Questions tagged [reference-request]
Questions requesting a specific reference to a word, grammatical construct, or other language element, such as in the writings of a particular author.
29
questions
9
votes
1answer
1k views
What does “tom. i.” mean?
I'm seeing the following abbreviation in several book/manuscript citations, particularly in religious works, but I have no idea what the abbreviation means. From the context of where I'm finding it, I'...
7
votes
1answer
840 views
Olympic oath : The crown or death (?)
In a Wikipedia article about the Olympics, I read the following sentence (my translation)
Finally, the pleasure of participating is alien to the Greek ideal, for which only victory is worth winning, &...
4
votes
1answer
115 views
Where can I look up Mycenaean words?
Given a word in Attic, Doric, Koine, or pretty much any other Greek dialect, I can usually find information on it through the Perseus morphological analyzer.
However, Perseus doesn't cover Mycenaean. ...
6
votes
2answers
276 views
Citation needed for “Casta placent superis…”
I am trying to read the poems of Pope John Paul II. They are sprinkled with references to the Vulgate. But two Latin lines,
Casta placent superis; pura cum veste venite,
et manibus Puris sumite ...
2
votes
1answer
78 views
What are some of the major words that we use in English directly (unmodified) from Latin?
I am looking through the Wiki page on Latin words used in English, but they mostly consist of words like "lux" and "terra", words that are sort of used in English, but really have that Latin feel to ...
3
votes
2answers
74 views
Information on the Penates
I'm writing a passage analysis on Vergil's Aeneid, III.103++, which includes the scene where Aeneas is visited by the Penates (household gods), which the Trojans have brought with them from Troy.
As ...
2
votes
1answer
99 views
Two Sappho-related reference requests
As some of you will definitely know, I have been grappling with Sappho for a long time. Lately, I have come to an impasse in a couple places, where I have said all I can without a specific reference I ...
3
votes
2answers
77 views
Using genitive and infinitive to describe characteristics
Answering this question, I recalled a somewhat rare construction used to express that an action is characteristic of someone.
Pekkanen's Ars Grammatica (§77.1) gives two examples:
Cuiusvis hominis ...
8
votes
1answer
488 views
Understanding a reference to Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
On page 33 of Companion Animals & Us, there is a line:
I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I access the Oxford Latin Dictionary online?
I'm using a university account to sign into Oxford Scholarly Editions Online (OSEO).
To what 'widget' does the official webpage refer? Is it online? Must it be downloaded?
A widget enabling users ...
4
votes
1answer
385 views
Reference for “Ab esse ad posse valet consequentia”
I came across Kant asserting the following in Metaphysik L₂:
Ab esse ad posse valet consequentia; a posse ad esse non valet
consequentia.
This appears to be a very old precept that probably ...
7
votes
1answer
183 views
Is there a canonical list of Latinized names?
I'm not only talking about names that existed during the classical period, but also the standard Latinization of modern European names; for example hugo, hugonis is the standard medieval Latin ...
2
votes
0answers
58 views
Question related to “the tree of apples” in the Bible
Is it true that we tend to associate the tree whose fruit Eve convinced Adam to taste with an apple tree because of a certain translation mistake related to the word malum? Don't know how common this ...
5
votes
1answer
237 views
A textbook for Latin
What would be the one book recommendation you'd definitely give an individual interested in learning Latin?
The individual would like the book to include a good overview of Latin at the very least; ...
8
votes
1answer
103 views
Are there literary attestations of werewolves in the Classical period?
The modern idea of werewolves seems to have arisen somewhere in the Middle Ages, after the spread of Christianity. But I vaguely remember a story in the Satyricon (specifically at Trimalchio's dinner) ...
4
votes
3answers
467 views
Is there a Latin source for “He who is able to laugh at himself, is invincible”?
Some time ago I came across a Latin sentence that roughly came down to:
"He who is able to laugh at himself, is invincible"
At the time I thought: Oh well, this must be a well known Roman saying (...
7
votes
1answer
81 views
References of medieval ornithology terms
I was browsing through the Czech-Latin dictionary Glossarius by Magister Bohemarius Bartholomaeus de Solencia dictus Claretus, which also lists an impressive collection of zoology terms, and I found ...
5
votes
1answer
161 views
What is the largest known piece of Etruscan literature?
The Etruscans had a written language, and they must have had some kind of literature.
Wikipedia gives a short mention.
What is the largest known piece of Etruscan literature?
It could be an epic poem, ...
5
votes
0answers
46 views
damnatio memoriae
The Wikipedia article on the subject notes that the term damnatio memoriae, referring to the relegation of a person's name to oblivion, as if they never existed, is a neo-Latin expression first ...
3
votes
0answers
43 views
Can we find a quotation from an author containing the word μεγαρτός?
I ran into this this morning, and had an exchange in comments with the other answerer (after answering myself). The word μεγαρτός, I'm fairly certain, means "envied", being the -τος verbal adjective ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Is the prefix “di-” more Latin-like than “bi-”?
Question.
(1) Is there anything close to scientifically-meaningful to say about whether the prefix "di-" is more Latin than the prefix "bi-", when indicating two-ness?
(2) Are there published ...
6
votes
2answers
234 views
Books of reading medieval Latin manuscripts
I would like to learn how to read medieval Latin manuscripts, but they often use abbreviations/shorthand. What are some books that would help me read these manuscripts?
7
votes
1answer
129 views
Job 5.7 in the King James version
This extract from the novel 'Three Men in a Boat' refers to Job 5.7:
This world is only a probation, and man was born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.
I hoped to quote the source, expecting ...
6
votes
1answer
130 views
Semantic differences between Greek comparatives/superlatives of “good”, “bad”
(This is more of a reference request than a question, since I'm looking for a more detailed discussion than is normal for an SE answer.)
The Greek adjectives for "good" and "bad" each have several ...
2
votes
0answers
72 views
Learning latin, good books at beginner's level [duplicate]
I would like to learn Latin, starting from scratch. That is to say, I do not know anything at all about Latin. Which book would be a good one to start with?
9
votes
1answer
1k views
Colors of the rainbow
The classical Latin word for a rainbow seems to be Iris (Iris or Iridis, f.).
Did the Romans ever list or otherwise discuss the colors of the rainbow in extant literature?
I asked about colors in ...
4
votes
1answer
99 views
Ancient sources for singing in a bath
Years ago a fellow Latinist told me that singing in the shower is not a new invention.
He mentioned some ancient (Roman, I believe) writer mentioning that singing is convenient while bathing due to ...
16
votes
2answers
784 views
What colours did different colour words mean, exactly?
There are many different words for colours in Latin, but it's not easy to tell what kind of colour was exactly meant by each word.
Do we know what different colour words meant?
In particular, is there ...
19
votes
1answer
1k views
On the etymology of “discipulus” and “disciplina”
I am interested in the origin of the words discipulus and disciplina, which have found their way into many modern languages, e.g., in the English words disciple and discipline. Unfortunately, there ...
