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Did the ancients write that their sculpture is painted?
I have the impression that for a long time scholars thought that ancient Greek and Roman sculpture was unpainted, and marble statues would be wholly white, but the modern consensus is that sculpture was indeed painted.
The evidence I have seen…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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What is the etymology and origin of the name of Dido's sister Anna?
Dido's sister and confidante Anna has a name that I believe to be unusual in Latin. Where did this name come from? Is it perhaps Semitic and related to Hebrew Hannah and the derived name Anna? The Carthaginians no doubt spoke a Semitic language.…
Cerberus
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Did the Romans have a word for "volcano"? How did they describe Vesuvius?
I'm curious to know whether the Romans had a word for "volcano", and, more specifically, whether they thought of Mount Vesuvius as a volcano.1 After the eruption of AD 79, I'm sure they had some choice words for what happened... what words did they…
ktm5124
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What was the first name of Christmas?
What was the first Latin word or expression used for Christmas, the Christian event in the honor of Jesus' birth?
I know what to call Christmas in Latin, but it occurred to me that there is no guarantee that it wasn't called something entirely…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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How do you say "imply" in Latin?
I need to know how to say the present, past and future tense of "imply" in Latin. I don't know much Latin, I just need the grammatically correct way to say: "Implied ______"
For example, for "Implied Power" Google says "Sequitur Imperium."
I don't…
Sir know-a-ton
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Is my interpretation of "Ad Astra per Aspera" correct?
I came across the phrase ad astra per aspera — "to the stars through difficulties." I think I know what it means, but my interpretation appears to be at odds with others. For example:
The motto of Kansas, "Ad Astra per Aspera" is Latin for John…
faustus
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Which adverbs of possibility and probability warrant the subjunctive?
On my previous question (thus begins the chain) I wrote a comment saying "Illa est bona idea. Fortasse rogem cras." I used the subjunctive because I take "fortasse" to mean "maybe", which to me warrants the potential subjunctive.
Is my conclusion…
ktm5124
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Who do I match numerically when using the possessive dative?
When using the dative of a noun in combination with a form of the verb esse to indicate possession, should the verb be in the same number as the subject or as the predicate noun(s) when there is a disagreement between the two?
For example, which…
Miguel
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Are Deponent Verbs a feature of the Latin Language or Means of Translation?
sequi as an example is a deponent verb. All forms are translated active, but look like passive forms.
Is this a feature of the Latin language (i.e. were contemporary linguists aware of such a feature) or was the verb sequi simply passive, but we as…
Narusan
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What are the benefits of studying Latin?
Many of us have studied Latin simply because we enjoy it, and many have found use for it when studying something like philosophy or history where Latin materials are commonplace.
However, I am not looking for personal experience or anecdotal…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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What's the deal with Q?
In all forms of Latin I know, the letter Q is always followed by a U.
No other letter seems to be bound this way.
The combination QU stands for something like /kw/, and it would make more sense to me to let the letter Q alone stand for /kw/ and…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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10
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Word order in latin
A few days ago, I found the following sentence:
Est mea cunctorum terror vox daemoniorum.
The sentence is readily translated as "My voice is the fear of all demons". But it prompted another question - how free are you to modify the word order in…
FusRoDah
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Homo Novus vs Novus Homo
To my surprise, the English Wikipedia article about the concept of homines novi is called Novus Homo, not homo novus as I would expect.
I have been taught that Latin order is almost always substantive – adjective (fenestra aperta) as opposed to…
Narusan
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Why homicide instead of hominicide?
The word homicida is attested in classical Latin, and the English "homicide" is an obvious loan.
The word seems to come from homo and caedere.
Why is the first part homi- instead of homini-?
The stem of homo appears to be homin-, not hom-, and I'm…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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How should I translate "for" in this sentence?
This room is for talking about Latin[.SE].
Now, I've got most of this translated. The only thing I'm stumbling on is how to translate "for". I see two options, but neither is very good:
"pro" -- It means "on behalf of", so I could twist it into…
anon