| Latin |
Translation |
Notes |
| pace |
"in peace" |
"With all due respect to", "with due deference to", "by leave of", or "no offense to". Used to politely acknowledge someone who disagrees with the speaker or writer.
|
| pace tua |
"your peace" |
Thus, "with your permission". |
| pacta sunt servanda |
"agreements must be kept" |
Also "contracts must be honoured". Indicates the binding power of treaties. |
| palma non sine pulvere |
"no reward without effort" |
Also "dare to try"; motto of numerous schools. |
| panem et circenses |
"bread and circuses" |
From Juvenal, Satire X, line 81. Originally described all that was needed for emperors to placate the Roman mob. Today used to describe any entertainment used to distract public attention from more important matters. |
| para bellum |
"prepare for war" |
From "Si vis pacem para bellum" if you want peace prepare for war since if a country is ready for war its enemies will not attack. Can be used to denote support or approval for a war or conflict. |
| parens patriae |
"parent of the nation" |
A public policy requiring courts to protect the best interests of any child involved in a lawsuit. See also Pater Patriae. |
| Pari passu |
"with equal step" |
Thus, "moving together", "simultaneously", etc. |
| parva sub ingenti |
"the small under the huge" |
Implies that the weak are under the protection of the strong, rather than that they are inferior. Motto of Prince Edward Island. |
| parvis imbutus tentabis grandia tutus |
"When you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great things" |
Motto of Barnard Castle School, sometimes translated as "Once you have accomplished small things, you may attempt great ones safely" |
| passim |
"here and there" |
Less literally, "throughout" or "frequently". Said of a word that occurs several times in a cited text. Also used in proof-reading, where it refers to a change that is to be repeated everywhere needed. |
| pater familias |
"father of the family" |
Or "master of the house". The eldest male in a family, who held patria potestas ("paternal power"). In Roman law, a father had enormous power over his children, wife, and slaves, though these rights dwindled over time. Derived from the phrase pater familias, an Old Latin expression preserving the archaic -as ending for the genitive case. |
| Pater Patriae |
"Father of the Nation" |
Also rendered with the gender-neutral parens patriae ("parent of the nation"). |
| pater peccavi |
"father, I have sinned" |
The traditional beginning of a Roman Catholic confession. |
| Pater Omnipotens |
"Father Almighty" |
A more direct translation would be "omnipotent father". |
| pauca sed matura |
"few, but ripe" |
From The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Said to be one of Carl Gauss's favorite quotations. |
| pauca sed bona |
"few, but good" |
Similar to "quality over quantity"; though there may be few of something, at least they are of good quality. |
| pax aeterna |
"eternal peace" |
A common epitaph. |
| Pax Americana |
"American Peace" |
A euphemism for the United States of America and its sphere of influence. Adapted from Pax Romana. |
| Pax Britannica |
"British Peace" |
A euphemism for the British Empire. Adapted from Pax Romana. |
| Pax Christi |
"Peace of Christ" |
Used as a wish before the H.Communion in the RC Mass, also the name of the peace movement Pax Christi |
| pax Dei |
"peace of God" |
Used in the Peace and Truce of God movement in 10th-Century France. |
| Pax Deorum |
"Peace of the Gods" |
Like the vast majority of inhabitants of the ancient world, the Romans practiced pagan rituals, believing it important to achieve a state of Pax Deorum (The Peace of the Gods) instead of Ira Deorum (The Wrath of the Gods). |
| Pax Domine |
"Peace, lord" |
lord or master; used as a form of address when speaking to clergy or educated professionals. |
| pax et bonum |
"peace and the good" |
Motto of St. Francis of Assisi and, consequently, of his monastery in Assisi, in the Umbria region of Italy. Translated in Italian as pace e bene. |
| pax et lux |
"peace and light" |
Motto of Tufts University. |
| pax in terra |
"Peace on earth" |
Used to exemplify the desired state of peace on earth. |
