | |
| Strength of Will | 12/20/2006 |
| Q: I'm trying to translate a phrase into latin but I keep getting different answers from different ... A: You would likely get different renders of that though, as translations are always deficient, because ... | |
| Spelling of Latin | 11/22/2006 |
| Q: I would like to know about the way spelling rules of Latin were fixed in classical times. In the ... A: There are other sources for this sort of thing than only later manuscripts. For example, there are ... | |
| Heart | 10/12/2006 |
| Q: Im trying to translate 'follow your heart' into classical latin. I have been given various ... A: No, that makes no grammatical sense in Latin. You could render that: "Sequere cor tuum." ... | |
| Endurance | 10/11/2006 |
| Q: endurance into latin A: In its usual English significance, one could render that thought by "perseverantia." ... | |
| Protected | 10/7/2006 |
| Q: please can you translate the two phrases "always loved" and "forever protected" regards robbie A: You could render those concepts as: "Semper amatus" (of a female beloved: "amata") and "In ... | |
| Novus Ordo | 10/5/2006 |
| Q: Do you think the one dollor bill is trying to tell us something? I do but I just can't figure it ... A: No, the two are separate phrases and do not go together. ANNUIT COEPTIS. He favors (our) ... | |
| Live Today | 10/1/2006 |
| Q: . . can you tell me what the latin is for Live for today as tomorrow is never promised i have ... A: You could render that thought: "Hodie vive, crastinus enim dies tibi non detur." ... | |
| Anytime | 9/29/2006 |
| Q: The F-14 Tomcat's motto is "Anytime, Baby". Can you provide a Latin translation for that motto. ... A: You could render that thought by "Aliquando, dilecta." ... | |
| Saying For Class | 9/28/2006 |
| Q: I am a student-teacher at an elementary school in my area and we have been encouraged to add our own ... A: The Roman poet Horace's (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) well-known phrase, "Carpe diem" (seize or, ... | |
| Strong | 9/27/2006 |
| Q: I'm looking for a phrase that helps to convey "Strength in heart" or strength in love... I've heard ... A: Perhaps the phrase that you are trying to recall is "fortes in fide," which means "strong in heart" ... | |
| No Regrets | 9/25/2006 |
| Q: How do you translate "No Regrets" into Latin? A: You could render that thought: "Me non paenitet." ... | |
| Latin Vulgate Bible | 9/24/2006 |
| Q: I'm not sure if I am breaking the "no personal translation projects/tattoos" rule, but I was trying ... A: That is the traditional (Sixto-Clementine) Vulgate version, except that it lacks punctuation. The ... | |
| Believe in Yourself | 9/23/2006 |
| Q: I am trying to get an accurate translation and pronounciantion for the affirmation "Believe in ... A: "Credo" with this meaning in classical Latin takes the dative rather than the accusative. Although ... | |
| Dare to Dream | 9/22/2006 |
| Q: I'm putting the finishing touches to a documentary on Iroman Triathlons in Australia. I felt I need ... A: That thought could be represented in Latin by "Aude concipere." ... | |
| Plague | 9/21/2006 |
| Q: Is there any way someone could translate the following title into Latin: The Day The Plague Was ... A: You could render that: "Illo die quo pestis serebatur." ... | |
| Strength | 9/20/2006 |
| Q: i was wondering if you could translate "find strength in your moments of weakness" A: You could render that: "Virtutem in temporibus infirmitatis inveni." ... | |
| In Death | 9/19/2006 |
| Q: For the phrase "In death may our souls be together", would "in mortis enim nostri anima absum arto" ... A: No, that makes no sense in Latin. If you want to keep as closely to that locuation as possible, you ... | |
| Revelation | 9/17/2006 |
| Q: Please can you tell me the Latin word for Revelation, as in the Book of Revelation from the Bible, ... A: The Latin word "revelatio" is pronounced, in Church Latin, revel-AH-tsee-oh. However, this is not ... | |
| Bias and Interference | 9/16/2006 |
| Q: How do you say in Latin "Free from interference. Free from bias."? A: You could render that thought: "Liber intercessione, liber inclinatione." ... | |
| Unity | 9/14/2006 |
| Q: How do you say Unity and Brotherhood in Latin? A: You could render that thought: "Concordia et sodalitas." ... | |
