Common English words, phrases, and abbreviations that are actually Latin!

1. Common English words, phrases, and abbreviations that are actually…

Latin!

2. Abbreviations

•etc. ~ et cetera, ‘and the rest’.
•i.e. ~ id est: ‘that is’ – Meaning:
“In other words”
•e.g. ~ exempli gratia: ‘for
example’

3. Abbreviations

•C.V. ~ curriculum vitae: ‘course of life’ - a statement
of the principal events in the career of a person,
used for formal applications.
•P.S. ~ post scriptum: ‘written afterwards’, a phrase
used to indicate an addition to a letter or document.
•R.I.P. ~ requiescat/ant in pace: ‘may he/she/they
rest in peace’, used on tombstones for graves.

4. Abbreviations

•A.D. ~ Anno Domini: “In the year of the
Lord” reckoning in the Christian era from
the year of Jesus Christ’s birth;
•A.M. ~ Ante Meridiem: “Before mid-day” –
time from midnight until noon.
•P.M. ~ Post Meridiem: “After mid-day” –
time from noon until midnight.

5. Status Quo

•Translation - ‘the state in which’
•The status quo is the current state of things.
If you are rich and admired, then you're
probably not interested in disrupting
the status quo.
•When people want to maintain the status
quo, they often resist progress.

6. Bona Fide

• Translation: in good faith
• Notes: with good faith; genuine, sincere;
• without fraud or deceit; made in good faith; opposite
of mala fide;
~The jeweler stated the large diamond was bona
fide and valuable.
~Because the man had lied about having a medical
degree, he was not a bona fide doctor.

7. Carpe Diem

•Translation: seize the day
•enjoy today, trust little to tomorrow;
•enjoy the present moment; take advantage
of every opportunity; seize the present
opportunity

8. modus operandi ~ M.O.

• Translation: method of operating
• (colloquial) A person or thing's
normal mode of operation.
• (law enforcement) A known criminal's established
habits and mode of work when committing specific
offenses,

9. post mortem

•Translation: after death
•Notes: an autopsy; an examination after
death;
•occurring, made, formed, or done after
death;
•The cut on the head happened post mortem.
It didn’t cause his death.

10. quid pro quo

• Translation: This for that or something for something
• Notes: one thing for or in place of another; an
equivalent; something in return; “a favor for a favor”
• in politics nobody does something for nothing: there's
always a quid pro quo involved

11. alter ego

• Translation: another self
• suggests either a very close and inseparable friend or
another side of one’s own personality;
• often used to describe the other personality or secret
identity of a fictional character, such as
Dr. Jekyll (and Mr. Hyde), Clark Kent (Superman),
Bruce Wayne (Batman), and Peter Parker
(Spiderman).

12. persona non grata

•Translation - "person not appreciated"
•"unwelcome person“
•He was declared persona non grata and
asked to leave the country within 48 hours.
•From the looks on their faces, I was
obviously persona non grata.

13. alma mater

•Translation ~ ‘nourishing mother’
•describes an educational establishment
where the student was mentally ‘nourished’.
•Former students are asked to donate money
to their alma mater.

14. More words…

•agenda: ‘things to be done’
•alias: ‘otherwise’, regularly used to refer to an
alternative name used by a person
•alibi: ‘elsewhere’ - most often used in a legal
context to describe a claim or proof that
someone was not at a certain time in a place
where an offence has been committed.

15. More words…

•data: ‘things given’ - This word is now used
to describe the information on which a
decision is based
•in vitro: ‘in glass’, used of a biological
process that occurs in test tubes in a lab
rather than naturally.
•memorandum: ‘a thing to be remembered’

16. More words…

•verbatim: ‘in words’ - This is used when
something that has been said or written is
repeated in exactly the same words.
•versus: ‘against’ - used in legal language to
indicate the opponents in a legal case
(abbreviated to v.).Roe v. Wade
•via: ‘by way (of)’ “I will fly home via Los Angeles”

17. More words…

• vice-: ‘in place of’ - Vice-President / Vice-Chancellor
• vice versa: ‘the change having been turned’, used to
describe a situation that is the reverse of the situation
that has just been mentioned.

18. Review: Match the words with the definitions

• Alma Mater –
• Status Quo –
• Carpe Diem –
• Bona Fide –
• Modus Operandi –
• Post Mortem –
• Quid pro quo –
• Alter ego –
• Persona non grata –
genuine, sincere
this for that
another self
person not appreciated
after death
seize the day
method of operating
current state of things
nourishing mother

19. Review: Match the words with the definitions

• Agenda • Alias • Alibi • Data • In Vitro • Memorandum • Verbatim • Versus • Via • Vice • Vice versa -
exactly the same words
against
alternative name
the reverse of
in place of
by way (of)
elsewhere (legal word)
things to be done
to be remembered
information
in test tubes