Verbum Hodiernum: PONO

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PONO Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is the verb PONO (ponere, posui, positum), meaning "put" or "place." We get a lot of words from both the present stem of this verb and also from the perfect stem, especially in their compounded forms. From the present stem pon- there are English words such as "postpone," "opponent," "exponent," "expound," etc. From the perfect stem pos- there are English words such as "position," "posture," "pose," "positive," and compounded forms such as "impose," "suppose," "preposition," "deposit," etc.

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

Pone irae frena modumque.

Modum nescit ponere voluptas.

Qui laqueum alii ponit, peribit in illo.

Sero seram ponis stabulo post furta latronis.

Pone gulae metas; erit tibi longa aetas.

In morte alterius spem tu tibi ponere noli.

In alieno choro pedem ne ponas.

Non habet ubi pedem ponat.

Rebus novis nova ponenda nomina.

Virtutes in medio sunt positae.

In virtute posita est vera felicitas.

Praemia nobis posita sunt post laborem.

Crambe bis posita mors.

Malum bene positum ne moveas.





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Verbum Hodiernum: VENIO

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VENIO Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is the verb VENIO, meaning "come." You can see the Latin word used in the English legal expression "venire" (an abbreviation for venire facias). Via French, we also get the word "venue," which originally meant a place where the military was coming to attack, but which now refers more generally to where people come for a sporting event or some other entertainment.

The word "avenue" reaches us the same way via French, ultimately from the Latin compound advenire, and likewise "revenue" from revenire. There are all kinds of words that come from venire in its compounded forms: "convene," "contravene," "intervene," for example, and also "circumvention," "invention," "prevention," "subvention." The word "souvenir" is yet another example - it ultimately comes from Latin subvenire, "come to mind."

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:

Veni, vidi, vici.

Ad maiora veniamus.

Nox tibi longa venit nec reditura dies.

Multi ad fatum venere suum, dum fata timent.

Tarde venientes, male sedentes.

Citius venit periclum cum contemnitur.

Metus cum venit, rarum habet somnus locum.

Hoc sustinete, maius ne veniat malum.

Certandum est: nulli veniunt sine Marte triumphi.

Ad magna praemia magno labore venitur.

Propera, nec venturas differ in horas.

Hora ruit; venit mors.

Nondum venit hora mea.

Non semper aestas erit: venit hiems.

Insta, ne cesses; venient post semina messes.

Quamvis tarda venit, sors sua quemque ferit.

Quando venit potus, cessat sermo quasi totus.

Sera tamen tacitis poena venit pedibus.

Praestat sero quam non venire.

Sero venientes, male sedentes.

Verbum Hodiernum: MENS

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MENS Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is the noun MENS (gen. mentis) which is of course familiar from English words like "mental" and also from compound forms like "demented." You can also sometimes see the Latin phrase compos mentis used in English writing.

In Latin, mens was personified as the goddess Mens who had her holiday on June 7. Both the Latin word mens and the English word "mind" go back to an Indo-European root *men- having to do with the realms of mind and memory.

You can also see the Latin word mens at work in the adverbial forms of the later Romance languages, such as Italian -mente - e.g. perfettamente, semplicemente, honestamente, etc. (while in English we use the suffix - ly to create equivalent adverbs: "perfectly," "simply," "honestly," etc.). You can actually see that usage emerging already in Latin as in this phrase from Catullus: Obstinata mente perfer.

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

Mens peregrina est.

Mens aequa in arduis.

Mens invicta manet.

Amor mentes nectit.

Scientia sol mentis.

Obcaecat mentem passio.

Mens vertitur cum fortuna.

Mala mens, malus animus.

Mala mens, suavissima verba.

Ne vincat inertia mentes.

Speculum mentis est facies.

Ebrietas est speculum mentis.

Mens sana, in corpore sano.

Terra corpus est, at mens ignis est.

Tria perpetim agunt: sol, ignis, mens.

Summa est velocitas mentis.

Mentis acies nonnumquam hebescit.

Ut visus in oculis, ita mens in anima.

Hominis mens discendo alitur.

Mens alitur discendo et cogitando.

Pars nostri melior mens est.

Aliud cupido, mens aliud suadet.

Musica mentis medicina maestae.

Lingua mentem ne praecurrat.

Lingua non discrepat a mente.

Mens hominum ignara, caeca futuri.

Cute sub agnina latet mens saepe lupina.














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