Questions tagged [word-choice]
For questions concerning how to choose the correct word from a selection of similar-looking alternatives
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Does "virtus" apply to women?
Virtus, literally "manlihood", is the origin of English virtue and is often so translated. As far as I know, virtus mainly refers to "courage", "strength" and other "...
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Why does "Oedipus Rex" most commonly have a Latin rather than Greek title?
Nearly 2500 years ago, Sophocles wrote the Greek play Oedipus the King.
It was originally titled Oedipus Tyrannus in Greek.
Yet today, it is almost universally known as Oedipus Rex.
Why and when did ...
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What is the best Latin translation of 'towards truth'?
I am looking to create a Substack publication where I can share articles I have written on philosophy. I want to choose a name for the website that best summarises or encapsulates the nature of the ...
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Translation of “God’s Favorite” to Latin [duplicate]
I have been trying to get “God’s favorite” translated into Latin. I’ve tried google translate English to Latin and “Dei Ventus” comes up. When I swap the languages to double check, Latin to English, I ...
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What is the latin preposition for "Upon"?
as in the phrase "you want to Call upon my skill". There seem to be lots of prepositions that translate as "on" (which upon is a more formal and abstract form of), but I'm not sure ...
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Both "fēmina" and "mulier" mean "woman": what's the difference?
The word fēmina is used with the meaning "woman":
Of human beings, a female, woman (cf.: uxor, mulier, matrona; conjux, marita)
(Lewis and Short)
(Fēmina also means "female" when ...
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"Semitic languages" in Classical Latin
The term semiticus is attested in Rudimenta linguae Hebraicae (C. H. Vosen, 1883) but I am more interested in Classical Latin.
In English, the expression "Syro-Arabian languages" is ...
user12055
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Translating command "Be of highest value!" to Latin for jewelery engraving
What is the most accurate translation for the command "Be of highest value!"? The meaning of the phrase is to behave as someone who brings out the best in others. As in, be the highest value ...
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Philip III of France in Latin
Philip III of France is called "the Bold" ("le Hardi" in French).
The Latin Wikipedia page translates: "Philippus Animosus" but I can't find any historical source using ...
user11811
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How to say "in solid rock" in Latin to convey specific technical meaning?
I am writing a paper that describes nuclear reactions that take place in the earth's crust leading to the formation of volatile gases. In several places, I need to distinguish between things that ...
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How to translate the word "ukulele"?
The ukulele also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii.
(Wikipedia)
Cithara Havaiana is used in Vicipaedia but it seems wrong since ...
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How would Roman name an Übermensch?
I was thinking of "homo superus/superior" but I don’t know which one is better.
I’m referring to the concept introduced by Nietzsche.
user11281
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Is a logician a “logicus” or a “logicista”?
I am wondering how to translate the noun “logician” into Latin.
Smith & Hall suggests “dialecticus” but I had in mind the modern discipline as a formal science, not the argumentation exercise of ...
user11274
4
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How to say "programming language" in Latin?
Reading the Latin version of Wikipedia, I noticed that the term "programming language" was translated in many ways.
Depending on the page, you can find almost any combination of lingua/codex/...
user10919
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How to translate "hall of fame" into Latin?
What would be the idiomatic way to say "hall of fame" (a structure housing memorials to famous or illustrious individuals) in Latin?
I feel like "templum/aedes gloariae/famae/honoris&...
user10351
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What would be the Latin word for an entry in a dictionary or an encyclopedia?
entry An item in a list, such as an article in a dictionary or encyclopedia. — Wiktionary
What would be the best Latin word to translate entry in this context?
The online dictionary I use don't give ...
user10919
4
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3
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Translating “Claim Joy” as a Personal Motto
I’m trying to come up with a good translation for my own personal motto, “Claim Joy.” I use it in the context of my own mental health struggles and a reminder that you can’t wait for happiness, you ...
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General vs specific "mors" and "vita"
To my understanding, words like vita and mors can either refer to the general concepts of life and death ("life is precious", "remember death") or to specific people's lifespans or ...
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How does one say "Beyond the curtain (for a theatre)", in Latin?
I don't really know enough about Latin morphology or grammar to get a clear cut answer (already knowing that Latin is a very free-form language), so how does one say it? I was thinking something like ...
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Why does Müller read "accusatius" in Satyrica 119.11?
Petronius' Satyrica 119.11-12, in Konrad Müller's Teubner edition (1995), reads:
hinc Numidae †accusatius†, illinc nova vellera Seres,
atque Arabum populus sua despoliaverat arva.
What reasons could ...
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Tellus' "briny robes"
I read in Keats' Hyperion:
[...] No, by Tellus and her briny robes!
(Hyperion, 246)
Tellus is a Latin goddess, her Greek counterpart being Gaia.
I am looking for the Greek or Latin source of the ...
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What is the difference between ἀρχαῖος and παλαιός?
