Latin Phrasebook
modus operandi - manner of operating
non sequitur - it does not follow (used as an English noun meaning "a conclusion which does not accord with the premises").
per - for each OR according to (This petrol station charges $5.00 per gallon.)
per annum; p.a. - for each year (The population is increasing by about 2% per annum.)
per capita - for each person (The country's annual income is $5000 per capita.)
per contra - on the other hand; on the contrary
per se - in itself or themselves; instrinsically (These facts per se are not important.)
persona non grata - unacceptable or unwelcome person (From now on, you may consider yourself persona non grata in this house.)
post mortem - examination of a body after death; autopsy (The post-mortem revealed that she had been murdered.)
prima facie - on a first view
pro bono - done without charge in the public interest
pro rata - proportional; proportionally (The car rental charge is $50 per day and then pro rata for part of a day.)
quid pro quo - favor or advantage given or expected in return for something
re - about; concerning; regarding (I spoke to the manage re your salary increase.)
sine qua non - essential condition; thing that is absolutely necessary; "without which not" (Words are a sine qua non of spoken language.)
status quo - existing state of affairs (Monarchies naturally wish to maintain the status quo.)
tabula rasa - a young mind not affected by experience; an opportunity to start from the beginning (literally, a "blank slate")
terra firma - dry land; the ground as opposed to the air or sea (Shackleton and his men set foot on terra firma after three weeks at sea.)
verbatim - in exactly the same words (I had to memorize the text verbatim.)
versus; vs.; v. - against (What are the benefits of organic versus inorganic foods?)
vice versa - the other way round (My telephone serves me, and not vice versa.)
mea culpa - by my fault (used as an acknowledgement of one's error)
memento mori - a reminder of death or mortality, especially a death's-head (literally, "Remember that you have to die.)
memorandum - (a note of) a thing to be remembered
habeas corpus - a court order instructing that a person under arrest be brought before a judge (The right of habeas corpus has been regarded as an important safeguard of individual liberty.)
in loco parentis - in the place of a parent (Teachers sometimes have to act in loco parentis.)
in situ - in its original place (The paintings have been taken to the museum but the statues have been left in situ.)
in vitro - (in biology) taking place outside a living organism (for example, in a test tube) (The child was born through in vitro fertilization).
magna cum laude - with great honor or academic distinction
magnum opus - the greatest work done by an artist, a true masterpiece
exempli gratia: Often abbreviated as "e.g." in writing, this phrase means "for the sake of example" and is used to introduce examples
Quidquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
While there may not be cites and countries full of people speaking Latin these days, that doesn't mean the ancient language is something you can just forget about. Not only are many of our words in English (not to mention many other languages) derived from Latin, but many of its words words are still used in today's daily speaking and writing. So while you may not need to learn to speak or read the Latin language fluently, it can still be a big help in your quest for higher education to know a few words and phrases. Here are some of the most commonly used Latin expressions that you should learn to start improving your personal lexicon.
a posteriori - derived by reasoning from observed facts
a priori - from what was before
ad absurdum - to the point of absurdity
ad infinitum - without limit
ad nauseam - repeating or continuing to the point of boredom (The apparent risks of secondary smoking have been debated ad nauseam.)
alma mater - one's school or university (literally "nourishing or bountiful mother")
alter ego - other self
ante bellum - existing before a war; especially, existing before the American Civil War
bona fide - The literal translation means "good faith"; however, this term has a few different shades of meaning in modern language. In legal terms, it is used to represent something that is presented without deception or fraud, or literally in good faith, honest, sincere and lawful. It is more commonly used to mean something that's the real deal or truly authentic. (Only bona fide members of the club may use the clubhouse.)
carpe diem - seize the day; enjoy the present, as opposed to placing all hope in the future
caveat emptor - let the buyer beware
circa; c. - around; approximately (The house was built circa 1870.)
de facto - in fact; in reality (Although the Emperor was the head of state, the de facto ruler of Japan was the Shogun.)
ergo - therefore
erratum - error; mistake
et cetera; etc. - and so on; and other things (We urgently need to buy medical equipment, drugs et cetera.)
ex libris - from the library of (In the front of the book: Ex libris John Brown).
ex nihilo - out of nothing