| Pax Europaea |
"European peace" |
A euphemism for Europe after World War II |
| Pax Hispanica |
"Spanish peace" |
A euphemism for the Spanish Empire. Specifically can mean the twenty-three years of supreme Spanish dominance in Europe (approximately 1598–1621). Adapted from Pax Romana. |
| pax maternum, ergo pax familiarum |
"peace of mothers, therefore peace of families" |
If the mother is peaceful, then the family is peaceful. The reverse of the Southern American saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." |
| Pax Mongolica |
"Mongolian Peace" |
A period of peace and prosperity in Asia during the Mongol Empire. |
| Pax Romana |
"Roman Peace" |
A period of relative prosperity and lack of conflict in the early Roman Empire. |
| Pax Sinica |
"Chinese Peace" |
A period of peace in East Asia during times of strong Chinese hegemony. |
| Pax tecum |
"Peace be with you" |
(Singular) |
| pax vobiscum |
"peace [be] with you" |
A common farewell. The "you" is plural ("you all"), so the phrase must be used when speaking to more than one person; pax tecum is the form used when speaking to only one person. |
| Peccavi |
"I have sinned" |
Telegraph message and pun from Charles Napier, British general, upon completely subjugating the Indian province of Sindh in 1842. This is, arguably, the most terse military despatch ever sent. The story is apocryphal. |
| pecunia non olet |
"the money doesn't smell" |
According to Suetonius' De vita Caesarum, when Emperor Vespasian was challenged by his son Titus for taxing the public lavatories, the emperor held up a coin before his son and asked whether it smelled or simply said non olet ("it doesn't smell"). From this, the phrase was expanded to pecunia non olet, or rarely aes non olet ("copper doesn't smell"). |
| pecunia, si uti scis, ancilla est; si nescis, domina |
"if you know how to use money, money is your slave; if you don't, money is your master" |
Written on an old Latin tablet in downtown Verona (Italy). |
| pede poena claudo |
"punishment comes limping" |
That is, retribution comes slowly but surely. From Horace, Odes, 3, 2, 32. |
| pendent opera interrupta |
"the work hangs interrupted" |
From the Aeneid of Virgil, Book IV. |
| per |
"By, through, by means of" |
See specific phrases below. |
| per angusta ad augusta |
"through difficulties to greatness" |
The motto of numerous educational establishments. |
| per annum (pa.) |
"per year" |
Thus, "yearly"—occurring every year. |
| per ardua |
"through adversity" |
Motto of the British RAF Regiment |
| per ardua ad alta |
"through hard work, great heights are achieved" |
Motto of University of Birmingham, Methodist Ladies' College, Perth |
| per ardua ad astra |
"through struggles to the stars" |
Motto of the air force of several nations (including the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom) and of several schools. The phrase is used by Latin Poet Virgil in the Aeneid; also used in Henry Rider Haggard's novel The People of the Mist. |
| per aspera ad astra |
"through hardships to the stars" |
From Seneca the Younger. Motto of NASA and the South African Air Force. A common variant, ad astra per aspera ("to the stars through hardships"), is the state motto of Kansas. Ad Astra ("To the Stars") is the title of a magazine published by the National Space Society. De Profundis Ad Astra ("From the depths to the stars.") is the motto of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. |
| per capsulam |
"through the small box" |
That is, "by letter". |
| per capita |
"by heads" |
"Per head", i.e., "per person" - a ratio by the number of persons. The singular is per caput ("through a head"). |
| per contra |
"through the contrary" |
Or "on the contrary" (cf. a contrario). |
| per curiam |
"through the senate" |
Legal term meaning "by the court", as in a per curiam decision. |
| per crucem vincemus |
"through the cross we shall conquer" |
Motto of St John Fisher Catholic High School, Dewsbury. |
| per definitionem |
"through the definition" |
Thus, "by definition". |
| per diem (pd.) |
"by day" |
Thus, "per day". A specific amount of money an organization allows an individual to spend per day, typically for travel expenses. |
