Verbum Hodiernum: LOCUS

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LOCUS Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is LOCUS, which is a second-declension noun, masculine in gender. Even though the noun is masculine, note that you will also find the plural loca (meaning connected places, i.e. a "region"), in addition to the usual plural loci.

Latin meaning and usage: The basic meaning of locus is a "place" or a "spot," and it covers very much the same range as the English words do. One important additional meaning of the Latin word is what we would call "topic" or "subject" in English (and the English word "topic" is itself derived from the Greek word for place).

Latin word formation: The word locus is a basic root word in Latin and gives rise to many compounds and derivatives. There is a diminutive form of the noun, loculus, meaning a little chest or casket. There are verbs formed from this root, such as locare, "to place, arrange," and collocare, "to set up, employ, station." Someone who is locuples is wealthy. One thing to be careful of is not to confuse the root loc- (place) with the root loq- (speaking) which also shows up as loc- in some forms (e.g., loquor-locutus).

English cognates and derivatives: We actually use the word "locus" in English to mean "a place," especially a center of activity or concentration. There are also many English words derived from this root, such as "local" and "location" - and even the "locative" case. There are also compounds like "locomotion" and "locomotive." Finally, when you use the French phrase "in lieu of" in English, you are also using a French word - lieu - that is derived from the Latin.

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

ad locum

in loco parentis

loco citato

loci communes

locus amoenus

Da locum melioribus.

Nemo timendo ad summum pervenit locum.

Locus medius tutus est.

Medius locus semper tutus.

Virtus omni loco nascitur.

Metus cum venit, rarum habet somnus locum.

Ad locum unde exeunt, flumina revertuntur ut iterum fluant.

Locis remotis qui latet, lex est sibi.

Incertum est quo loco te mors exspectet; itaque tu illam omni loco exspecta.

Nonne ad unum locum properant omnia?

In mutando locum non mutant poma saporem.

Est locus unicuique suus.

Non fit hirsutus lapis per loca multa volutus.

Puer, sacer est locus; extra mingito.

Ite procul; sacer est locus; ite profani.

Verbum Hodiernum: MANUS

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MANUS Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is MANUS, a fourth-declension noun meaning "hand." In addition, it can also mean "band," as in an armed band or fighting force. As you would guess with such an important part of the human anatomy, there are dozens of different idioms using this word in Latin; it's well worth taking a look at the Lewis & Short dictionary entry to acquaint yourself with some of them!

There are many English words that come from the Latin word manus and its derivatives. Consider the adjective "manual" as in the phrase "manual labor," or the noun "manual" (i.e. a handbook). We still use the word "manuscript," even though it is not exactly written by hand anymore, and we still "manufacture" things, even though we might use machines to actually do the making. The chains that bind someone's hands are called "manacles," and you can also get a "manicure" (as opposed to a "pedicure"). The words "manner" and "manage" and "maintain" also derive from the Latin, via French, as does the word "maneuver." Even the word "manure" ultimately comes from Latin manus; it originally referred to manual labor (manu operari), but starting in the 16th-century, the English meaning came to be restricted to the spreading of animal fertilizer, i.e. manure.

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:

Erat manus Domini cum eis.

Longae regum manus.

Legis manus longa.

Ex propriis manibus vivo.

Mors et vita in manibus linguae.

Nescit quot digitos habeat in manu.

Manus manum lavat.

Quae fugiunt, celeri carpite poma manu.

Melior est avis in manu quam decem in aere.

Ubi quis dolet, ibidem et manum habet.

In flammam ne manum inicito.

Prudens in flammam ne manum inicito.

Multae manus onus levant.

Multae manus onus magnum levissime reducunt.

Multorum manibus grande levatur onus.

Lingua quam manu promptior.

Manum admoventi sunt vocanda numina.

Cum Minerva manum quoque move.

Cum Minerva manus etiam move.

Manus haec inimica tyrannis.

Verbum Hodiernum: ET

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ET Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is the conjunction ET. In its most basic use et is used to connect two equal things in a sentence - whether those things are nouns, adjectives, verbs, or even clauses. Yet it is also possible to see et used adverbially, meaning something like "also" or "even." Finally, you also need to be on the look-out for et...et... constructions, equivalent to the English "both...and..." construction. I've included examples of all three types of constructions in the examples below.

