NLE La 2 expressions 1

Latin in Use: 

Latin in Use Expressions Part I

SPQR Senatus Populusque Romanus : 

SPQR Senatus Populusque Romanus The senate and the Roman People

N.B. Nota Bene: 

N.B. Nota Bene Note well Nota Bene note pads

i.e. id est: 

i.e. id est that is

e.g. exempli gratia: 

e.g. exempli gratia For example Sea creatures

Etc. et cetera: 

Etc. et cetera And other things

vs.: 

v s. versus Hillsborough vs. Jefferson

A.D. anno domini: 

A.D. anno domini In the year of our Lord – starts with birth of Christ

Et al. et alii: 

Et al. et alii And others

Cf.: 

Cf. Confer = compare

a.m. ante meridiem: 

a.m. ante meridiem Before noon

p.m. post meridiem: 

p.m. post meridiem After noon

Ab ovo usque ad mala: 

Ab ovo usque ad mala From the egg to the apples

Ad infinitum : 

Ad infinitum To infinity = without end

Ad aeternum: 

Ad aeternum To infinity = without end

Status quo: 

Status quo The way things currently are; the existing state of affairs What’s status quo? Here’s an example. Some creatures like Odie b ucked the Darwinian trend. They never did evolve. Now that’s maintaining the s tatus quo ante.

Ars longa, vita brevis: 

Ars longa , vita brevis Art is long, life is short; art lasts forever, artists die and are forgotten Hippocrates What is usually understood by Ars longa , vita brevis is something along the lines of 'art lasts forever, but artists die and are forgotten’. That is questioned by some, who say that it is a misinterpretation based on a misunderstanding of the translation of ' ars ' as 'art'. If we accept that the Latin term ' ars ’ is equivalent to the Greek ' techne ' and that, consequently, ' ars ' is better translated into English as 'skill' or 'craft', we may opt to interpret the phrase differently . The full quotation, in Latin, is"Ars longa , vita brevis , occasio praeceps , experimentum periculosum , iudicium difficile . " This can be rendered into English as 'life is short, the art (craft/skill) long , opportunity fleeting, experiment treacherous, judgment difficult’. That would lead us to interpret the meaning as 'it takes a long time to acquire and perfect one's expertise (in, say, medicine ) and one has but a short time in which to do it'.

Bibliography: 

Bibliography How Do We Know About the Romans? By Corbishley Internet Prepared by Judith Hahn, 2011