Most Popular
1500 questions
8
votes
3 answers
How do you describe someone as a shapeshifter in Latin?
Greco-Roman mythology is full of many examples of shape-changing. If you look only at Zeus/Jupiter alone, there are countless examples of him changing himself or changing others. Did the Romans have a specific word in Latin that meant…
Adam
- 8,520
- 3
- 20
- 76
8
votes
2 answers
Did the ancient inhabitants of Rome who spoke Latin refer to themselves as Latins?
In Ancient Rome (8th century BC to 5th century AD), did the inhabitants use the terms Roman and Latin synonymously to describe themselves as a people?
Zan700
8
votes
1 answer
How is that there are two different words, comparo, that appear to be identical?
In various dictionaries, like Lewis & Short, there are two completely separate entries for the word comparo, which otherwise appear to be identical in conjugation. How is that these two entries are considered to be different words, rather than just…
Tyler Durden
- 6,790
- 11
- 31
8
votes
1 answer
Stacking many infinitives
Consider the sentence: Dixit se velle posse audere venire.
("He said that he wants to be able to dare to come.")
This has a stack of four infinitives.
In theory we might be able to stack as many infinitives as we like; maybe you can argue that just…
Joonas Ilmavirta
- 113,294
- 21
- 192
- 587
8
votes
1 answer
How to express "a little bit of" a mass noun outside of the nominative or accusative case
How do you say "a little (small amount) of" a mass noun when the noun phrase is not in the nominative or accusative case or is the object of a preposition?
Normally a partitive genitive is used, e.g. paulum aquae = a little water, but this…
NuclearInternets
- 83
- 6
8
votes
1 answer
Ablative of Place
I am reading through Jenney's Second-Year Latin and I'm translating the following sentence:
Campaniam depopulatus est, atque ad Praeneste venit milliario ab urbe octavo decimo.
The bit about the milestone is confusing me. I translated as:
he came…
Stephen Perencevich
- 541
- 2
- 5
8
votes
1 answer
How to translate “L’être unique a plus d’un nom” in Latin?
I was reading about an eclectic mausoleum in Belgium. It is written in four languages (Greek, Sanskrit, Egyptian and French) the following sentence:
L’être unique a plus d’un nom.
ΕΙΣ Δ ΩΝ ΠΟΛΥΩΝΥΜΟΣ ΕΣΤΙ (if I transcribed it correctly)
That…
user11281
8
votes
1 answer
Usage of passive in Summa Theologiae
This may be a simple question or may be answered elsewhere already, but I’m curious about the usage of the passive in the following simple sentence from Aquinas:
“Ad secundum sic proceditur”
He re-uses this pattern for his other arguments (“ad…
Chris Loonam
- 183
- 4
8
votes
1 answer
Long time, no see!
There are several other ways of saying this in English: it’s been ages since I last saw you!/ it’s been a long time!/ it’s a long time since I saw you! There is a phrase doing the rounds for the Latin equivalent of this expression, viz. tam diu…
Jonathan Hadfield
- 1,444
- 5
- 11
8
votes
1 answer
How to write "knowledge to all" in classical latin?
How to write "knowledge to all" in Classical Latin?
Google translate gave me "In omni scientia".
But I also had "Omnes enim scientiae" or "Omnis enim scientia" and a scholar gave me "Scientia per omnibus".
Which one corresponds the best? Or is there…
pdeli
- 275
- 2
- 7
8
votes
1 answer
Latin date abbreviation meanings
I've hit a bit of a stumbling block with the translation of two dates written in Latin. Could anyone please confirm the meanings of the abbreviations in the below image?
I believe they simply are superscript for 1st and 18th, respectively, but was…
cwgalli
- 83
- 4
8
votes
4 answers
Do common nominative adjective endings also work with neuter nouns?
The -or ending for some first and second declension adjectives like maior and minor can be used with both masculine and feminine words. Can that ending also be used with neuter words or would another ending or word be used instead?
Ursus Minor /…
Adam
- 8,520
- 3
- 20
- 76
8
votes
1 answer
can "postquam" and "cum" have the same meaning?
For example:
"Postquam Graeciam veni philosophiam didici." = "After I came to Greece I learned philosophy."
And,
"Cum graeciam venissem, pgilosophiam didici." = "When I had came to Greece I learned philosophy."
is these two sentences have the same…
Vincentius
- 145
- 3
8
votes
1 answer
Were there ever gerunds for posse and esse?
As Figulus stated in a recent answer:
But passive infinitives are not the only infinitives which lack a gerund. Posse and esse also lack a gerund, and that brings to my mind the neo-Latin expression, A posse ad esse (from being able to merely…
Draconis
- 66,625
- 6
- 117
- 269
8
votes
1 answer
Infinitive with “cum”
Hi all—I’m making my way through De Bello Gallico and came across the following (from Ch. 3): “His rebus adducti et auctoritate Orgetorigis permoti, constituerunt ea quae ad proficiscendum pertineret comparare, iumentorum et carrorum quam maximum…
CFD
- 81
- 3