| Fate | 9/9/2006 |
| Q: Hey michael, Im after the translation for "fate is the essence of life", im just checking my ... A: "Fato" should be "Fatum," as subject in the nominative case. "Essentia" is a Late Latin word, but ... | |
| Wedding | 9/6/2006 |
| Q: If K is feminine and M is masculine would that change anything? ThanksHi there, I'm a Roman ... A: Letters of the alphabet do not have any inflexional endings for gender. That is why I suggested the ... | |
| Fate | 8/30/2006 |
| Q: Hey im tryig to find a latin tutor. My tutor says that this is how you say 'fate is in no ones ... A: You have Latin and English mixed in your sentence. You could render that thought: "Fortuna est in ... | |
| Dilemma | 8/29/2006 |
| Q: What is the latin word for "Dilemma"? A: In the usual English meaning of the Greek word, you could use "confusio." ... | |
| Song Lyrics | 8/28/2006 |
| Q: I am a songwriter and wish to title a song "The Sea of Peace". I thought the translation was "Mare ... A: There are several difficulties here. "Mare" is neuter, the ablative case is inappropriate, and ... | |
| Two Hearts | 8/11/2006 |
| Q: I'm currently doing a history paper, homework subject is to come up with a unique phrase in an ... A: You could render that: "Dua corda, amor una, semper." The rendition above won't work. It has ... | |
| Latin Imperative | 8/5/2006 |
| Q: I have two questions for you. One might be too tedious or annoying to answer and the other might be ... A: The command form, or imperative, in Latin is the root of the present system (drop "-re" from the ... | |
| Vatican Hill | 8/4/2006 |
| Q: First of all how are u doing. I was wondering the latin translation of the word VATICAN. I don't ... A: That would be "Vaticanus." The Vatican Hill, or Collis Vaticanus, the area between the Janiculum ... | |
| Latin Phrases | 7/24/2006 |
| Q: I was hoping that you could help me with the translations of some phrases. The online translators ... A: Those online "translators" are worthless. They're bad enough for the Romance languages, but when it ... | |
| Word Order | 7/4/2006 |
| Q: In latin, do you place the adjective before the noun or is it the other way around. A: Because Latin is a highly inflected language, that is, the endings of words carry much of the ... | |
| Roman Numerals | 6/20/2006 |
| Q: Sir, I was wondering if you could translate the date (20 May 2006) into Roman numerals for a ... A: The full modern form would be: Die XXa mensis Maii anni MMVI (on the 20th day of the month of ... | |
| Inter vs. Intra | 6/18/2006 |
| Q: I would really like some help with a text I am trying to understand. My Latin is very, very basic. ... A: "Inter" denotes "among" or "between," so "between boys" or "among the boys" is a reasonable meaning. ... | |
| latin translation | 5/27/2006 |
| Q: i saw this on a flyer for a service and i want to know if it is a correct translation Et si ... A: The transcription is a bit inaccurate. The Vulgate version of the fourth verse of Psalm 22 (Dominus ... | |
| Permissum vestri complector rector vos | 5/18/2006 |
| Q: I'll bet you've gotten a number of these requests from, alas, fans of the TV show "Lost." But could ... A: No, yours is the first. That sentence is not real Latin, neither in the words nor the syntax. It ... | |
| general phrases... | 4/27/2006 |
| Q: I am learning latin for a while already and i was wondering how you put together simple, now-a-day, ... A: Certainly you can use Latin for conversational purposes. After all, it has been used for 2500 years ... | |
| latin phrase | 3/23/2006 |
| Q: Please can you advise on the translation of 'fortes furtuna adiuvat' into English for me. Can you ... A: You must mean: "Fortes fortuna adiuvat," literally, Fortune helps brave men. "Fortes" is masculine ... | |
| cicero, de senectute | 3/22/2006 |
| Q: Morrison, Someone wrote me a letter which contained a piece of cicero's the senectute but I am not ... A: Ah, Cicero, all too many lack his practical Roman wisdom these days. The "De Senectute" (On Old ... | |
| Latin translation | 3/4/2006 |
| Q: I have a Latin text used by the Austrian composer, Michael Haydn entitled "Gradual" and composed in ... A: This is used in the Common Mass and Office for a Confessor Pontiff. It is based loosely upon ... | |
