List of Common Latin Terms

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Common Latin Terms Used in Everyday Language, Law, Science, and Academia

Latin, the classical language of the ancient Romans, has had a profound influence on various aspects of our modern world, including language, law, science, and academia. Although Latin itself is no longer spoken as a native language, its impact is still strongly felt through the vast number of Latin expressions and phrases that continue to be used today.

In this list, we have curated a collection of frequently encountered Latin terms that you may come across in literature, legal documents, scientific papers, and everyday conversations. Whether you're a student, a language enthusiast, or simply curious about the origins of certain expressions, this compilation aims to shed light on the meanings and significance of these Latin phrases.

A Video Summary

Here is a short video that shows how Latin terms are still used in everyday language, law, science, and academia.

List of 150 Common Latin Terms

Latin Term	Translation
a fortiori	with stronger reason
a posteriori	from the latter (inductive reasoning)
a priori	from the earlier (deductive reasoning)
ab initio	from the beginning
ab ovo	from the egg (or from the beginning)
ad hoc	for this purpose
ad hominem	against the person
ad infinitum	to infinity
ad interim	in the meantime
ad nauseam	to the point of sickness
AD	in the year of the Lord (abbreviation for anno domini)
alibi	elsewhere (proof of presence elsewhere)
alma mater	nourishing mother (referring to one's educational institution)
alter ego	other self
a.m.	before noon (abbreviation for ante meridiem)
amicus curiae	friend of the court
annuit coeptis	he [God] has favored our undertakings
ante bellum	before the war
ars longa	art is long
audi alteram partem	hear the other side
bona fide	in good faith
c.	with (abbreviation for cum)
carpe diem	seize the day
caveat emptor	let the buyer beware
ceteris paribus	all other things being equal
cf.	compare (abbreviation for confer)
corpus delicti	body of the crime
corpus juris	body of the law
cum laude	with praise (academic distinction)
de facto	in fact
de jure	by law
de novo	from the beginning
deus ex machina	god from the machine (an unexpected solution)
d.g. or dg	by the grace of God (abbreviation for dei gratia)
diva	goddess, female opera singer
dramatis personae	characters of a play
dts	symptoms of alcohol withdrawal (abbreviation for delirium tremens)
dum spiro, spero	while I breathe, I hope
e pluribus unum	out of many, one
e.g.	for example (abbreviation for exempli gratia)
ergo	therefore
errare humanum est	to err is human
et al.	and others (abbreviation for et alia)
et tu, Brute	And you, Brutus
etc.	and so on (abbreviation for et cetera)
ex cathedra	with authority
ex libris	from the books
ex nihilo	out of nothing
ex officio	by virtue of one's office
ex parte	on behalf of one party (in legal matters)
ex post facto	after the fact
ex tempore	on the spur of the moment
fiat lux	let there be light
fides et ratio	faith and reason
fortuna favet fortibus	fortune favours the bold
habeas corpus	you shall have the body
habemus papam	we have a Pope
ibid.	in the same place (abbreviation for ibidem)
i.e.	that is (abbreviation for id est)
in absentia	in absence
in camera	in private
in extenso	at full length
in extremis	at the point of death
in flagrante delicto	in the blazing crime crime
in limine	at the threshold
in loco parentis	in the place of a parent
in media res	in the midst of things
in memoriam	into memory
in nomine	in the name of
in re	in the matter of
in situ	in its original position or place
in statu quo	in the state in which
in toto	in total
in vino veritas	in wine, there is truth
in vitro	in glass
in vivo	in a living organism
inter alia	among other things
inter nos	between us
inter vivos	between the living
ipso facto	by the fact itself
lapsus linguae	slip of the tongue
lex talionis	law of retaliation
loc cit	in the place cited
locus standi	the place of standing
magnum opus	great work
mea culpa	my fault
mens sana in corpore sano	a sound mind in a sound body
m.o.	manner of (abbreviation for modus operandi)
modus vivendi	mode of living or way of life
mortui viventes docent	the dead teach the living
mutatis mutandis	with the necessary changes having been made
nolens volens	willing or unwilling
nolo contendere	I do not wish to contend
non compos mentis	not of sound mind
non sequitur	it does not follow
novus ordo seclorum	new order of the ages
O tempora! O mores!	Oh the times! Oh the customs!
p.a. or pa	per annum (annually)
panem et circenses	bread and circuses
pari passu	with equal pace
pax romana	Roman peace
per capita	per person
per diem	per day
per se	by itself or intrinsically
persona non grata	an unwelcome person
p.m.	afternoon (abbreviation for post meridiem)
post hoc	after this occurrence
post mortem	after death death
prima facie	at first sight
primum non nocere	first, do no harm
primus inter pares	first among equals of a group
pro bono	for the public good or without charge
pro forma	as a matter of form
pro rata	in proportion
p.s. or ps	post script (abbreviation for postscriptum)
q.e.d. or qed	which was to be demonstrated (abbreviation for quod erat demonstrandum)
quaestio disputata	a disputed question
quaestio facti	a question of fact
quaestio juris	a question of law
quasi	as if or as though
quid pro quo	something for something
quidnunc?	what now?
quo vadis?	where are you going?
reductio ad absurdum	reduction to absurdity
res gestae	things done
r.i.p.	rest in peace (abbreviation for requiescat in pace)
sine die	without a day
sine qua non	without which not
status quo	the existing state of affairs
sub judice	under judgment
sub poena	under penalty
sub rosa	under the rose (confidentially)
sui generis	of its own kind
tabula rasa	blank slate
tempus fugit	time flies
terra firma	solid ground
terra incognita	unknown territory
urbi et orbi	to the city and to the world
veni, vidi, vici	I came, I saw, I conquered
verbatim	word for word
via media	middle way
vice versa	the other way around
vita brevis	life is short
vox dei	voice of God
vox populi	voice of the people
vs. or vs	against (abbreviation for versus)

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