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:

Vivamus et amemus.

Divide et impera.

Date, et dabitur vobis.

Tu dormis, et tempus ambulat.

Habet deus suas horas et moras.

Pulvis et umbra sumus.

Breves dies et horae omnia sunt.

Sit pax et veritas in diebus meis.

Multi multa sapiunt, et seipsos nesciunt.

Erunt novissimi primi, et primi novissimi.

Homo ad laborem natus, et avis ad volatum.

Se ipsum vincere maxima et optima victoria est.

Veritas est super omnia amanda et sequenda.

Fugit gloria sequentem et sequitur fugientem.

Reddite quae sunt Caesaris Caesari, et quae sunt Dei Deo.

Videte, vigilate et orate.

In corde spes, vis et vita.

Qualis mater, talis et filia.

Qualia verba viri, talis et ipse vir est.

Ubi thesaurus tuus, ibi et cor tuum.

Qui potest maius, potest et minus.

Sapientissimus et peccat.

Habet et bellum suas leges.

A paupere et amici separantur.

Qui me amat, amet et canem meum.

Audi et alteram partem.

Si portari vis, porta et alium.

Esto leo ubi oportet, esto et simia interdum.

Et arma et verba vulnerant.

Amicitia et prodest et delectat.

Nihil est simul et inventum et perfectum.

Homines vitia sua et amant simul et oderunt.

Vitium est et omnibus credere et nulli.








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Verbum Hodiernum: MAIOR

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MAIOR Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is MAIOR, the irregular comparative form of the adjective magnus. Note also the neuter singular form: maius.

We get quite a few words from this Latin root, including the word "mayor," along with words like "major" and "majority." Note also the phrase "major domo" from the Latin maior domūs, "chief of the household." The island of Majorca also gets its name from this root, being the largest of the Balearic Islands.

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:

Ad maiora veniamus.

Maiora sequor.

Maiores sequor.

Magna est res scire vivere, maior scire mori.

Cede maiori.

Maioresque cadunt altis de montibus umbrae.

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam

Adversis maior, par secundis.

Fuge procul a viro maiore.

Maiori concede; minori parce.

Perdes maiora, minora nisi servaveris.

Ubi maior est, minor cedat.

Qui maiora cupit, saepe minora capit.

Qui potest maius, potest et minus.

Disce minori parcere, maiori cedere, ferre parem.

Ad maiora nati sumus.

Parvum servabis, donec maiora parabis.

Ubi peccat aetas maior, male discit minor.

Maiori cede, sed non contemne minorem!

Voluptate animi nulla potest esse maior.

Verbum Hodiernum: CURA

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CURA Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is CURA, a fascinating Latin words which is full of pitfalls for English-speakers because of the different range of meanings it can convey. Sometimes, cura means "care" in the sense of "carefulness, paying attention" to something, as when we say in English "take care" - and to be "careless" in English means not being careful. In other contexts, this sense of cura takes on a negative quality, and means something like "worry" or "anxiety," a bad, disturbing feeling. That is why it feels good to "carefree" in English; it means not to have a worry in the world. So, whenever you run into cura in Latin, you need to think about whether it has the neutral or positive sense of "care" and "attention," or whether it has the more negative sense of "worry" and "anxiety."

We get lots of words from this Latin root in English. Most obvious is the word "cure," along with compounds like "manicure" or "pedicure." A "sinecure" (Latin sine cura) is where you have a job that actually has no responsibilities, nothing you have to take care of or worry about. When you are "secure" (from Latin securus), that means you are safe, without worries. The English "curious" at first meant something like Latin curiosus, and referred to someone who was very careful, attentive, even meddling. Over time, English "curious" came to refer also to the thing that provokes curiosity - so I can be curious about something, and the thing about which I am curious is curious, too!

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:

Cura omnia potest.

Plus potest plurium cura.

Cura, quidquid agis, te bene nosse magis!

Parva domus, parva cura.

Curae cedit fatum.

Cura curam trahit.

Virtus dedit, cura servabit.

Curis gaudia misce.

Mihi cura futuri.

Divitiae pariunt curas.

