Questions tagged [vocabulary]
This tag is for questions concerning the meaning and usage of individual words or a few words in conjunction with each other.
2
votes
3answers
120 views
Does 'ipse' truly mean change?
This quote hails from the liner notes to this CD: John Adams's Violin Concerto performed by Leila Josefowicz, David Robertson of St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Alice Miller Cotter has a BA in Music (...
7
votes
6answers
1k views
How to say 'striped' in Latin
I'm looking for a way to describe striped cloth — that is, with regular stripes all over, or like the stripes on the flag of the USA.
I'm well aware of the stripe on a toga, angusticlavus, etc. But ...
6
votes
1answer
93 views
In what sense is a university (universitas) a whole?
The word for a university in many languages (not Finnish though!) comes the Latin word universitas.
The word appears to mean roughly "the whole", but one might also analyze it along the lines of "...
2
votes
1answer
37 views
How do you translate: What things, then, will you do?
how do you translate the following sentence: What things, then, will you do?
I am particularly doubtful of the translation of "things" here. Would we use res, rei?
2
votes
2answers
72 views
How would you say “same thing” in Latin?
How would you say "same thing" in Latin? As in the sentence: If only you were feeling the same thing that I feel for you?
3
votes
1answer
334 views
What would the Romans have called “sorcery”?
In Christian Latin, the word maleficia is used for "witchcraft" or "sorcery": supernatural powers that don't come from God, and are probably associated with demons. A person who uses these powers is a ...
2
votes
1answer
46 views
An idiom for working as something
I would like to have a good idiom or two to express working in some position.
A structure like this seems to be missing from my vocabulary, or at least I don't feel confident enough that what I might ...
6
votes
2answers
502 views
What is a romance in Latin?
The word "romance" seems to come from Latin, but no similar Latin word appears to mean anything related.
Is there a good Latin word for a romance, a kind of an intimate relationship?
I cannot think of ...
3
votes
1answer
22 views
Usage of Exigo, Exigere
Can the verb "exigo, exigere, exegi, exactum," be used to mean "that man will pull through, despite his many injuries?"
Wheelocks' translation allows for the meanings of "drive through, complete, ...
19
votes
3answers
7k views
“Oh no!” in Latin
Are there idiomatic Latin exclamations similar to the English "oh no!" used when one finds oneself in an unfortunate situation?
The only thing that I came up with is that I might want to use vae or o ...
5
votes
1answer
145 views
Can “nemo” be an adjective?
I subscribe to a "Latin word of the day" email, which sends me a random vocabulary word and an example sentence every day. Last night's email had this:
pecco, to sin.
Nemo accusator caret culpa; ...
4
votes
1answer
64 views
Please translate: “Bacon Machine” (Apologies in advance for the somewhat silly question)
For a game I'm working on, I'm looking for a phrase in Latin that describes a robot created for the purpose of making synthetic bacon.
After looking at Latin grammar books, my current guess as to a ...
2
votes
1answer
44 views
Understanding the use of “regnavit”
Regnavit is the
third-person singular perfect active indicative of rēgnō
(Wiktionary)
Now, many times this word translated as if present, regnat, which is puzzling. For example, consider Psalm ...
3
votes
1answer
60 views
Is “eloquii mystici” a correct translation of “sorcerers/enchanters”?
Is "Omnus nos eloquii mystici" correctly written to say "We are all sorcerers/enchanters"? I know there are different ways to say sorcerer or enchanter, but I really want to use "eloquii mystici". I ...
23
votes
4answers
11k views
How do I say “Brexit” in Latin?
Londinium, Britannia, 284 AD. The military commander Carausius is leading a movement to take Britannia out of the Imperium Romanum. He thinks there is a conspiracy between locals and foreigners to ...
4
votes
1answer
62 views
What does the f. adjective “tulda” mean?
In the scientific name Bambusa tulda, I would like to know what tulda (tuldus?) means.
3
votes
2answers
102 views
What is the Latin word for “will”, as in “willpower”?
The English noun "will" has a few different meanings. One is the choice or intention to do something, as in "willing" and "free will": Latin voluntās.
