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.
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questions
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Duumvir vs Duovir
A Duumvir, or Duovir, is one member of a two-man council.
Why are there two spellings, what does the nuance imply, and which one is correct under which circumstance?
5
votes
1answer
86 views
Counting to ten in Homeric Greek
How do you count to ten in Homeric Greek? The following is what I put together by knowing how to count to ten in modern Greek, and then looking for ancient forms that looked similar. Is this right for ...
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0answers
48 views
Old illustrated books showing daily life in ancient Greece or Rome
When I was learning French, I found it very helpful to work on my vocabulary using a picture book called First Thousand Words in French. For example, it would have something like a full-page picture ...
0
votes
1answer
114 views
Translation of ab and de in Greek,
How would one best translate ab and de from Latin to Greek in order to capture the different nuances?
In Greek both are usually translated as από.
I am trying to capture the nuances so I am using ...
0
votes
0answers
29 views
Looking for Personal Lexicon / Dictionary Program
I'm trying to find a personal lexicon/dictionary/language study/flash card program - preferably one that makes allowances (ie has a place to enter) all of the forms of a word (noun declensions, verb ...
1
vote
1answer
44 views
What do “inexquisitum” and “supramemorati” mean?
In a medieval document I am reading the words "inexquisitum" and "supramemorati" appear. I do not know these words, can not find them on Google and they are not in my dictionary. Does anyone know what ...
5
votes
1answer
137 views
Can the title “Pie Pellicane, Iesu Domine” be shortened?
I have a question regarding the Pelican Piety allegory. Is it accurate to inscribe it this way:
IESU PIE PELLICANE
For lack of space on artistic scroll work, is this accurate?
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votes
2answers
1k views
When can “qui” mean “how”?
From brianpck's comment on another answer:
"qui" quite often means "how" in Plautus
This took me by surprise, since I'd never seen that use before.
In what contexts can quī mean "how"? And where ...
0
votes
1answer
76 views
How to translate: “If anyone asks what you are now learning tell them they are unworthy?”
I am curious about the best way to translate this sentence into Latin:
"If anyone asks what you are now learning tell them they are unworthy"
Thanks in advance!
-Sue
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2answers
162 views
What is “appactim”?
The asker of another question cited a passage from a Hebrew-Latin lexicon:
At הֲלוֹם, arab. هَلُمَّ particula, huc, usque huc. pr. appactim.
Another edition of the book seems to confirm this ...
5
votes
2answers
282 views
Advenit versus Venit
In Cap. VII of LLPSI, Ørberg introduces Advenit with the following sentence
Ecce Iulius ad villam advenit.
It's curious to me that the verb includes the preposition; why not just use venit alone ...
6
votes
1answer
192 views
What does “Filiane” mean?
I am learning Latin from Collar and Daniell's FIRST YEAR LATIN. In LESSON IV: THE GENITIVE CASE TO DENOTE POSSESSION, an exercise is given (sentence translation).
Some examples:
Līberatne? Līberō, ...
3
votes
1answer
224 views
Lists of words to memorize before reading Lingua Latina Per Se Ilustrata classified by type: nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc
I read that a good way to use LLPSI is by memorizing lists of words before going to the text. Does anyone know where these word list are?
2
votes
1answer
52 views
Translation request
I would like to translate the term "always loved" - referring to 2 parents.
Would it be acceptable to translate this as semper carissimi rather than semper amati?
5
votes
2answers
352 views
Translating “newsletter” or “bulletin”
Is there any analogue of English newsletter or French bulletin in Latin?
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0answers
67 views
Discere and Studere
When "discere" can be synonymous with "studere"?
I read an old book saying that:
"discere" and "studere" aren't usually synonymous, but they can be in some particular contexts.
I'd like to know in ...
2
votes
1answer
55 views
ULD adpositions
To familiarize myself with Latin adpositions, I tried to translate the first chapter of the Universal Language Dictionary.
I would like to find for each term the least ambiguous and most common ...
3
votes
1answer
80 views
Fill vs fill up in Latin?
If I wanted to translate "To fill a cup" and "To fill up a cup", are there in Latin 2 different words to translate "fill" and "fill up"?