| strength and honour - followup | 1/22/2006 |
| Q: I appreciate your prompt reply. The question was a latin form for 'Strength and Honour'for which ... A: "Vires" is a plural form, which has the meaning "strength," and is the most common word in Latin ... | |
| Translation | 1/14/2006 |
| Q: Hmmm...well I am definitely taking your word for it given your credentials...I looked up crow/ raven ... A: You are apparently confusing a Latinized version of the Greek word for crow, "korax," but that word ... | |
| Translation | 1/13/2006 |
| Q: I have a couple questions. I know 'Corvx' means crow in Latin but I was wondering how you would ... A: There seems to be a transcriptional error here. The Latin word for "crow" is "corvus." Assuming ... | |
| help with translation please. | 1/4/2006 |
| Q: I am currently teaching myself latin at home, and am reading (or trying to read) Caesar. However, as ... A: "Quot spectatores heri in theatro fuistis?" "How many spectators were you yesterday in the theatre?" ... | |
| quick question | 12/19/2005 |
| Q: What would be the feminine equivalent of "Ecce Homo" ? Many thanks! A: In Latin, "homo" (which is etymologically unrelated to the combining form "homo-", which comes from ... | |
| Translate bible quote | 12/9/2005 |
| Q: Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes with the morning. Could you please translate this ... A: In St. Jerome's Vulgate, it is: "Ad vesperum demorabitur fletus et ad matutinum laetitia," ... | |
| Translation verification and beginner text suggestions... | 11/16/2005 |
| Q: Mr. Morrison: First off, kudos to you in your PhD studies in Latin. I'm definitely jealous ... A: 1) "In termino" is fine. "Incipit" and "incohat" are synonymous. "Init" would require a different ... | |
| Making it up.... | 10/4/2005 |
| Q: Sir, I was hoping get the Latin phrase for the term: 'Making it up as we go along' or 'We make it ... A: Yes, "ad hoc" gets the sense. It indicates that something is done "for this (purpose)." For an ... | |
| Translate to latin, 2 words. | 10/3/2005 |
| Q: I have read on a sword the phrase, Leofric me fec I was told that this means, Leofric made me. ... A: Whoever told you that was correct. That is what it means. This is a common inscription on goods ... | |
| meaning of a phrase | 9/17/2005 |
| Q: What is the meaning of this phrase in English: terminus post quem ? and what is the meaning of this ... A: The "terminus post quem" is the "boundary after which" something takes place. For example: "The ... | |
| eia and o | 9/8/2005 |
| Q: I was reading a poem in French and the poems used "eia" and "o", not knowing what eia was I searched ... A: "O" is typically used with the vocative (case of direct address), with a person being addressed: "O ... | |
| Latin phrase | 9/6/2005 |
| Q: While I understand that this is not a spot for "personal translation", I wonder if you could help ... A: ILLEGITIMIS NIL CARBORUNDUM. Don't let the bastards grind you down. From the mediaeval jingle, ... | |
| He and She | 8/25/2005 |
| Q: Is there a common form of telling he or she in English instead of writing he/she is there a word ... A: "He/she" is not stylistic English. It is awkward and unnecessary. Traditionally -- and this ... | |
| Latin motto | 8/19/2005 |
| Q: What is the source and meaning of the motto "Uva uvam vivendo varia fit" ? This motto was used by ... A: UVA UVAM VIDENDO VARIA FIT. A grape by seeing a grape becomes varied [in color]. The sense is ... | |
| Benedictus and/or Benedictum? | 8/10/2005 |
| Q: I notice that the new Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is referred to in Latin as both Benedictus and ... A: Latin is an inflected language; that is, the endings of the words denote the syntactical ... | |
| Bea ti in xto | 7/3/2005 |
| Q: I understand the beati as 'blessed' but what is 'inxto' or 'in xto'? The motto appears on a ... A: The phrase is "Beati in Christo" [Blessed in Christ]. "Xto" is an abbreviation for "Christo," with ... | |
| Translation: Latin to English / English to Latin | 6/23/2005 |
| Q: M. Morrison, I previously sought your advise on a phase that I was attempting to determine the ... A: That question was already answered yesterday. Apparently, AllExperts did not forward the answer to ... | |
