I've searched the forum but found no answer to my question. How would one say obviously in Latin? As in answering a question with a "it's option b, obviously!" Online dictionaries have given me all sorts of possible translations and I don't have a clue which one is the correct option. Would it be evidenter?
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1Can you tell us a more concrete version of the kind of situation you have in mind—a little story where someone wants to say this? That will help us find appropriate Latin. I think, though, that most of the synonyms fit most situations: scilicet, plane, certe, sane, quippe, nempe, vere, clare, videlicet —hmm, there are indeed a lot! Nimirum, literally "no wonder", might best carry the insinuation that the question need not have been asked.– Ben KovitzFeb 25, 2021 at 4:10
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@BenKovitz Thank you for your answer. The exact example is the one I've mentioned You have a question with multiple answers and must choose the correct one. Someone asks you which one is the correct answer, and you answer "option X, obviously!" because the other options are not even related to the topic at hand so there's absolutely no doubt that the correct one is X.– IzaFeb 25, 2021 at 12:23
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Hi Iza! You seem to have created two accounts. You can follow these instructions to merge them. Having this question connected to your registered account allows you to respond by comments and edit your question.– Joonas Ilmavirta ♦Feb 25, 2021 at 14:09
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Here are some examples to show what I mean, and how widely this can vary. Roommate A: "Did you take out the trash, yes or no?", referring to the overflowing garbage can in plain sight. Roommate B: "No, obviously!", admitting guilt and sarcastically implying an unwillingness to do it (as opposed to "No, obviously. Sorry, I forgot."). Teacher pointing to an exam question, which reads: "Which is a solution to x^2 + 2 = 11: 3 or b?" Student: "3, obviously!" A happy demonstration of understanding. If a student asks and the teacher answers that way, it might be insulting, depending on intonation.– Ben KovitzFeb 25, 2021 at 16:02
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2 Answers
Ben Kovitz listed some relevant words in his comment and Sebastian Koppehel added some more. In the case you mention ("this option is obviously correct") I think the most natural option is to use and adverb derived from an adjective. The others feel too weak for such an emphatic use, much like "indeed" is weaker (and otherwise different too) than "obviously". More importantly, you seem to want to use the word independently rather than as a part of a sentence, and that rules out many words. I don't think you could just cry out Quippe!…
The candidates seem to be:
- Clare: brightly, clearly, aloud
- Sane: healthily, well, truly, certainly
- Vere: truthfully
- Certe: certainly, surely
- Plane: plainly, simply, clearly
- Evidenter: evidently, manifestly
- Manifesto: clearly, evidently, manifestly
- Aperte: openly, clearly, plainly
I think the ones that come closest in tone to "obviously" are manifesto (from manifestus) plane (from planus). The one you mention, evidenter (from evidens), is also a good option. See the linked dictionary entries for more details on my top candidates. None of the three match "obviously" perfectly, but they are the closest I can think of for the use case you have.
answered Feb 25, 2021 at 14:16
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@SebastianKoppehel Thanks! I like manifesto a lot for this use.– Joonas Ilmavirta ♦Feb 26, 2021 at 7:16
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1The level of sarcasm that the OP wants still isn't clear to me, but don't scilicet and videlicet carry this kind of meaning? Feb 26, 2021 at 12:10
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@BenKovitz Not to my knowledge, and I don't think they can be used in isolation. But I'd be happy to be proven wrong!– Joonas Ilmavirta ♦Feb 26, 2021 at 12:11
In addition to the adverbial forms given by Joonas, you could also use an impersonal construction like this:
Patet X rectum responsum esse.
Or even more forcefully:
X rectum responsum esse solis luce clarius est.
It is clearer than sunlight that X is the correct answer.
answered Feb 25, 2021 at 23:52
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2Do you think it's possible to cry out "Patet!" akin to using "Obviously!" in isolation? The OP's use case looks more like that.– Joonas Ilmavirta ♦Feb 26, 2021 at 7:17
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2@JoonasIlmavirta That sounds satis Latine to me, although I know no direct example. I did find this from Cicero though (in the L&S entry for pateo): Quid porro quaerendum est? factumne sit? at constat: a quo? at patet. (Nice how one accidentally comes across these little vignettes of Ciceronian rhetoric just browsing the dictionary. He really was good.) Feb 26, 2021 at 8:04