To fill up = to fill totally.
6
votes
1answer
216 views
Substantivization of “continuum”
I wonder how to translate "continuum hypothesis" into Latin. Indeed, "continuum" is an adjective in Latin (so we would have "continuous hypothesis" if we were trying a literal translation) and I don't ...
5
votes
1answer
291 views
Generic toast in classical Latin
Was there a generic toast that Romans would say to each other when drinking, along the lines of Cheers, or Sláinte. It doesn't need to have the meaning of those so much as have the same cultural usage:...
2
votes
2answers
106 views
How do I translate this phrase?
The phrase is "apud milites questus fratrem sibi insidias comparare". I know all the words individually but for some reason, the sentence just is not coming together in my mind.
To give some context, ...
10
votes
2answers
472 views
Present participles of the verb esse
Inspired by the answers to this question, I want to ask about the different present participles of esse over time and their fate. I am aware that esse is a defective verb that classically does not ...
7
votes
1answer
142 views
Italiānus “native or inhabitant of Italy” - Latin or Macaronicanese?
I've come across the adjective italiānus in reference to the modern people of Italy, their culture and language in Internet Latin, and found it suspicious. I would like to know:
whether it's ...
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vote
1answer
300 views
Mysterious word for “expert” in an Italian anthology's version of Sappho LP 21
In this Italian anthology, LP 21 l. 2 (the first line where the papyrus has letters) is read as containing επαβολησ (and perhaps vestigia around it). The first word in the translation is "esperta", ...
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votes
3answers
180 views
Cibus sanus — healthy food?
The Duolingo Latin course uses sanus as "healthy" in connection with meals.
A healthy lunch would be prandium sanum according to the course.
But I always thought that sanus is only refers to the ...
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votes
1answer
55 views
Explanatory and Etymological dictionary of the Latin Language
With the term explanatory I am translating ερμηνευτικό. A dictionary which defines words comprehensively and clearly.
If one considers Oxford University to be the authority on the English language ...
5
votes
1answer
173 views
Thematic, genred concepts in Ancient Greek?
Trying to come up with magical 'schools' for a game, and my goal is to:
Use Ancient Greek, Koine if absolutely necessary
Have words of generally the same length and number of syllables (not like, ...
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vote
0answers
29 views
Untraceable word in a combination of LP fragments
LP 68(b) and 69 have been combined into a single text by the impression that they were «ex eadem parte papyri» and by the one letter split between the two. The resulting text, found in 6.A.iv here, ...
9
votes
1answer
222 views
Substantive adjectives “Latīna, Graeca” as language names
For example, I want to say: Latīna placet mihi magis quam Graeca, quamquam in Graecā multō plūra et doctiōra dē philosophiā scrīpta sunt.
I've seen people claiming that this use is incorrect and that ...
4
votes
1answer
122 views
Does “physicae artis” mean “physics”?
Google Translate translates "physicae artis" as "Physics". Is that correct? What would be the reasoning of it? Why isn't it "nature of the art" or "physics of the art"?
This is related to the ...
7
votes
1answer
627 views
In memoriam: why not “in memoria”?
Consider this usual example of Latin+English:
As Wiktionary states, in memoriam literally means "into memory" (memoriam is in accusative case). However, as Wiktionary (above) and Wikipedia state, the ...
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votes
2answers
4k views
Is Duolingo good for Latin?
On August 28*, 2019 Duolingo announced its Latin course for English speakers.
Out of curiosity, I subscribed, but I'm just starting to peek into it.
My question is (if anyone has tried it in depth ...
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votes
2answers
112 views
Does “laudate” imply the morning part the day? (or are these translations wrong?)
This 2000's document by the Vatican, clarifying some issues relative to the Liturgy of the Hours (or Divine Office), states (original in Latin):
c) per se Laudes recitari debent horis matutinis, ...
9
votes
2answers
266 views
When did “virgo” gain its sexual meaning?
The primary meaning I associate with virgo, virginis is "young woman", perhaps a bit older than a puella but not yet a mulier.
However, the descendants of this word (in English and the Romance ...
5
votes
1answer
94 views
Did “quartilis” exist?