| cambridge latin course question. | 6/21/2005 |
| Q: I am studying the clc at home, and i'm just stuck with something. As part of an exercise, i have to ... A: Well, you got all of the rest of the sentence, which was more difficult! Actually, it should be ... | |
| latin translation | 5/15/2005 |
| Q: but i do have one more question for you...i was also given the translation, "sola stare", would this ... A: No, it wouldn't. "Sola" would not be grammatical, and use of the infinitive introduces additional ... | |
| website menu in latin | 5/13/2005 |
| Q: I decided to have the site menu of my website in latin, so I tried to translate the following ... A: You're right; it's not correct. Dictionaries give you only words (and you have to know their ... | |
| Translation needed please | 4/21/2005 |
| Q: i have a very old medal that has come into my possesion and on the front of it it says "nunquam non ... A: It means "Never not new." These mottoes are difficult to fathom without some context, and even then ... | |
| Latin annotation | 3/30/2005 |
| Q: "Quae de hac questione...possunt" This sentence , as it is, was written in the margin of a copy of ... A: With a such a small fragment, it is impossible to know the context, but it is likely that "quae" is ... | |
| schools... | 3/19/2005 |
| Q: Do you know of any schools in the Chicago area that teach Latin as a spoken language? A: No, I don't. The University of Louisville sponsors several spoken Latin courses. Then there are ... | |
| Latin (?) spelling help | 3/12/2005 |
| Q: In court the judge asked the attorney for a (phonetic) "pray see" of the case -- as in, give me a ... A: The word is not Latin, but French, although the root is Latin. The pronunciation you gave is ... | |
| if you were e.g. a junior... | 2/24/2005 |
| Q: if you were e.g. a junior officer in the roman military circa 753AUC, discussing with another of ... A: In such a case, Latin would more likely use the perfect tense: "Sic imperatum est" ("impero" would ... | |
| Tatoo | 2/20/2005 |
| Q: So I got a tatoo with the words Abbas, Filius, and Flamen on them. I thought this meant Father, son, ... A: One has to be very careful about online "translations." Language is a much more complex entity than ... | |
| latin translation | 2/8/2005 |
| Q: i need help understanding reletive clauses. thanx. A: Relative clauses are those that (in English) begin with the words "who, whose, whom, that, or ... | |
| Carpe Diem | 1/8/2005 |
| Q: Morrison, I am looking to use the term 'Carpe Diem' and would like to use it written in Latin. I do ... A: You write it in Latin the same way you do in English. In fact, the written English alphabet is ... | |
| Correct translation? | 12/30/2004 |
| Q: Would you please tell me if these phrases (prayers) have been translated correcty? Domine, nos ... A: They stand in need of some correction. I have indicated the correct phrase in capital letters ... | |
| virgil's eclogues | 12/13/2004 |
| Q: I was wondering about your interpretation of Virgil's Eclogues, especially numbers 1 and 4. Also, ... A: The Eclogues should the advance of Latin poetry in the hands of Vergil, who equals the Greek ... | |
| translation of a Seneca quoation | 11/26/2004 |
| Q: My wife found the following as a prefix to a Wordswoth poem: iam non consilio bonus, sed more eo ... A: "He was not already good by design, but was led by the habit that not only could he act rightly, but ... | |
| classical / mediaeval | 11/19/2004 |
| Q: Morrison, I did Latin O level at school, so have a basic understanding. Some humanist scholars in ... A: Although Latin has been quite flexible to meet the needs of 2500 years, it did have a "classical" ... | |
| latin to english | 11/9/2004 |
| Q: could you translate a phrase for me. latin to english, thanks STAT FORTUNA DOMUS A: That looks like one of those mediaeval mottoes on a family crest. Often the Latin is different from ... | |
| Need help with a small quote | 11/8/2004 |
| Q: i was just wondering if you could translate the phrase "we live as we dream alone" I know this ... A: That rendition is fine. Feel free to use it. Just remember that any translation is an ... | |
| Definition: Barbarian | 10/31/2004 |