Artem natura superat, sine vi, sine cura.

Discere ne cessa: cura sapientia crescit.

Amat victoria curam.

Cura dat victoriam.

Parva iuventutis plerumque est cura salutis.

Cura quietem.

Curis iactatur, si quis Veneri sociatur.

Musica pellit curas.

Interpone tuis interdum gaudia curis.

Pervigili cura semper meditare futura.

Verbum Hodiernum: VALDE

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VALDE Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is VALDE, which is an adverb.

Latin meaning and usage: The word literally means "strongly," but it comes to serve as a general intensifer meaning "very" or "much." This is an extremely common word in medieval Latin, although you can also find it used in classical authors, too.

Latin word formation: The word valde is the adverbial form of the adjective validus (valide > valde), so it literally means "strongly" while more generally it simply means "very" or "very much." The root is the same you see in the verb valeo, "be strong, powerful."

English cognates and derivatives: We get the English word "valid" from the Latin word validus, from which valde is formed.

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:

Quod valde volumus, facile credimus.

Quod facio, valde facio.

Humilia valde spiritum tuum.

Saepe etiam est olitor valde opportuna locutus.

Valde frequens haustus non est, mihi credite, faustus.

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Verbum Hodiernum: GERO

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GERO Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is the verb GERO, one of those impossible-to-translate words since it is used in such a wide range of Latin idioms, expressions in which we use a variety of different English words to convey the same idea. The verb can mean to carry, bear, or wear ... and also to bring forth or produce... and also to act, behave, or simply to do something - as in the famous phrase res gestae or simply gesta, "deeds." It's definitely well worth reading through the Lewis & Short dictionary entry to get a sense of the range of meanings of this word.

Thanks to the varied meanings of this word in Latin, we get a variety of English derivatives as well, such as "gesture" and "gerund" and "gestation" and even, yes, the word "jest" - plus compounds including "suggestion" and "digestion," "register" and "belligerent."

So, to help you get used to all the different things this word can mean, here are some examples of today's word in Latin sayings and proverbs:

Personam, non faciem geris.

Personas gerimus fictas.

Ovem in fronte, lupum in corde gerit.

Vultu talis eris, qualia mente geris.

Remigio meo rem gero.

Invicta gerit tela Cupido.

Bella gerant alii; Protesilaus amet!

Saepe gerunt bella iuvenes pro virgine bella.

Si pace frui volumus, bellum gerendum est.

Bella gerunt mures, ubi cattum non habet aedes.

Absente domino, res male geritur.

Vicini vacca distentius uber gerit.

Aliena capella gerit distentius uber.

Cutem gerit saepius laceratam canis mordax.

Aquam in cribro geris.

Imbrem in cribrum gerit.

Sapiens thesaurum in se gerit.

Magno usui est memoria rerum gestarum.

Si videas fratres inter se bella gerentes, neutri confer opem, sed eorum corrige
mentes.




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Verbum Hodiernum: VERUS

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VERUS Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is VERUS, which has given us English words like "veracity" and "verify," along with "verisimilitude" and "veritable" (one of my personal favorites!). Even the English word "very" comes from this Latin root, via the French vrai.

The use of the Latin adjective is straightforward enough, but there are some special things to watch out for. The neuter verum can be used substantively to mean "what is true, the truth," much like the adjectives bonum and malum. But verum can also be used adverbially, as can the ablative vero and the adverbial form vere. The form vero can also be used as a postpositive particle, in addition to being a traditional adverb. So, if you have a minute, check out the Lewis & Short dictionary entry which discusses all the different uses of verum, vero and vere in detail.

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:

Verum non dicimus, ne audiamus.

Quod verum est, meum est.

Quaerimus verum.

Nihil vero verius.

Vi verum vincitur.

Non vivere, sed valere vera vita est.

Vera laus verae virtuti debetur.

Veri amoris nullus est finis.

Beatus qui invenit amicum verum.

Nihil est vera gloria dulcius.

Multi scire volunt, sed vere discere nolunt.

Tempore in adverso veri noscuntur amici.

Noscitur adverso tempore verus amor.

Quis sibi verum dicere ausus est?

In vino verum.

De vivis nil nisi verum.

Esto pius vere super his qui te genuere.

