Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Verbum Hodiernum: AMOR



Today's word is that favorite third-declension noun, AMOR. From this Latin root, we get many English words: amatory, amateur, amorous, paramour, enamor.

As in English, the word amor can refer to the feeling of love, and also to the object of that feeling. If you want to express the object of the feeling, you can do that with the genitive: amor nummi, "love of money."

On the subject of love, take a few minutes and browse through this amazing website: Dutch Love Emblems of the Seventeenth Century. You can see 20 different love emblem books reproduced online, with wonderful images and Latin texts.

Here are some examples of today's word in Latin sayings and proverbs; for more information, see the page at the Scala Sapientiae, which contains notes on some of the proverbs cited below, as well as additional proverbs:

Amor omnibus idem.

Amor vincit omnia.

Mentis sol amor dei.

Ubi amor, ibi oculus.

Oculi sunt in amore duces.

Amor legem non habet.

Vincet amor patriae.

Ducit amor patriae.

Amori finem tempus, non animus facit.

Veri amoris nullus est finis.

Amor mundum fecit.

Cedamus amori.

Omnia vincit amor, et nos cedamus amori.

Ubi amor, ibi dolor.

Primus amor potior.

Nescit amor habere modum.

Amor ordinem nescit.

Noscitur adverso tempore verus amor.

Signum pacis amor.

Amor magister est optimus.




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