| Q: Morrison, In ancient Rome, what did the Romans call Barbarians; and what did it mean in ancient ... A: Essentially, "barbarians" were those outside the civilized gamut of the world, originally including ... | |
| What is the correction pronunciation... | 10/7/2004 |
| Q: What is the correction pronunciation of "lectio divina?" A: I assume that you are using this phrase in its usual ecclesiastical context. Therefore, I will ... | |
| Latin | 10/3/2004 |
| Q: "i am alone, left wondering, forever." ive had a bit of trouble and a few different ones so i need ... A: There is no one-to-one relationship between any one language and another. The notion of a ... | |
| in latin | 10/2/2004 |
| Q: I have to do a project for school and would like to have words written in Latin in it. Since I ... A: For the first, you could use: "Abundantius vitam vive" (after John 10:10 in the Latin Vulgate). ... | |
| I heard a saying on the radio... | 9/12/2004 |
| Q: I heard a saying on the radio the other day, " Don't let the bastards grind you down ". I think it ... A: The expression is: "Illegitimis nil carborundum," meaning, a bit loosely: "Don't let the bastards ... | |
| Enlgish to Latin | 9/11/2004 |
| Q: Would you please translate "Lost Soul" to latin. I've found translations around on the net but don't ... A: Probably that is because you have to go behind the ambiguity of the English expression. Such a soul ... | |
| Pig Latin | 9/6/2004 |
| Q: Is pig latin considered a language? A: "Language" in the broadest sense of the term, but it is a completely "derivative" language because ... | |
| English Translation | 8/19/2004 |
| Q: E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one), Annuit Coeptis (He has favored our undertakings), Novus Ordo ... A: The first three expressions are all found on the Great Seal of the United States, so they were all ... | |
| quick translation query | 7/30/2004 |
| Q: Morrison: I wonder if you can assist me with what I hope is a very quick medieval Latin question. ... A: In the text, you quote "infantulus," but in your commentary you quote "infantulos," so I'm left ... | |
| sword inscription | 7/24/2004 |
| Q: I was referred to your site by Mr. Mackay of Yuni Words of Wisdom. Several years ago during ... A: The meaning is: "Difficulties help me." There is a similar meaning in a common Latin saying: "Ad ... | |
| Latin Translation | 7/22/2004 |
| Q: I was tasked to come up with a new squadron motto and came up with "Mobility brings victory". I ... A: Yes, those "translators" are pretty worthless, aren't they? Language and thought are much too ... | |
| Latin translation | 7/20/2004 |
| Q: My friend would like to have her son's name engraved in latin on a ring for his 18th birthday and we ... A: Luke -> Lucas (Latinized Greek) Julian -> Julianus (a Roman emperor's name) Craig -> This derives ... | |
| translation | 7/13/2004 |
| Q: can you give me any latin words you know that convey the general idea of calm, stillness, ... A: Although cognates are not always the best translation, in this case, the Latin word "tranquillitas" ... | |
| English to latin phrase translation | 6/29/2004 |
| Q: I'm having trouble translating the phrase, "Only in dreams". So far I've come up with 'solum in ... A: Yes, translations require a good knowledge of the language, which a dictionary alone cannot provide, ... | |
| Latin in law | 5/28/2004 |
| Q: I've noted that legal writing and even speech is liberally peppered with Latin phrases and I've ... A: Latin is used because our western legal tradition is based in Roman Law. These phrases have an ... | |
| English Phrase to Latin | 5/24/2004 |
| Q: I hate to do this, due to the fact that in the instructions it says that I'm not supposed to use ... A: It could be rendered as follows: Ille solus est beatus, qui intra securus dicere possit: "Fac ... | |
| pronunciation | 5/16/2004 |
| Q: I would like to ask if there are several pronunciations of the word 'totius.' Some pronounce it as ... A: You are hearing two different types of pronunciations for two different contexts. The first is the ... | |
| latin inscription on grave | 5/3/2004 |
| Q: My mother, named Vita, died of heart attack at the age of 50, and we want to write a Latin phrase on ... A: The second epitaph doesn't make Latin sense, so let's stick with the former: VADE MECUM VIA VITAE ... | |
