This project is on hiatus right now while I am working mostly on the Latin Distich project - but you can still check out the Verbum Hodiernum!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Verbum Hodiernum: FUMUS
Today's word is FUMUS, which is a second-declension masculine noun.
Latin meaning and usage: The basic meaning of the word is "smoke" or "steam" or "fumes."
Latin word formation: The root is highly productive, giving rise to many verbs such as fumo, fumesco, fumifico, and compound verbs like effumo. There are also various nouns such as fumator and fumarium, as well as adjectives like fumosus and fumifer.
English cognates and derivatives: We get the English word "fume" from this Latin word, along with "fumigation."
Here are some examples of today's word in Latin sayings and proverbs; for more examples, see the page at the Scala Sapientiae, which also contains notes on some of the proverbs cited below:
De fumo ad flammam.
Defecerunt sicut fumus dies mei.
Flamma fumo est proxima.
Fumum fugiens, in ignem incidi.
Fumus, ergo ignis.
Homo humus, fama fumus, finis cinis.
Post mortem fumus, pulvis et umbra sumus.
Semper flamma fumo proxima est.
Vita mortalium cinis est et fumus.
Vitandus fumus, in ignem ne incidas.
Dum vito fumum, flammam in ipsam decido.
Fumum pro fulgore dat.
Praenuntiat fumus incendium.
Fumus sumus, fimus fimus.
Non est fumus absque igne.
De fumo disceptant.
Patriae fumus igni alieno luculentior.
Ex fumo dare lucem.
Ex igne ut fumus, sic fama ex crimine surgit.
Fumo comburi nihil potest, flamma potest.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Verbum Hodiernum: RES
Today's word is RES, which is a fifth-declension noun (gen. rei).
Latin meaning and usage: The range of meaning for the Latin word res is simply astounding; sometimes you can make do with the word "thing," but there is simply no English equivalent for the wide-ranging meanings of this Latin word. Take a read through the Lewis & Short dictionary entry to get a sense of the many possible English translations.
Latin word formation: You can find the word res used in many different expressions and compounds. One of the most famous, of course, is res publica, sometimes written respublica. The phrase quam ob rem can also be written as one word: quamobrem. You can also see the word res in the expression quare = quā rē? Be careful also with the verb refero; there is a typical compound re+fero, meaning "carry back, bring back, report," etc., but there is a different compound, rē+fert, meaning "it is somebody's business" - meā rēfert, "it is my business," tuā rēfert, "it is your business," etc.
English cognates and derivatives: You can see the Latin rē (= in rē) in the "re:" line used in the subject line of memos and letters. We also get the word "republic" (and its derivatives) from this Latin word.
Here are some examples of today's word in Latin sayings and proverbs; for more examples, see the page at the Scala Sapientiae, which also contains notes on some of the proverbs cited below:
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