Another meaning, though, is more like "resolve" ...
3
votes
1answer
55 views
Lost and Confused--Supplemental
I am advised to re-submit this as a separate question (had thought, initially, it was just an aside, barely worthy of mention); anyway, North & Hillard Ex. 195: "All order thus being lost, Nicias ...
3
votes
2answers
103 views
Uter vs. Uterque
The way I learned 'uter' and 'uterque' was as follows. 'Uter' is like the Greek 'πότερος', meaning (in interrogative uses) 'which, of two?' and (in non-interrogative uses) 'either, of two'. I learned ...
3
votes
2answers
56 views
Trying to come up with a sort of wordplay phrase that translates to “power takes control”
Trying to come up with a sort of wordplay phrase that translates to “power takes control” but uses a Latin word that can mean both takes as in requires and takes as in takes away from you. This is for ...
2
votes
0answers
33 views
How do I translate “On the Nature of Renewal” into Latin?
I'm trying to create a title in latin:
On the Nature of Renewal
where Renewal could be exchanged with Rebirth or Regeneration, and Nature is maybe better as Subject. With this structure, I figured ...
3
votes
2answers
186 views
Why is “ita vero” two words?
I was taught the way to say "yes" in Latin is two words: "ita vero". It seems counter-intuitive that it's two words, but why is that so? In essence, why is the Latin word for yes two words? Does "ita" ...
6
votes
1answer
126 views
<quality> even for being a <noun>
Salvēte omnēs, hocc erit mihi prīmum rogātum hāc in sēde. Haud dūdum vīdī quendam hominem scīscitārī, quōmodo posset Latīnē dīcī "he has a long tail, even for a cat". Ad quod rogātum cum respondēre ...
4
votes
1answer
121 views
Are there any words in Latin that are “light”?
In Latin, every syllable is either "light" or "heavy". A "heavy" syllable is one that has a long vowel and/or a coda consonant, and a "light" syllable is anything else. This distinction is important ...
4
votes
1answer
181 views
Phrasing “I am enough” in Latin
Can someone help me distinguish between "ego satis" vs "sum satis" vs "Ego satis superque sum"?
I want to say "I am enough" as in "good enough as a person".
3
votes
1answer
59 views
How many letters are words in Latin?
In English, there are a few words that sound the same as a single letter. Some are spelled with a single letter ("I", "a") while others are just pronounced that way ("eye", "cue", "why").
How many of ...
3
votes
1answer
219 views
What does 'i' mean in Latin
I was reading a story in Latin, and part of it said "i nunc, Mercuri". I don't know what i is in Latin. By the way, this line is said in dialogue. Is it a filler word similar to the "umm" or does it ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Scius as the name for a company
After a long time looking for Latin names for the name of my startup, I came up with "Scius", which from what I was reading means cognizant. This will be a company in the area of data science. So I'd ...
5
votes
0answers
39 views
Is *rīcus attested?
The word for "rich" in most Romance languages looks something like, well, "rich". It declines like a first/second declension adjective, and seems to go back to Germanic *rīkijaz (possibly through ...
4
votes
3answers
77 views
Choosing a “wait” - exspecto, opperior or maneo
I hope that my question won't seem too flippant or strange... I'm not any sort of Latin scholar or student, but I am trying to coin a term based on Latin. I've been trying through several routes to ...
4
votes
2answers
237 views
Why and when would “num” be used?
According to what I understand num is used when the asker of the question is already aware that the answer will be no. Does this have any other uses besides rhetorical questions?
5
votes
2answers
70 views
Latin form of Igor
How would you translate the name Igor into Latin? The Latin Wikipedia uses Inguarus (e.g. Inguarus Stravinskij), which is the Latinised version of Ingvar.
1
vote
0answers
31 views
Natural or unflavoured products
There are a number of different flavours of, say, yogurts, and one of them is plain, without any added flavours besides what is needed to make the yogurt.
In English this flavour seems to be often ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
What is the Latin name for the Romani people?