| latin FONT | 5/3/2004 |
| Q: ! I hope you can help me.I've recently asked Maria this question,but she missunderstood me !I've ... A: I'm not aware that the Roman themselves had names for these styles. Rather, the names were applied ... | |
| having trouble translating this... | 5/2/2004 |
| Q: As would be used in this short pararaph: "She would be forever, now, a vampyre; a creature of the ... A: Whereas "immortalis" is what is called a two-termination adjective in its form, that is, the ... | |
| Help with my novel | 4/30/2004 |
| Q: I am currently writing a novel for juveniles, set in ancient Rome. I need the following English ... A: I would render it: "O Iustiniane, intra. Transi ad illud tempus praeteritum et caliginosum." The ... | |
| Help Translating | 4/24/2004 |
| Q: I am trying to translate the phrase "A man's best friend is his duck" into Latin, but seeing as I ... A: I would correct the first to: "Hominis amicus optimus anas est." On the second, sometimes ... | |
| Latin | 4/14/2004 |
| Q: ------------------------- Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I know that the verb is ... A: Word order is quite flexible in Latin because most of the syntactical information is contained in ... | |
| use of locative | 4/9/2004 |
| Q: In a very funny scene from "The Life of Brian", a Monte Python movie, Brian has his Latin corrected ... A: Perhaps the original version was meant to be a Pythonesque joke. It is not correct Latin. "Romani, ... | |
| English to Latin translation | 3/18/2004 |
| Q: Sorry to bother you with such a silly thing but I belong to a group called the 'League of ... A: You could turn it something like: "Honestorum Foedus Virorum." It all depends what you mean by ... | |
| Translating the Pope's statement | 2/29/2004 |
| Q: I have two questions: 1. Would you be so kind to translate the Pope's now famous statement ( "It is ... A: 1) "Est sicut erat" would be a literal rendering. 2) Your teacher was speaking of what is known as ... | |
| English to Latin Phrase | 2/24/2004 |
| Q: There's a latin phrase on my class ring which is a motto I live by. Unfortunately, the writing is so ... A: I don't know how it is exactly rendered on your ring, but generally "Scientia, potestas" would be a ... | |
| Is this Latin | 2/19/2004 |
| Q: I have an old paper from my forefather an there is the text "pro consessionibus nuptarium" can ... A: Yes, it is Latin. It is hard for me to interpret, because I do not have any of the context, but it ... | |
| Latin adverb construction | 2/11/2004 |
| Q: We're studying time clues and find the discussion on the use of "post" confusing. What is the ... A: Both constructions are common in Classical Latin. The difference is somewhat subtle (as Latin often ... | |
| Science Rules | 2/10/2004 |
| Q: Morrison, Yesterday I asked the other Latin expert what "In Science We Trust" would be in Latin, ... A: In the first instance, I assume that you are referring to the motto of the United States, "In God We ... | |
| verb conjugation | 2/9/2004 |
| Q: "ignoramus ignorabimus" is a phrase attributed to a French (German?) philosopher (Dubois-Reynoud?). ... A: The verb is "ignorare" (first conjugation), meaning "to be ignorant." The stem is, therefore, ... | |
| Translation from english to latin | 1/9/2004 |
| Q: I would like to get tattoos that says 1. 'Brothers in Arms' and 2. 'Forever remembered' Could you ... A: Brothers in Arms: Fratres in armis. Forever Remembered: Semper commemoratus (if the remembrance ... | |
| Latin translation, please | 1/6/2004 |
| Q: I am reading a line from "Dracula" which says, "In manus tuas, Domine!" Translation? Thank you! ... A: In manus tuas, [Domine, commendo spiritum meum, et haec dicens expiravit] Into thy hands, [Lord, I ... | |
Michael
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Ph.D. Cand. in Classical Languages. Conversant with all forms of the language: classical, mediaeval, and modern.
Experience
I have 50 years of teaching at all levels of Latin from high school through university postgraduate. I read, write, and speak Latin daily.
Organizations
American Classical League, American Philological Association
Education/Credentials
A.B., M.A., Ph.D. Cand. in Classics.
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