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.
679
questions
6
votes
2answers
381 views
Act 1, Act 2, ... in a play, in Greek
In an ancient Greek play, what word would we use to refer to the different acts? Μέρος? Λόγος?
Woodhouse doesn't seem to have anything relevant under the noun "act."
8
votes
2answers
1k views
The best way to say Sinners
I'd like to create an aesthetic with the phrase "Remember that you must die, sinners" - targeted at the viewers. I know the first part is memento mori, but what is the best translation of &...
4
votes
2answers
433 views
Tables of Greek expressions for time, place, and logic
I'm trying to build my vocabulary in koine using flashcards, and so far have had pretty good success attaining a decent level of reading fluency, e.g., I can get through the first couple of chapters ...
6
votes
2answers
156 views
What does causa procurans mean?
What is the definition of the expression causa procurans, and who may have been the originator of the term?
I found this expression used by a number of people, but I haven't been able to find it ...
3
votes
1answer
46 views
Create new word: super + portare
I want to create a new word by analogy to "support" with the prefix super-. According to Google the modern English word "support" comes from Latin supportare and is composed of sub-...
3
votes
1answer
346 views
What is the word for knowledge in Greek?
I read that there are two version depending on intrinsic value. So that it is either intellectual knowledge or divine knowledge, knowledge from within. And is there a difference between Ancient Greek ...
4
votes
2answers
110 views
Is "evidenter" the correct translation for "obviously!"?
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 ...
4
votes
0answers
57 views
Names for digits or numbers
How would you say "I write zeroes and ones" or "I need a fiver" or "the number seven" in Latin?
There are a couple of cases where in some languages one uses instead of a ...
4
votes
1answer
150 views
Seize your future
What would "Seize your future/the future" be in Latin? I've got Carpe futurum, but my latin is quite poor.
I want to use it as a motto for an educational company. I want to use it as it ...
2
votes
1answer
72 views
Translation Request, English to Latin
How can I translate this sentence to Latin, "Man in the palace! Remember death, live with fear of death. Leave us alone."
I translate like that but... I don't know, I guess, I did a mistake. ...
2
votes
1answer
49 views
Ubi jus ibi remedium
I am trying to make sense of the phrase ubi jus ibi remedium.
It seems incomplete, and I feel I should add two verbs and something to separate the two sentences, for example:
Ubi jus est, ibi est ...
4
votes
1answer
88 views
What is a street sign in Latin?
It recently occurred to me that I don't know what to call a street sign in Latin.
I know that a general word for "sign" is signum, but the dictionaries I consulted do not specify whether it ...
4
votes
1answer
208 views
Two kinds of falling
The English verb "fall", when the subject is a human, has two main kinds of literal1 meaning as far as I can tell:
A change of position: Moving suddenly from higher elevation to lower. (The ...
5
votes
1answer
309 views
'i have never made' in latin
I've tried to search for this phrase, but I haven't found an answer. I looked it up on google translate and it says 'nunquam fecit.' I don't think it's correct.
5
votes
4answers
793 views
Translate "Eat, Drink, and be merry" to Latin
In the spirit of the holidays, I was thinking about how you would say Eat! Drink! Be Merry! in Latin (or written as Eat, drink, and be merry!).
There are multiple words for each, but I'm not sure ...
4
votes
1answer
269 views
translation for Strength, love and courage to Latin
I would like to engrave a piece in Latin for my teenage son with our “family motto.” The motto is strength, love and courage. He is studying Latin and I want to be sure the word choice is accurate. ...
10
votes
1answer
191 views
Lonely vs. alone
A person is alone when there are no other people around.
A person is lonely when the presence of other people is missed.
Neither implies the other; you can be lonely but not alone or alone but not ...
7
votes
1answer
143 views
Composition of a word ἡμιόλιος
The Ancient Greek word ἡμιόλιος means literally "one and a half", referring to the ratio 3:2 and the interval of a perfect fifth in music. I wonder how this word is composed of:
is it
ἡμι- (...
