25
votes
What is a Latin version of Inshallah?
Si Deus velit would be quite satisfactory, 'if God should wish [it]', but is, I think, neither as usual or as forceful as the more familiar ablative absolute form Deo volente, 'with God willing', ...
- 18.2k
20
votes
What is a Latin version of Inshallah?
From Bibliander's translation of the Qur'an, surah 18, ayah 69,
Dixit Moyses, Deo uolente, me quilibet sustinentem, nec te in quoquam offendentem semper inuenies.
This is not a literal translation....
20
votes
What is a Latin version of Inshallah?
For a monotheist, Tom Cotton's answer is best; for a polytheist (like the ancient Romans), it would be in the plural, so something like dis volentibus ("with the gods willing").
Another way ...
cmw♦
- 57.5k
19
votes
Accepted
What kind of scribal abbreviation for Christi is this?
I think it is the Christ monogram ΧΡ, followed by the genetive ending -i. Those are not the Latin letters X and P, but rather the Greek letters Chi and Rho, which are the first letters in the word ...
- 35.3k
16
votes
Accepted
Was there a word which meant roughly the same thing as "nerd" or "geek" does today?
Perhaps graeculus, often translated as Greekling?
It refers to Greeks who held positions of some import in Roman society due to their education and higher learning yet were considered too Greek to ...
- 8,721
15
votes
Accepted
What does this manuscript say?
This comes from the Book of Hours, and is the first part of the prayers at terce.
Latin:
Ad tertiam
Deus in adiutorium meum intende.
Domine ad adiuvandum me festina.
Gloria P[atri, et Filio: ...
cmw♦
- 57.5k
15
votes
Accepted
Pun on Leibniz quote
The phrase is the same, except that the gender of the adjective are changed from neutral to masculine/feminine. This way, the verb "to do" applies to human beings rather than to things (see plures ...
- 12.5k
14
votes
Accepted
Deciphering Latin text in an illuminated musical manuscript
The text says:
Trinum deum et unum pronis men-
tibus adoremus virginique matri
gratulantibus animis iugiter iubilemus.
Venite exultemus domino iubilemus de-
o salutari nostro praeoccupemus ...
- 116k
13
votes
"Miserando atque eligendo"
I read through Ron Conte's blog post and find it sloppy and unscholarly. He makes the (correct) point that Fr. Z's proposed translation sounds literal and stinted and, almost in the same words, asks ...
- 42.6k
13
votes
Accepted
Translation of a passage related to the crusades
This quote is from the Historia Ierusalem Baldrici Dolensis Archiepiscopi, Book 2 (pg. 1092 of Migne, Patrologia Latina, CLXVI).
Your quote is only a fragment of the relevant sentence, which is ...
- 42.6k
13
votes
Deciphering Latin text in an illuminated musical manuscript
Lines 4 and following are Psalm 94. As to lines 1–3, I believe what we have is an example of an antiphon, where a bit of chant that is extraneous to a psalm precedes, follows, and sometimes (I believe)...
- 20.5k
13
votes
Accepted
"videtur quod" = "it seems that" or "it is seen that"?
Context, and a good understanding not only of the nuances of Latin, but also those of your target language (English), will be your guide to the best translation. For example, even in the active voice, ...
- 35.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Latin words for “engineer”
Besides machinator, I found two words for engineer in classical Latin that are primarily directed towards the devising of buildings and fortifications.
aedificator A builder, derived from aedes (...
- 606
12
votes
Accepted
What does "Hæc igitur illico non ingratanter Christianis patuit" mean?
The context is definitely helpful for figuring these out.
Hæc igitur illico non ingratanter Christianis patuit.
Baldric was just speaking about "they" (crusaders, presumably) came first to ...
- 42.6k
12
votes
Accepted
Can there be double diminutives in Latin?
Yes, double diminutives are possible in Latin. I found a few other examples from a search on Perseus of Lewis and Short (I looked for words ending in "llula", "llulus" and "llulum"):
arcellula < ...
- 29.8k
12
votes
Accepted
Were there ever gerunds for posse and esse?
Scholastic Latin supplied at least some of the lacking forms. For instance, actus essendi is an important concept in Aquinas’ metaphysics.
Giordano Bruno employed the following formula: Modum essendi ...
- 7,432
12
votes
Accepted
One Syllabus Many Syllabontes?
I think Trask's/Millar's claim is misleading. (Note: From now on, I will refer to the author as "Trask," even though it might be that this comes from Millar's revision.)
As you note, "...
- 42.6k
11
votes
Accepted
Representing medieval latin abbreviation symbols in Unicode
There are two Unicode blocks in particular filled with mediaeval abbreviations, if you (and your readers!) have the appropriate fonts.
The Combining Diacritical Marks Supplement (chart) provides ...
- 69k
11
votes
What is a Latin version of Inshallah?
C.M. Weimer has given an expectedly excellent answer to the Latin part of this question. Otherwise, it might be permitted to add that the Muslim usage is in response to an explicit Qur’anic injunction ...
- 18k
11
votes
Accepted
What is a Latin version of Inshallah?
A common Christian formula is Deo iuvante, literally "with God helping", more naturally rendered in English as "with God's help" or "if God helps". It signifies that the ...
- 16.3k
11
votes
"Nil virtus generosa timet"
The motto calls upon connotations and associations in Latin that are hard to evoke in an analogous way in English. So here is a clumsy translation followed by some exposition of generosus and virtus ...
- 16.3k
11
votes
Accepted
Medieval irregularities in the conjugation of salveo?
This is a different verb: not salveō, salvēre (2nd conjugation), but salvō, salvāre (1st conjugation), a late Latin word meaning 'to save.'
salvo , āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. salvus,
I. to save (late ...
- 20.5k
11
votes
Accepted
Why does the Misal rico de Cisneros uses the word "Qiſſa", and what is it supposed to mean? Why not "Miſſa" (Missa)?
I agree with brianpck's comment: I don't understand why you're reading this glyph as a Q. In isolation, it might look like a Q, but considering the context, it appears to be a variant of M (it's not ...
- 29.8k
11
votes
"Causa est" in this sentence
The est is the verb of the relative clause started by quae; it's used as a copula, and causa is the predicate nominative (complement). All the genitives – omnium rerum, ipsiusque creature (= creaturae)...
- 20.5k
11
votes
"Audi nos" translation problem
Nos can be either "we" or "us." The nominative and accusative for it are the same.
It's not that different from the English "you", which can be the subject (vos auditis, &...
cmw♦
- 57.5k
11
votes
Accepted
"Inter canem et lupum" in a Latin text?
There are a number of 13th-century examples
"Inter canem et lupum" is a real expression in medieval Latin.
I was unable to confirm that "Infra horam vespertinam, inter canem et lupum&...
- 29.8k
10
votes
Why were some medieval maps made in Latin?
Modern people often underestimate how fractured the linguistic landscape of Late Mediaeval and Early Modern Europe were. Outside of Langue d'Oïl, very few people spoke each particular language you ...
- 1,226
10
votes
Accepted
Meaning of "Noe" in Medieval Latin carols
Is it used only in the context of Christmas?
Yes. When used to refer to Noah, it is clearly signposted as such: “patres nostri Noe, Abraham, Aaron, David et Jesus” from Laudemus nunc Dominum, Jacob ...
- 8,721
10
votes
Is pronouncing 'th' as 's' in 'Boethius' typical in any common Latin pronunciation scheme?
It actually helps to know that the th was not always there. A variant of his name that was common (standard?) in Medieval and early modern texts was Boetius. In some texts, he's even Boece.
While a ...
cmw♦
- 57.5k
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