| per mare per terram |
"By Sea and by Land" |
Motto of the Royal Marines and (with small difference) of Clan Donald. |
| per mensem (pm.) |
"by month" |
Thus, "per month", or "monthly". |
| per os (p.o.) |
"through the mouth" |
Medical shorthand for "by mouth". |
| per pedes |
"by feet" |
Used of a certain place can be traversed or reached by foot, or to indicate that one is travelling by foot as opposed to by a vehicle. |
| per procura (p.p.) or (per pro) |
"through the agency" |
Also rendered per procurationem. Used to indicate that a person is signing a document on behalf of another person. Correctly placed before the name of the person signing, but often placed before the name of the person on whose behalf the document is signed, sometimes through incorrect translation of the alternative abbreviation per pro. as "for and on behalf of". |
| per quod |
"by reason of which" |
In a UK legal context: "by reason of which" (as opposed to per se which requires no reasoning). In American jurisprudence often refers to a spouse's claim for loss of consortium. |
| per rectum (pr) |
"through the rectum" |
Medical shorthand. See also per os. |
| per se |
"through itself" |
Also "by itself" or "in itself". Without referring to anything else, intrinsically, taken without qualifications, etc. A common example is negligence per se. See also malum in se. |
| per stirpes |
"through the roots" |
Used in wills to indicate that each "branch" of the testator's family should inherit equally. Contrasted with per capita. |
| per unitatem vis |
"through unity, strength" |
Motto of Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets. |
| per veritatem vis |
"through truth, strength" |
Motto of Washington University in St. Louis. |
| per volar sunata[sic] |
"born to fly upwards"* |
Motto of St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School and St Margaret's Anglican Girls School *This is a historical misconception. The phrase is not from latin but from 'Dante Purgatorio XII 94-96'. "Per Volar Su Nata" - Original meaning from the Sisters of the Sacred Advent was "Born to Soar" . |
| perge sequar |
"advance, I follow" |
from Virgil's Aeneid IV 114; in Vergil's context: "proceed with your plan, I will do my part." |
| perpetuum mobile |
"thing in perpetual motion" |
A musical term. Also used to refer to hypothetical perpetual motion machines. |
| persona non grata |
"person not pleasing" |
An unwelcome, unwanted or undesirable person. In diplomatic contexts, a person rejected by the host government. The reverse, persona grata ("pleasing person"), is less common, and refers to a diplomat acceptable to the government of the country to which he is sent. |
| petitio principii |
"request of the beginning" |
Begging the question, a logical fallacy in which a proposition to be proved is implicitly or explicitly assumed in one of the premises. |
| pia desideria |
"pious longings" |
Or "dutiful desires". |
| pia fraus |
"pious fraud" |
Or "dutiful deceit". Expression from Ovid. Used to describe deception which serves Church purposes. |
| pia mater |
"pious mother" |
Or "tender mother". Translated into Latin from Arabic. The delicate innermost of the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. |
| pinxit |
"one painted" |
Thus, "he painted this" or "she painted this". Formerly used on works of art, next to the artist's name. |
| pluralis majestatis |
"plural of majesty" |
The first-person plural pronoun when used by an important personage to refer to himself or herself; also known as the "royal we". |
| plus minusve (p.m.v.) |
"more or less" |
Frequently found on Roman funerary inscriptions to denote that the age of a decedent is approximate. |
| plus ultra |
"further beyond" |
The national motto of Spain and a number of other institutions. Motto of the Colombian National Armada. |
| pollice compresso favor iudicabatur |
"goodwill decided by compressed thumb" |
Life was spared with a thumb tucked inside a closed fist, simulating a sheathed weapon. Conversely, a thumb up meant to unsheath your sword. |
| pollice verso |
"with a turned thumb" |
