Latin Phrases and Their Meanings

A collection of Latin phrases with their English translations.

ab ovo usque ad mala

From the egg to the apple.

ad hoc

For this purpose.

ad infinitum

Without end.

ad nauseam

To the point of disgust.

alma mater

Nourishing mother.

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.

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.

errare humanum est

To err is human.

et tu, Brute!

Even you, Brutus!

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.

festina lente

Make haste slowly.

habeas corpus

A writ to bring a detained person before a judge.

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.

pater patriae

Father of his country.

pax vobiscum

Peace be with you.

per annum

By the year.

per capita

By heads.

per diem

By the day.

per se

By itself; essentially.

persona non grata

An unwelcome person.

post mortem

After death.

prima facie

On first sight or appearance.

post proelium, praemium

After the battle, the reward.

pro and con(tra)

For and against.

pro bono public

For the public welfare.

pro tempore

For the time being.

quid pro quo

Something for something.

sic transit gloria mundi

Thus passes the glory of the world.

sine die

Indefinitely; without setting a day.

sine qua non

Indispensable; a necessity.

status quo

The existing state of affairs.

stet

Let it stand.

te Deum laudamus

We praise you, O Lord.

tempus fugit

Time flies.

terra firma

Solid ground.

vade mecum

A constant companion.

verbatim

Word for word.

via

By way of.

vice versa

The other way around.

vigilantia pretium libertatis

Vigilance is the price of liberty.

viva voce

By spoken word.

vox populi, vox Dei

The voice of the people is the voice of God.

Iustitia omnibus

Justice for all. (DC)

Ad astra per aspera

To the stars through difficulties. (Kansas)

Cedant arma togae

Let arms yield to the toga (peace). (Wyoming)

Esto perpetua

May it last forever. (Idaho)

Montani semper liberi

Mountaineers are always free. (West Virginia)

Excelsior

Ever upward/higher. (New York)

Esse quam videri

To be rather than to seem. (North Carolina)

Labor omnia vincit

Work conquers all. (Oklahoma)

Regnat populus

The people rule. (Arkansas)

Ditat Deus

God enriches. (Arizona)

Si quaeris paeninsulam amoenam circumspice

If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you. (Michigan)

Virtute et armis

By valor and arms. (Mississippi)

Dum spiro, spero

While there's life, there's hope. (South Carolina)

Animis opibusque parati

Prepared in mind and resources. (South Carolina)

Scuto bonae voluntatis Tuae coronasti nos

With the shield of Thy good will Thou has covered us. (Maryland)

Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem

With the sword she seeks calm peace under liberty. (Massachusetts)

Dirigo

I point the way. (Maine)

Crescit eundo

It grows as it goes. (New Mexico)

Nil sine numine

Nothing without divine guidance. (Colorado)

Qui transtulit sustinet

He who transplanted, sustains. (Connecticut)

Sic semper tyrannis

Thus ever to tyrants. (Virginia)

Audemus iura nostra defendere

We dare defend our rights. (Alabama)

Salus populi suprema lex esto

The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law. (Missouri)

Alis volat propriis

He flies by his own wings. (Oregon)

Artes, scientia, veritas

Arts, knowledge, truth (University of Michigan)

Civium in moribus rei publicae salus

The welfare of the states lies in the character of its citizens. (University of Florida)

Crescat scientia, vita excolatur

Let knowledge grow, let life be enriched. (University of Chicago)

Disciplina praesidium civitatis

Training, the defense of the state. (University of Texas)

Ecce quam bonum

Behold how good. (University of the South, Sewanee)

In Deo speramus

In God we trust. (Brown University)

In lumine tuo videbimus lumen

In your light, we shall see the light. (Columbia Uni)

Litteris dedicata et omnibus artibus

Dedicated to letters and all the arts. (Uni of Nebraska)

Lux et lex

Light and law. (Uni of North Dakota)