Latin Phrases, Mottoes, Abbreviations, and Quotations (JCL)

A.U.C.

ab urbe condita/anno urbis conditae: from the founding of the city

A.D.

anno domini: in the year of our Lord

ad lib.

ad libitum: at pleasure

A.M.

ante meridiem: before noon

cf.

confer: compare

e.g.

exempli gratia: for example

et al.

et alia: and others

etc.

et cetera: and so forth, and the rest

ibid.

ibidem: in the same place

id.

idem: the same (author)

i.e.

id est: that is (an explanation)

M.D.

Medicinae Doctor: medical doctor, doctor of medicine

m.

meridie: at midday, noon

N.B.

nota bene: note well (pay attention to this)

op. cit.

opere citato: in the work cited/mentioned

per cent

per centum: by the hundred

P.M.

post meridiem: afternoon

pro tem.

pro tempore: for the time being

P.S.

post scriptum: written afterwards

Q.E.D.

Quod erat demonstrandum: that which must be demonstrated

q.v.

quod vide: which see

Rx

recipe: take as prescribed (medical term)

viz.

videlicet: namely

vs.

versus: against

ars artis gratia

art for the sake of art: Metro Goldwyn Mayer logo

cave canem

beware of the dog: found on a mosaic in Pompeii

e pluribus unum

from many, one (one out of many): U.S.-found on all coins

Annuit Coeptis

he (God) looks with favor on our undertakings: found on $1 bill

Novus Ordo Seclorum

a new order of the ages: found on $1 bill

semper fidelis

always faithful: U.S. Marine Corps

semper paratus

always prepared: U.S. Coast Guard

veni, vidi, vici

I came, I saw, I conquered: Julius Caesar

errare humanum est

to err is human: Seneca

carpe diem

seize the day: Horace

ars longa, vita brevis

art is long, life is short: Horace

et tu, Brute!

even you, Brutus: Julius Caesar

festina lente

make haste slowly: Augustus

in hoc signo vinces

by this sign you will conquer: Constantine saw this in the sky before the battle of the Milvian Bridge

mens sana in corpore sano

a sound mind in a sound body: Juvenal

A mari usque ad mare

from sea to sea: National motto of Canada

citius, altius, fortius

swifter, higher, stronger: motto of modern Olympics

alea iacta est

the die is cast: Caesar, as he was about to cross the Rubicon

Audentis Fortuna iuvat

Fortune favors the brave: Virgil

Rident stolidi verba Latina

Fools laugh at the Latin language: Ovid

Nec verbum verbo curabis reddere fidus interpres

As a true translator you will take care not to translate word for word: Horace

Difficile est tenere quae acceperis nisi exerceas

It is difficult to retain what you may have learned unless you should practice it: Pliny the Younger

a.c.

ante cibos: before meals

p.c.

post cibos: after meals

c.

cum: with

s.

sine: without

prn.

pro re nata: as needed

gtt.

guttae: drops

b.i.d.

bis in die: twice a day

t.i.d.

ter in die: three times a day

q.i.d.

quater in die: four times a day

p.o.

per os: by mouth

stat.

statim: immediately

aq.

aqua: water

q.s.

quantum sufficiat: as much as needed

sig.

signa: write

non rep.

non repetatur: do not repeat

h.s.

hora somni: at bedtime

o.d.

oculus dexter: right eye

o.s.

oculus sinister: left eye

ab ovo usque ad mala

from the egg to the apple (like "from soup to nuts")

ad hoc

for this purpose

ad infinitum

without end

ad nauseam

to the point of disgust

alma mater

nourishing mother: for any school/college

ante bellum

before the war

bona fide

in good faith

caveat emptor

let the buyer beware

de gustibus non est disputandum

there is no accounting for tastes; everyone to his own taste

corpus delicti

the body of the crime

cum grano salis

with a grain of salt

de facto

in fact; actually

de jure

by right; legally

de mortuis nil nisi bonum

speak only good of the dead

divide et impera

divide and rule

ex libris

from the books of

exit; exeunt

he goes out; they go out

ex officio

by virtue of office

ex post facto

enacted after the fact; retroactive

ex tempore

on the spur of the moment

habeas corpus

a writ to bring a detained person before a judge (lit. you should have the body)

in absentia

in absence

in loco parentis

in the place of a parent

in medias res

in the middle of things

in memoriam

in memory of

in re

in the matter of; concerning

in toto

entirely

ipso facto

by the very fact itself

lapsus linguae

a slip of the tongue

modus operandi

a method of working

modus vivendi

a method of living

multum in parvo

much in little

ne plus ultra

nothing more beyond; perfection

non compos mentis

not of sound mind

non sequitur

it does not follow; an illogical inference

pater patriae

father of his country