5
votes
2answers
144 views
How would one say "Please let me do X thing"
Was wondering how one would say "Please let me do X thing" e.g. "Please let me love/win/see"
Would you use some sort of impersonal construction, or would one use "permitto&...
5
votes
1answer
77 views
What is the meaning of "positive acceptus" in Gauss' Disquisitiones Arithmeticae §131?
From Gauss' Disquisitiones Arithmeticae §131:
Sī p est numerus prīmus fōrmae 4n+1, erit +p, sī vērō p fōrmae 4n+3, erit -p residuum vel nōn-residuum cuiusvīs numerī prīmī quī positīvē acceptus ipsīus ...
1
vote
3answers
209 views
How do I say 'There is always a reason for a drink'?
in Dutch we say 'er is altijd een reden voor een borrel', which I want engraved on a whisky glass for my friend. How do you say 'There is always a reason for a drink' in Latin?
On the internet, I find ...
5
votes
4answers
164 views
What are some ancient words that mean forgiveness?
What are some ancient words that mean forgiveness? I’m looking for words that were used before the common era (before 0 CE). I’m looking for words from Latin, Greek, German, and other languages. These ...
4
votes
1answer
77 views
How to change the "Ex libris" (from books) used in books to get the meaning "from diaries"?
I do not know any Latin at all. Could you please help me to solve the following problem?
I am wondering what would be a correct equivalent for "ex libris" used in books to change the meaning ...
5
votes
1answer
123 views
What are the Latin translations of the mathematical terms differentiating, integrating and parameterizing?
I didn't find any site that translates these verbs in the mathematical sense. What are the Latin translations of these terms, and are there any sites that offer Latin translations of modern ...
4
votes
1answer
712 views
Is there a Latin word for "vessel", as in a human receiver or holder or something
I'm looking for a Latin word for "vessel", which in English can mean a person who receives or holds something immaterial. Options I've found so far are receptor,acceptor, gerulus, and ...
4
votes
1answer
173 views
What's the meaning of onava?
This question is derived from another one posted in the Spanish Language site.
In the original question OP was asking about the meaning of the word onava.
We have not been able to find such word in ...
6
votes
1answer
673 views
Can we finally know the difference between these words?
There seem to be four different Latin words, all of which are common, and all of which seem to mean exactly the same thing, "finally":
tandem
denique
demum
postremo
Is there any difference ...
1
vote
2answers
141 views
New Life - Latin translation
I’m looking for farm name ideas and am stuck on the concept of it being a “new life”... celebrating a changing of life’s season, etc. All I can find really is the general translation, I’m not sure how ...
8
votes
2answers
879 views
How to say that I have used up all of something?
Suppose that I have a book that has given me a lot of good hints but now I feel that I have exhausted the book and used up all it can give.
Is there a Latin verb that I could use to express this?
The ...
2
votes
2answers
99 views
What would be correct way to say “very fortunate “
Trying to find the correct adjective for “very lucky/very fortunate “ in feminine singular. Valde fortunata or ipsum fortunata?
5
votes
1answer
153 views
"Project Management" in Latin
I was looking for a translation for "project management" and its adjacents (project manager etc.). There's surprisingly few direct translations for "project", but I've managed to ...
5
votes
1answer
218 views
Creating a Latin motto
I want to craft a Latin motto for a literary work. This motto would mean "I seek peace, I make war by duty".
I thought about this: "Pacem adfecto, officiosus bellum gero".
I have ...
4
votes
1answer
446 views
Translating “cum chordis corda, cum fidibus fides”
I’m having trouble understanding the following construction:
cum chordis corda, cum fidibus fides
It is taken from a German manuscript by Dietericus mentioning that the human body should be like a ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
How to say "To serve, not to be served" in Latin?
I would like to know how to translate the phrase "To serve, not to be served" in Latin.
It doesn't have to be a word for word translation. But, I want to know the phrase that would give the ...
