This page lists direct English translations of Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases, as Greek rhetoric and literature reached its peak centuries before that of ancient Rome.
This list covers the letter O. See List of Latin phrases for the main list.
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| References |
O
| Latin | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| O homines ad servitutem paratos | Men fit to be slaves! | Attributed (in Tacitus, Annales, III, 65) to the Emperor Tiberius, in disgust at the servile attitude of Roman senators. Used of those who should be leaders but instead slavishly follow the lead of others. |
| O tempora O mores | Oh, the times! Oh, the morals! | Also translated "What times! What customs!" From Cicero, Catilina I, 1, 2. |
| obiit (ob.) | one died | "He died" or "she died", an inscription on gravestones. ob. also sometimes stands for obiter (in passing or incidentally). |
| obit anus, abit onus | The old woman dies, the burden is lifted | Arthur Schopenhauer. |
| obliti privatorum, publica curate | Forget private affairs, take care of public ones | Roman political saying which reminds that common good should be given priority over private matters for any person having a responsibility in the State. |
| obiter dictum | a thing said in passing | In law, an observation by a judge on some point of law not directly relevant to the case before him, and thus neither requiring his decision nor serving as a precedent, but nevertheless of persuasive authority. In general, any comment, remark or observation made in passing. |
| obscuris vera involvens | the truth being enveloped by obscure things | From Virgil. |
| obscurum per obscurius | the obscure by means of the more obscure | An explanation that is less clear than what it tries to explain. Synonymous with ignotum per ignotius. |
| oculus dexter (O.D.) | right eye | Ophthalmologist shorthand. |
| oculus sinister (O.S.) | left eye | Ophthalmologist shorthand. |
| oderint dum metuant | let them hate, so long as they fear | Favorite saying of Caligula, attributed originally to Lucius Accius, Roman tragic poet (170 BC). |
| odi et amo | I hate and I love | The opening of Catullus 85. The entire poem reads, "odi et amo quare id faciam fortasse requiris / nescio sed fieri sentio et excrucior" (I hate and I love. Why do I do this, you perhaps ask. / I do not know, but I feel it happening and am tormented.). |
| odi profanum vulgus et arceo | I hate the unholy rabble and keep them away | From Horace. |
| odium theologicum | theological hatred | A name for the special hatred generated in theological disputes. |
| oleum camino | (To pour) oil on the fire | From Gerhard Gerhards' (1466-1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection of annotated Adagia (1508). |
| omnes vulnerant, postuma necat or omnes feriunt, ultima necat | All [the hours] wound, last one kills | Usual in clocks, reminding the reader of death. |
| omne ignotum pro magnifico | every unknown thing [is taken] for great | Or "everything unknown appears magnificent". |
| omnia dicta fortiora si dicta Latina | everything said [is] stronger if said in Latin | Or "everything sounds more impressive when said in Latin". A more common phrase with the same meaning is quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur. |
| omnia mutantur, nihil interit | Everything changes, nothing perishes | Or "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost" (Ovid (43 BC – 17 AD), Metamorphoses, book XV, line 165) |
| omnia omnibus | All Things to All Men | 1 Corinthians 9:22 |
| omnia vincit amor | Love conquers all | Virgil (70 BC - 19 BC), Eclogue X, line 69 |
| omne vivum ex ovo | Every living thing is from an egg | A foundational concept of modern biology, opposing the theory of spontaneous generation. |
| omnia munda mundis | everything [is] pure to the pure [men] | From The New Testament. |
| omnia praesumuntur legitime facta donec probetur in contrarium | all things are presumed to be lawfully done, until it is shown [to be] in the reverse | In other words, "innocent until proven guilty". |
| omnibus idem | the same to all | The motto of P.C. Hooft, usually accompanied by a sun, which shines for (almost) everyone. |
| omnis traductor traditor | Every translator is a traitor | Every translation is a corruption of the original. Therefore, the reader should take heed of unavoidable imperfections. |
| Omnis Vir Tigris | "Everyone A Tiger" | Motto of the 102nd Intelligence Wing |
| omnium gatherum | gathering of all | A miscellaneous collection or assortment. Often used facetiously. |
| onus probandi | burden of proof | |
| onus procedendi | burden of procedure | Burden of a party to adduce evidence that a case is an exception to the rule |
| opera omnia | all works | The collected works of an author. |
| opera posthuma | posthumous works | Works published after the author's death. |
| operari sequitur esse | the act of doing something follows the act of being | Scholastic phrase, used to explain that there is no possible act if there is not being: being is absolutely necessary for any other act. |
| opere citato (op. cit.) | in the work that was cited | Used in academic works when referring again to the last source mentioned or used. |
| opere et viritate | in action and truth | Doing what you believe is morally right through everyday actions. |
| opere laudato (op. laud.) | See opere citato | |
| operibus anteire | leading the way with deeds | To speak with actions instead of words. |
| ophidia in herba | a snake in the grass | Any hidden danger or unknown risk. |
| opus anglicanum | English work | Fine embroidery. Especially used to describe church vestments. |
| Opus Dei | The Work of God | Opus Dei is a Catholic institution founded by Saint Josemaría Escrivá. Its mission is to help people turn their work and daily activities into occasions for growing closer to God, for serving others, and for improving society. |
| ora et labora | pray and work | The Motto of Order of Saint Benedict as well as the motto for St. Joseph's Institution, Dalhousie Law School, Halifax Nova Scotia, Melbourne Grammar School and Infant Jesus Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School, Tangasseri, India, and other institutions. |
| ora pro nobis | pray for us | |
| oratio directa | direct speech | An expression from Latin grammar. cf. "oratio obliqua." |
| oratio obliqua | indirect speech | An expression from Latin grammar. cf. "oratio directa." |
| orbis non sufficit | the world does not suffice" "the world is not enough |
Originates from Juvenal's Tenth Satire, referring to Alexander the Great. James Bond's adopted family motto in the novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It made a brief appearance in the film adaptation of the same name and was later used as the title of the nineteenth James Bond film, The World Is Not Enough. |
| orbis unum | One world | Seen in The Legend of Zorro. |
| ordo ab chao | Out of chaos, comes order | The phrase is one of the oldest mottos of Craft Freemasonry.[1][2] |
| orta recens quam pura nites | newly risen, how brightly you shine | Motto of New South Wales. |
Notes
- ^ http://www.freemasonry.org.il/scottish.html, The phrase can be seen in Masonic symbolism and emblems.
- ^ http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/history/masonic_mottoes.html
References
- This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.
- Adeleye, Gabriel G. (1999). World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions. Ed. Thomas J. Sienkewicz and James T. McDonough, Jr. Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0865164223.
- Hardon, John, Fr. Modern Catholic Dictionary.
- Stone, Jon R. (1996). Latin for the Illiterati. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN 0415917751.
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