Most Popular
1500 questions
12
votes
1 answer
How to say "in all fairness" or "to be fair" in latin?
I am very new to Latin. I was wondering how you'd say something like "in all fairness" or "to be fair" in Latin. I have been searching for the answer for hours and I couldn't find a single post about it, althought someone I know did suggest…
Echo Heo
- 121
- 2
12
votes
1 answer
When have we last lost an ancient Latin text?
Alex B's answer to a recent question mentions that we have no extant texts from Ovid before the high middle ages.
As books are perishable on the timescale of centuries, having extant material today often relies on a long unbroken tradition of…
Joonas Ilmavirta
- 113,294
- 21
- 192
- 587
12
votes
1 answer
Are there records of Latin-based pidgin languages?
A pidgin language is a simplified form of communication that arises naturally when two groups lacking a common language need to interact.
Such interactions must have been common in the ancient world, so I imagine some pidgins must have been spoken…
Joonas Ilmavirta
- 113,294
- 21
- 192
- 587
12
votes
1 answer
Does, "Apostolus Hiberniae" end in an "ae" ligature or are the letters separate?
Could someone help me with the Latin translation of, "Apostle of Ireland"? I have found, "Apostolus Hiberniae". Does "Hiberniae" have end in the "æ" ligature or are the "a" and "e" separate? I am painting an icon of St. Patrick for an older…
Joel Shambe
- 121
- 3
12
votes
2 answers
Infinitive main verb in Newton's Three Laws of Motion
Isaac Newton expressed his three laws of motion as follows:
Corpus omne perseverare in statu suo quiescendi vel movendi uniformiter in directum, nisi quatenus a viribus impressis cogitur statum illum mutare.
Mutationem motus proportionalem esse vi…
Ben Kovitz
- 15,914
- 2
- 32
- 86
12
votes
1 answer
Help translating phrase from William Lilly's Christian Astrology
So I just started reading through William Lilly's 1647 work Christian Astrology and I came across a paragraph in Latin on p. ix of the Dedicatory Epistle that I can't seem to easily translate via Google Translate. Any help would be greatly…
Nikki Cypher
- 123
- 4
12
votes
1 answer
Are prepositions really never used with cities?
We're taught that the names of cities and small islands do not use prepositions for being in, going into, or leaving these places:
It's not in Roma but Romae.
It's not in Romam but Romam.
It's not e/a Roma but Roma.
But how absolute is this?
Are…
Joonas Ilmavirta
- 113,294
- 21
- 192
- 587
12
votes
1 answer
Coordinating positive and negative imperatives
For positive commands, Latin uses the imperative: Da mihi librum "Give me the book."
For negative commands, it uses a number of constructions of which noli + inf. is most common: Noli mihi gladium dare "Don't give me the sword."
What if I want to…
TKR
- 31,292
- 2
- 66
- 120
12
votes
0 answers
Just how out of date are the major 19th/early 20th century English grammars of Latin (G&L, A&G, Bennett)
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were a slew of Latin grammars published in English that stuck around are still popular today (in the Anglophone world). A survey of various resources online point to these three as the chief major…
cmw
- 54,480
- 4
- 120
- 225
12
votes
2 answers
Which is more correct, "status quo" or "statu quo"?
I always heard and read the expression "status quo" but I just found the alternative spelling "statu quo" in the Italian translation of Motivational Interviewing by Miller e Rollnick.
Which is more correct?
Michele Dorigatti
- 223
- 2
- 7
12
votes
1 answer
Alternative methods of ordering declensions
Are there other ways to organize declensions other than the traditional numerical method? If so, what are the pro and cons of that system as compared to the standard system of the first declension, second declension, etc.
Adam
- 8,520
- 3
- 20
- 76
12
votes
3 answers
How does ‘pontifex’ connect to the significance of bridge building as pious work?
From the Online Etymology Dictionary:
pontifex (n.)
member of the supreme college of priests in ancient Rome, 1570s, from Latin pontifex "high priest, chief of the priests," probably from pont-, stem of pons "bridge" (see pons) + -fex, -ficis, root…
user37
12
votes
1 answer
How did the Romans congratulate a new father?
One of our users recently became a father and of course congratulations are in order.
How did the Romans do that?
More specifically, are there any attested congratulations to a new father in the classical literature?
It could be from a play or from…
Joonas Ilmavirta
- 113,294
- 21
- 192
- 587
12
votes
1 answer
How to form the plural of "noun plus noun in possessive case"?
I would like to know what are the rules to form the plural of a noun plus a noun in possessive case. I am not sure if this is a correct description of what I am interested in let me give an example.
Say, I have the head of a horse, that is "caput…
quid
- 223
- 1
- 6
12
votes
5 answers
What is a good font for both Latin with diacritics and polytonic Greek
Previous questions and outline of needs
Several questions have been asked, especially for polytonic Greeek – especially ‘What are popular fonts for polytonic Greek?’ and ‘Greek font with legible diacritics’ – but neither of them cover my needs. I am…
Canned Man
- 3,429
- 12
- 37