What is the difference between the two adjectives ἀρχαῖος and παλαιός?
In particular, what word would fit the best to mean "history" between ἀρχαιολογία and παλαιολογία?
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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 ...
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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. ...
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"For all" and "there exists"
The two most common mathematical quantifiers are "for all" (∀) and "there exists" (∃).
I wondered how to render them in Latin. Here is my proposal:
for all x: pro omnis x
for all ...
user8582
4
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"From her hands, to life" in Latin
I want to gift someone who is a nurse something with an engraving. I thought about the phrase "from her hands, into life", but in Latin.
Based on what I remember from school, my idea is:
E ...
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How do I best translate "A big window into history"?
As I've only recently begun to study Latin, I'm not yet sure how to best translate "A big window into history".
First of all, I'm not sure whether the adjective should precede, or rather ...
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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 ...
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"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 ...
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μολὼν λαβέ but in Latin
What would be a Latin phrase similar to the sentiment supposedly expressed by Leonidas the first in 'MOLON LABE' "come and take them" in response to Xerxes demanding the Spartans to lay down ...
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What is the closest Latin equivalent to the modern conception of "(nuclear) family"?
When translating the word "family" into Latin it seems obvious to go to "familia". However, multiple sources (most quoting Richard Saller) tell me that "familia" derives ...
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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?
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When/whether to use "ineō" instead of "eō"
I am learning Latin for the first time this year, and I have a question about the usage of the verb 'eō', I go. The textbook that I am using, Henle Latin 1st Year, lists 'eō' as follows:
eō, īre, ...
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What should the corona virus be called in Latin?
The corona virus (or a specific kind thereof) is a hot topic, and one should of course be able to discuss it in Latin.
But what should we call the thing in Latin?
Both corona and virus are Latin words,...
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"Venire ad" or "Venire in"?
When can I use "venire ad", or "venire in". (excepting the few locative cases)
What kind of buildings, place, etc, can accept the one or the other?
Is "venire ad" insists more on the move than "in"?
...
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Difference between "senex "and "senilis"?
What would be the differences in uses of "senilis" and "senex".
I know "senilis" is constructed with senex+illis, it should help me, but I don't get it.
Thank you.
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What is "heart" as the emotional organ?
In English one uses the word "heart" in a variety of ways to express deep emotion, as in "She will always be in our hearts".
Is there a corresponding "emotional organ" in Latin?
How should I go about ...
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Do imperatives trigger reflexive pronouns in Latin?
In English, imperative verbs have "invisible subjects": syntactically, they act like there's an invisible pronoun in the subject position. This is why we see look closely at yourself instead of *look ...
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What is the superlative of ipse?
In later Latin, as ipse started to lose its force, Petronius uses ipsimus for emphasis:
Tamen ad delicias ipsimi [domini] annos quattuordecim fui. Nec turpe est, quod dominus iubet. Ego tamen et ...
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"Any thoughts" in Latin
How would one translate "any thoughts?" into Latin?
It is an ellipse for "does anyone have any thoughts?"
I would think "ullas cogitationes?" for "Aliquis ullas cogitationes habet?"
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Can I submit a manuscript with 'submittere'?
As a scientist, I frequently find myself submitting a manuscript to a journal for peer review and hopefully publication.
What would be a good Latin verb for this sense of "submit"?
It could also be a ...
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Why there are several words for swimming?
The words nō, natō, adnō are all verbs which means to swim. They have their own conjugation respectively.
Maybe there are not only three, but I'm not sure.
I wonder why there are several words in ...
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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" ...
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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 ...
user3154
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Making a strong machine vs. making a machine strong
Consider the two English expressions:
He made a strong machine. (He built a machine, and the machine is a strong one.)
He made the machine strong. (There was a pre-existing machine but it was not ...
- 110k
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Idiomatic phrasing of "to the [cardinal direction] of [something]"
I am currently writing a small geography of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent (in the year 117 AD, under Emperor Trajan) in an effort to practice my composition skills. So far everything has ...
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What is the Latin Homophonic Group?
Equivalent question: What Latin letters won't equal 1?
From: the homophonic group: a mathematical diversion
--> This is an exercise from Michael Artin's Algebra on, well, abstract algebra. In this ...
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"Alligatus ego vinculis vitae" does it translate to "I am bound by the chains of life."
I was wondering if this translates well. If it does not translate well to mean that phrase, I would appreciate if you could suggest a way to better phrase it in Latin.
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"I am divided. I am balanced. I am one."
I was hoping someone with more experience in Latin could help me confirm whether this translation is correct or not:
Ego sum dividitur. Ego sum libratum. Ego sum unum.
Does this translate properly ...
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N & H Waxing Poetry: Why is "clam deductus est" used to translate "was led aside"?
In North & Hillard, Ex. 191, q. 3, the following English sentence needs to be translated into Latin:
While the conspirators gathered round Caesar, Antonius was led aside by Trebonius.
The ...
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