7
votes
2answers
411 views
Translation of devom
I'm looking to find the translation of devom. I have looked for a translation online and in dictionaries and come up empty.
In Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan he quotes an inscription:
DEVOMNODENTi
...
4
votes
1answer
162 views
What is "formatting" in Latin?
I would like to adapt the proverb dē gustibus nōn est disputandum ("there's no accounting for taste") to refer to formatting—the layout of text on a page, the font selection, the use of ...
7
votes
1answer
305 views
Difference between 'urbe' and 'oppidum'?
I have found that LLPSI uses oppidum to describe cities (at least in the early chapters) while Duolingo uses urbe. What is the difference, and which should I usually use?
6
votes
2answers
124 views
What is a "rough draft" in Latin?
Suppose I'm preparing a speech for the Senate floor, and I want to make sure it sounds just right before I present it. So I come up with a rough draft, then revise it several times until I'm satisfied ...
4
votes
2answers
554 views
A noun meaning "survivor"
I am looking for a noun meaning "survivor". It looks like the closest in meaning is the adjective superstes. Can that be used as a noun, and if so how do you decline it? Per the post on ...
3
votes
1answer
119 views
Difference between geminus and gemellus
Both geminus and gemellus seem to have similar meanings: twin-born, born together, twins. Is the main difference between these two words how they were used, or did they have additional meanings that ...
3
votes
3answers
217 views
What case does 'plus' take?
I don't have any information about what case to use with 'plus' (or 'magis'). In dictionaries usually only prepositions take some case, and it is showed in parentheses.
In my language, 'more' takes ...
3
votes
0answers
38 views
What are the meanings of servus and minister in ecclesiatical latin?
Reading the answers to another question I thought about the meaning of servus and minister in christian/ecclesiastical latin.
It seems to me that in classical latin servus related clearly to the legal ...
2
votes
2answers
544 views
How do I say, "In pursuit of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness"?
I know "Truth, Beauty, Goodness" is "Veritas, Bonitas, Pulcritudo."
But do I need an "et" before "Pulcritudo"? When do you use and's in Latin?
And how would ...
5
votes
3answers
209 views
What is the best Greek word for a thrown knife?
In the Netflix show The Umbrella Academy, one character has a limited form of telekinesis: he can manipulate the movement of knives that he throws.
If I wanted to give this ability a pretentious Greek ...
7
votes
2answers
278 views
What is the source of the Greek phrase πύξ, λάξ, δάξ?
πύξ, λάξ, δάξ "by punching, kicking, and biting" is described by Wikipedia as an "epigram describing how laypersons were chased away from the Eleusinian Mysteries". Where is this ...
5
votes
0answers
84 views
Well, well, well
How to say this expression in Latin!?
Expressing surprise: Well, well, well! It is here (when smth lost and found)!
Expressing sarcasm: Well, well, well... And what now!?
Expressing begining: Well, ...
6
votes
2answers
148 views
Confusing syntax in two sentences
I seem to be confused by the constructions of these two sentences from a Medieval Latin text:
Unde vocum alia suavis est illa, scilicet quae subtilis, spissa, clara et acuta est.
and
Multiplicem ...
4
votes
0answers
75 views
Passage from Odington
I am looking at a short passage from Odington's treaty on music, and am unsure about the last bit, particularly the meaning of "abiectus" in this context. I admit to having limited skill reading Latin-...
3
votes
1answer
151 views
Are there any general rules for creating 'proper' Latin neologisms, beyond matching gender, number, and case?
For the sake of this question, I'm going to be using this definition of neologism, "A newly coined word or phrase." From my understanding, the loose etymology of this word is the French neo plus Greek ...
8
votes
1answer
384 views
Can "sum" and "nemo" work together to create a phrase meaning "I am no one?"
I have been trying to understand the relationship between "sum" and "nemo", to create a phrase meaning something like "I am no one". In all the contexts I personally ...