In statistics, a point that separates out (a multiple of) 25% of the data set is called a "quartile". Similarly, if it separates out 20% of the data, it's a "quintile", 1% a "percentile", and in ...
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votes
3answers
3k views
Are there nouns that change meaning based on gender?
I was looking through a feature in some Romance languages, Spanish and French, where nouns in Spanish change depending on gender. I was wondering if Latin had a few of these.
Here are examples in ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
What is a “click” in Greek or Latin?
Linguistically, "clicks" are a type of sound found in certain African languages, mostly Khoisan and Southern Bantu. The English word is also used for various other sharp, high-pitched noises (like ...
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votes
0answers
55 views
Opposing meanings of the suffix -gena
I recently came across the word "deigena" while reading c. 2, lectio 4 of Aquinas's Commentary on the Divine Names of [Pseudo-]Dionysius. This led me to discover what seems to be a productive suffix ...
4
votes
1answer
141 views
μονάδαι as plural form of μονάς
In the text that I am reading now, the Greek word μονάδαι is used to indicate "units". I have understood it as a plural form of μονάς, however, I could only find μονᾰ́δε in the dual form and μονᾰ́δες ...
4
votes
1answer
143 views
How to say “Third time lucky” in Latin
Answering a recent question, I've realized that I don't know how to say the following idiomatic expression in Latin (cf. Spanish: "A la tercera va la vencida"). Any suggestions?
"Third time lucky" ...
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votes
2answers
933 views
How to say “fit” in Latin?
The English word "fit" has a number of different uses, and that makes searching difficult.
I am looking for a verb or phrase to be used in a sentence like this:
The souvenir does not fit in my bag.
...
5
votes
3answers
172 views
Where does the word “tudes” 'hammer' show up in texts?
Lewis and Short has an entry for a noun tŭdes, with the genitive singular given as "is (ĭtis, acc. to Fest. p. 253 Müll.)". It is defined as "a hammer, mallet". The two citations in the entry show the ...
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votes
2answers
228 views
About supplemented word ὀλόφῳ in a fusion of Lobel-Page fragments from an Italian Sappho anthology
This Italian Sappho anthology, on p. 57-58, has a fusion of several Lobel-Page fragments (cfr this question of mine), among which is 67(a). In l. 3 of that fragment, which is l. 16 of the fusion, the ...
2
votes
1answer
340 views
What is “password” in classical Latin?
The concept of passwords predates computers:
To gain access to, say, some heavily guarded premises, one may need to be able to say a secret phrase to the guards.
I would imagine this concept was not ...
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votes
4answers
3k views
Does this sentence I constructed with my junior high school latin work? I write online advertising and want to come off as snobby as possible
Essentially, I want to say something like:
"If you read this, your will will be mine". (In a teasing way like, Who Reads This Is Stupid).
I 'distilled' it as much as possible to "reader beware: your ...
7
votes
2answers
131 views
Are there minimal pairs between the acute and circumflex accent?
Ancient Greek had two (*) different types of accent on long vowels: the "circumflex" accent indicates high tone on the first mora, and the "acute" accent indicates high tone on the second. (Short ...
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votes
2answers
80 views
“Nucis vado”? Going nuts?
Does "Nucis vado" mean going nuts? I go of a nut?
Some folks want to use it as a motto and I would like to make sure it is proper.
If not, what would "Going Nuts" be, properly translated?
Thanks for ...
3
votes
0answers
80 views
How would you translate γέγονεν in John 1:15?
I'm translating the 15th verse of John 1, and I'm curious to know the nuances of translating the phrase ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, and especially the word γέγονεν.
Below is the NA28 ...
4
votes
1answer
113 views
Is there a Greek word meaning to purr?
I've heard that there is no known verb for purring (of a cat) in Greek. Is that true? Any qualified guess as to what verb a Greek might have used?
3
votes
2answers
82 views
Is ulcantur a subjunctive of ultus?
I have a prayer I say every morning. It includes the word ulcantur. I can't find a translation. I think it is a subjunctive for ultus?
O Piisima Virgo Maria, quæ caput serpentis contrivisti, protege ...