Used by Roman crowds to pass judgment on a defeated gladiator. The type of gesture used is uncertain. Also the name of a famous painting depicting gladiators by Jean-Léon Gérôme. |
| pons asinorum |
"bridge of asses" |
Any obstacle that stupid people find hard to cross. Originally used of Euclid's Fifth Proposition in geometry. |
| Pontifex Maximus |
"Greatest High Priest" |
Or "Supreme Pontiff". Originally an office in the Roman Republic, later a title held by Roman Emperors, and later a traditional epithet of the pope. The pontifices were the most important priestly college of the religion in ancient Rome; their name is usually thought to derive from pons facere ("to make a bridge"), which in turn is usually linked to their religious authority over the bridges of Rome, especially the Pons Sublicius. |
| posse comitatus |
"force of the county" |
Thus, to be able to be made into part of a retinue or force. In common law, a sheriff's right to compel people to assist law enforcement in unusual situations. |
| post aut propter |
"after it or by means of it" |
Causality between two phenomena is not established (cf. post hoc, ergo propter hoc). |
| post cibum (p.c.) |
"after food" |
Medical shorthand for "after meals" (cf. ante cibum). |
| post coitum |
"After sex" |
After sexual intercourse. |
| post coitum omne animal triste est sive gallus et mulier |
"After sexual intercourse every animal is sad, except the cock and the woman" |
Or: triste est omne animal post coitum, praeter mulierem gallumque. Attributed to Galen of Pergamum.[1] |
| post hoc ergo propter hoc |
"after this, therefore because of this" |
A logical fallacy where one assumes that one thing happening after another thing means that the first thing caused the second. The title of a West Wing episode. |
| post festum |
"after the feast" |
Too late, or after the fact. |
| post meridiem (p.m.) |
"after midday" |
The period from noon to midnight (cf. ante meridiem). |
| post mortem (pm) |
"after death" |
Usually rendered postmortem. Not to be confused with post meridiem. |
| Post mortem auctoris (p.m.a.) |
"after the author's death" |
The phrase is used in legal terminology in the context of intellectual property rights, especially copyright, which commonly lasts until a certain number of years after the author's death. |
| post prandial |
"after the time before midday" |
Refers to the time after any meal. Usually rendered postprandial. |
| post scriptum (p.s.) |
"after what has been written" |
A postscript. Used to mark additions to a letter, after the signature. Can be extended to post post scriptum (p.p.s.), etc. |
| post tenebras lux, or post tenebras spero lucem |
"after darkness, [I hope for] light" |
Motto of the Protestant Reformation inscribed on the Reformation Wall in Geneva from Vulgata, Job 17:12. Former motto of Chile; motto of Robert College of Istanbul. |
| postera crescam laude |
"we grow in the esteem of future generations" |
Motto of the University of Melbourne. |
| praemonitus praemunitus |
"forewarned is forearmed" |
|
| praesis ut prosis ne ut imperes |
"Lead in order to serve, not in order to rule" |
Motto of Lancaster Royal Grammar School. |
| praeter legem |
"after the law" |
Legal terminology, international law. |
| prima facie |
"at first sight" |
Used to designate evidence in a trial which is suggestive, but not conclusive, of something (e.g., a person's guilt). |
| prima luce |
"at dawn" |
Literally "at first light" |
| primas sum: primatum nil a me alienum puto |
"I am a primate; nothing about primates is outside of my bailiwick" |
A sentence by the American anthropologist Earnest Hooton and the slogan of primatologists and lovers of the primates. |
| primum mobile |
"first moving thing" |
Or "first thing able to be moved". See primum movens. |
| primum movens |
"prime mover" |
Or "first moving one". A common theological term, such as in the cosmological argument, based on the assumption that God was the first entity to "move" or "cause" anything. Aristotle was one of the first philosophers to discuss the "uncaused cause", a hypothetical originator—and violator—of causality. |
| primum non nocere |
"first, to not harm" |