The Romani (aka Gypsies, though some consider that a slur) are nomadic people who dispersed across Europe about a thousand years ago. In other languages they have exonyms like tzigane, gitan, and ...
3
votes
2answers
64 views
A translation for 'stirrup'
I have to translate the word 'stirrup' into Latin. Since the Romans (famously) rode without stirrups I can find no useful classical reference and have decided to use stapes, which is used by ...
9
votes
3answers
494 views
Minimal pair [y] – [y:] in Latin
Are there minimal pairs distinguished only by length of [y] in Latin? Was the short variant of /y/ pronounced like [ʏ]?
7
votes
1answer
365 views
What to call a Christmas present in Latin?
What would be a good way to call Christmas presents on contemporary Latin?
Are there attested Latin descriptions of early Christmas where presents are given, or should we perhaps choose something ...
3
votes
0answers
104 views
Are there Classical Latin words whose meanings are unknown to us?
Are there any attested Classical Latin words whose meanings are unknown to us?
Given the intensive study of the Classical Latin corpus and the many methods of getting at the meanings of words (...
4
votes
2answers
198 views
What is a forum in Latin?
The word "forum" as used in English and many other modern languages obviously comes from Latin.
It means a place where people gather to discuss, like an online forum or a scientific conference, but ...
4
votes
0answers
69 views
“Explaining oneself” in Classical Latin
How should I say in Classical Latin the following phrases?
"Explain yourself!"
"I didn't explain myself well", "I didn't make myself / wasn't clear"
I've been thinking of the verbs explico and ...
2
votes
1answer
63 views
What was the standard ancient term for a thermopolium?
This page on thermopolia reports a quotation from Mary Beard, classics professor at Cambridge University:
“The best way to escape a diet of bread, cheese and fruit, eaten in small lodginggs over a ...
2
votes
1answer
53 views
How to say “of the” as in “Church of The Blessed Virgin” with the sense of “belonging to” or “patronage”?
I would be glad if anyone could help me how to translate the name "Church of the Virgin Mary" or at least how to place "of the" in the sense of "belonging in patronage" in such contexts? Other ...
5
votes
2answers
254 views
What is a boyfriend or a girlfriend in Latin?
When answering this question, it occurred to me that I don't know what to call a "boyfriend" or a "girlfriend" in Latin.
What would be good words?
I assume that the same solution will work for both ...
6
votes
1answer
57 views
how to interpret ‘formosus’ via its morphological components
The adj. formosus can be decomposed as follows:
forma + -os-us
where forma means ‘shape, form’ and -os- ‘with abundance’. However, when the two notions come together, the whole, which literally ...
2
votes
2answers
121 views
Is there a verb for people of the same sex marrying in latin?
As far as I know there are two words in Latin that indicate two people marrying
nubere
This means to veil oneself for marriage. It thus has to be said by a female member and it is implied that this ...
6
votes
1answer
114 views
on the word–analysis of ‘viridis’
According to OLD, the adj. viridis derives from the verb vireo, but nothing is mentioned about the suffix that turns the verb to the adj. Could anyone tell about the suffix that transforms the verb ...
4
votes
2answers
76 views
Putting “spread” on a bread in Latin
There are various kinds of spreads one can put on a bread, made from butter, vegetable oils, or other ingredients.
What would be a good general word for these products for use in contemporary Latin?
...
5
votes
1answer
47 views
how to interpret the diminutive-suffixed adj. **lacteolus**
I read the following content in the Oxford Latin Dictionary:
lacteolus = lacteus+ -olus,
where -olus is a diminutive suffix.
The ‘normal’ form lacteus and the diminutive form lacteolus share ...
8
votes
1answer
143 views
Is it idiomatic to say “Intellego” to assure the speaker you're understanding?
In other words, when an English speaking person would say "I see" meaning "I understand what you're saying", is it natural in classical Latin to say Intellego, as in, maybe even more than once? If not,...
5
votes
1answer
68 views
What to call a visa in Latin?
Is there an established Latin word for "visa", the kind of document you need to enter some countries?
The English word seems to come from the past participle of the Latin verb videre, and so does the ...