Non omnia quae vera sunt utile dicuntur.

Utile est amicos veros habere.

Amicus verus, rara avis.

Verbum Hodiernum: UT

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UT Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is UT, a very important little conjunction in Latin, even though it has not given us any derivatives in English. In Latin textbooks, great emphasis is given to the usage of ut to create purpose and result clauses, with subjunctive verbs. Yet the word ut is also used with indicative verbs to express the idea of "so" or "as" - e.g., ut dicitur, "as it is said," ut fama est, "as the story goes," etc. It can even be used interrogatively, asking "how," e.g. Ut vales? "How are you doing?" To get a sense of the enormous range of idioms in which the word ut can be used, take a look at the ut article in Lewis & Short.

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:

Do ut des.

Si non ut volumus, tamen ut possumus.

Ut ameris, ama.

Ut ameris, amabilis esto.

Ferendum ut vincas.

Tibi ut vincas est credendum.

Vive ut semper vivas.

Vivimus, non ut volumus, sed ut possumus.

Finis amoris ut duo unum fiant.

Alta pete, ut media adsint.

Non facias malum, ut inde fiat bonum.

Ut hora sic dies nostri super terram.

Ut pater, ita filius; ut mater, ita filia.

Bona nemini hora est, ut non alicui sit mala.

Doce, ut discas.

Ut vincas, disce pati; ut vivas, disce mori.

Disce mori ut vivas.

Amor ut lacrima oculo oritur, in pectus cadit.

Legum omnes servi sumus, ut liberi esse possimus.

Parva pete, ut magna recipias.

Verbum Hodiernum: QUOQUE

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QUOQUE Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is QUOQUE, meaning "also" or "even." It usually follows the word in the sentence that it is emphasizing, as you can see in the examples below!

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:

Id quod volunt, credunt quoque.

Omnia fert aetas, animum quoque.

Dabit deus his quoque finem.

Primo quoque die nemo magister erit.

Nemo primo quoque die fit doctus.

Quae fecit sibimet mala quisque, pati quoque debet.

A minimis quoque timendum.

Est avis in rete melior grege quoque volante.

Stultus quoque, si tacuerit, sapiens putabitur.

Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi!

Nobilis equus umbra quoque virgae regitur.

Patriae quis exul se quoque fugit?

Cum Minerva manum quoque move.

Leo quoque aliquando minimarum avium pabulum fuit, et ferrum robigo consumit.

Formicae quoque sua bilis est.

In occipitio quoque habet oculos.

Cari rixantur, sed mox quoque pacificantur.

Canes mitissimi furem quoque adulantur.

Cum vulpe vulpina utere quoque astutia.

Hospes et piscis tertio quoque die odiosus est.

Verbum Hodiernum: CORAM

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CORAM Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is CORAM, which is an adverb; in addition it also serves as a preposition.

Latin meaning and usage: The basic meaning of coram is "in the presence of." It is also used as a preposition with the ablative case. It is a rather unusual preposition in that sometimes the complement of the preposition can sometimes come first: te coram, "in your presence."

Latin word formation: The word coram is probably connected to the Latin word for mouth and also face: os, gen. oris

English cognates and derivatives: As far as I know, there are no English derivatives of this Latin word.

Today's word is the adverb , meaning

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:

Luceat lux vestra coram hominibus.

Cantabit pauper coram latrone viator.

Vacuus cantat coram latrone viator.

Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator.

Verbum Hodiernum: VALEO

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VALEO Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is the second-conjugation verb, VALEO, meaning "be strong, be well, be effective." One of the most common uses of this word was to refer to personal health (Valesne? Are you well? Valeo! I am well) and as such it was also used in leave-taking, with Vale! being equivalent to our "Goodbye!" There are various abbreviations used in letter-writing which invoke this word: S.V.B.E., si vales, bene est, for example, or S.V.B.E.E.V., si vales, bene est; ego valeo.

The val- root, meaning "strong," is extremely productive in Latin, and we consequently get many English words from this Latin root, such as "valid" and "invalid", "valence" and "ambivalent," "valor" and "valiant," and even the personal name Valerie. In addition, via French, we get the words "avail, available," etc. Even the English word "value" comes from this root!