A medical precept. Often falsely attributed to the Hippocratic Oath, though its true source is probably a paraphrase from Hippocrates' Epidemics, where he wrote, "Declare the past, diagnose the present, foretell the future; practice these acts. As to diseases, make a habit of two things: to help, or at least to do no harm." |
| primus inter pares |
"first among equals" |
A title of the Roman Emperors (cf. princeps). |
| principia probant non probantur |
"principles prove; they are not proved" |
Fundamental principles require no proof; they are assumed a priori. |
| prior tempore potior iure |
"earlier in time, stronger in law" |
A legal principle that older laws take precedent over newer ones. Another name for this principle is lex posterior. |
| pro bono publico |
"for the public good" |
Work undertaken voluntarily at no expense, such as public services. Often used of a lawyer's work that is not charged for. |
| pro Brasilia fiant eximia |
"let exceptional things be made for Brazil" |
Motto of São Paulo state, Brazil. |
| Pro deo et patria |
"For God and Country" |
Motto of St. John's High School, Chandigarh, India, American University, Washington, DC, Catholic High School, Pensacola,Fl.,St Peter's College, Adelaide, and Iona Presentation College, Perth. |
| pro domo |
"for (one’s own) home or house" |
serving the interests of a given perspective or for the benefit of a given group. |
| pro forma |
"for form" |
Or "as a matter of form". Prescribing a set form or procedure, or performed in a set manner. |
| pro gloria et patria |
"for gloria and fatherland" |
Motto of Prussia |
| pro hac vice |
"for this occasion" |
Request of a state court to allow an out-of-state lawyer to represent a client. |
| pro multis |
"for many" |
It is part of the Rite of Consecration of the wine in Western Christianity tradition, as part of the Mass. |
| pro patria |
"for country" |
Pro Patria Medal: for operational service (minimum 55 days) in defence of the Republic South Africa or in the prevention or suppression of terrorism; issued for the Border War (counter-insurgency operations in South West Africa 1966–89) and for campaigns in Angola (1975–76 and 1987–88). Motto of The Royal Canadian Regiment and Royal South Australia Regiment. |
| pro patria vigalans |
"watchful for the country" |
Motto of the United States Army Signal Corps. |
| pro rata |
"for the rate" |
i.e., proportionately. |
| pro rege et lege |
"for king and the law" |
Found on the Leeds coat of arms |
| pro re nata (prn) |
"for a thing that has been born" |
Medical shorthand for "as the occasion arises" or "as needed". Also "concerning a matter having come into being". Used to describe a meeting of a special Presbytery or Assembly called to discuss something new, and which was previously unforeseen (literally: "concerning a matter having been born"). |
| pro studio et labore |
"for study and work" |
|
| pro se |
"for oneself" |
to defend oneself in court without counsel ("pro per" -persona-in California) |
| pro tanto |
"for so much" |
Denotes something that has only been partially fulfilled. A philosophical term indicating the acceptance of a theory or idea without fully accepting the explanation |
| pro tempore |
"for the time" |
Equivalent to English phrase "for the time being". Denotes a temporary current situation. |
| probatio pennae |
"testing of the pen" |
A Medieval Latin term for breaking in a new pen. |
| propria manu (p.m.) |
"by one's own hand" |
| propter vitam vivendi perdere causas |
"to destroy the reasons for living for the sake of life" |
That is, to squander life's purpose just in order to stay alive, and live a meaningless life. From Juvenal, Satyricon VIII, verses 83–84. |
| provehito in altum |
"launch forward into the deep" |
Motto of Memorial University of Newfoundland, as well as of the band 30 Seconds to Mars.. |
| proxime accessit |
"he came next" |
The runner-up. |
| proximo mense (prox.) |
"in the following month" |
Formerly used in formal correspondence to refer to the next month. Used with ult. ("last month") and inst. ("this month"). |
| pulvis et umbra sumus |
"we are dust and shadow" |
From Horace, Carmina book IV, 7, 16. |
| punctum saliens |
"leaping point" |
Thus, the essential or most notable point. |