Here are just some examples of valeo in proverbs I have tentatively selected to include in the Scala Sapientiae!

Virtus semper valet.

Non vivere, sed valere vera vita est.

Non vivere, sed valere, vita est.

Quam bene valere, melius in vita nihil.

Volo, non valeo.

Res plus valent quam verba.

Plus valent oculi quam oculus.

Plus valet actum quam scriptum.

Fortuna hominibus plus quam consilium valet.

Fortuna nulli plus quam consilium valet.

Plus legibus arma valent.

Ibi valet populus, ubi valent leges.

Aurum quid valet!

Ratio fatum vincere nulla valet.

Contra vim non valet ius.

Sine ope divina nihil valemus.

Quae non valeant singula, iuncta iuvant.

Iuncti valemus.

Plus sonat quam valet.

Plus valet bonum nomen, quam divitiae multae.

Valere malo quam dives esse.

Ratio contra vim parum valet.

Non est opus valentibus medico, sed male habentibus.

Plurimum valet gallus in aedibus suis.

Nulla valet tantum virtus, patientia quantum.

Ubi iudicat, qui accusat, vis, non lex valet.

Testimonium unius non valet.

Si non currere, saltare saltem vales.

Facile omnes cum valemus, recta consilia aegrotis damus.

Ferrum quando calet cudere quisque valet.

Plus valet in manibus avis unica quam dupla in silvis.

Plus valet passer in dextra quam quattuor extra.

Plus valet in dextra munus quam plurima extra.






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Verbum Hodiernum: QUASI

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QUASI Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is QUASI, an adverb that means "as if" or "like." We even use this Latin word in English, and it has just the same meaning - a "quasi-member" of a group, for example, is someone who is like a member of the group, but not really a member.

The Latin word was originally spelled "quamsi" - think of it as being something like "tam... quam si" - just... as if."

Here are some examples of today's word in Latin sayings and proverbs:

Quasi nix tabescit dies.

Res quasi bruma fluit, quae male parta fuit.

Dies nostri quasi umbra super terram.

Consuetudo quasi altera lex.

Consuetudo quasi altera natura.

Oculi quasi fenestrae animi.

Qui monet, quasi adiuvat.

Dii nos quasi pilas homines habent.

Ita vita est hominum quasi cum ludas tesseris.

Deus ipse solem, quasi lumen, accendit.

Ratio quasi quaedam lux lumenque vitae.

Maiorum gloria posteris quasi lumen est.

Omnis mundi creatura quasi liber et scriptura.

Sine doctrina vita est quasi imago mortis.

Homo sine pecunia est quasi corpus sine anima.

Laudatur nummus, quasi rex super omnia summus.

Ignoscito aliis quasi pecces cotidie.

Superbia est quasi rex omnium vitiorum.

Quis unquam res suas quasi periturus aspexit?

Quod est venturum, sapiens quasi praesens cavet.

A iustitia, quasi a quodam fonte, omnia iura emanant.

Egomet meo indicio miser quasi sorex hodie perii.

Quasi mures semper edimus alienum cibum.





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Verbum Hodiernum: MEDICUS

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MEDICUS Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is MEDICUS, and of course you can see the same Latin root in all kinds of English words like medical, medicine, and so on. Like the word amicus, the word medicus is actually an adjective and can be used as such (as in the phrase materia medica), but you will see it far more often substantively, referring to a "medical man," i.e. a physician or doctor.

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:

Errores medicorum terra tegit.

Medice, cura te ipsum.

Medice, tibi ipsi medicus esto.

Medico male est, si nemini male est.

Modicus cibi, medicus sibi.

Morborum medicus omnium mors ultimus.

Non est opus valentibus medico, sed male habentibus.

Omnis doloris tempus fit medicus.

Plus a medico quam a morbo periculi.

Post mortem, medicus.

Sanus non eget medico, sed male habens.

Sermo irae medicus.

Tempus animae medicus.

Turba medicorum regem interfecit.

Medice, sana te ipsum.

Medicus curat, natura sanat.

Medici carnifices sub honesto nomine.

Aegroto mortuo, sero venit medicus.

Aliorum medicus, ipse ulceribus scates.

Abbati, medico, patronoque intima pande.