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Latin words for “engineer”
While I was reading La révolution industrielle au Moyen Âge (The Medieval Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Ages) by Jean Gimpel, I’ve read:
In the old texts, James of Saint George is called the machoun, or sometimes machinator,…
Luc
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What is the opposite of 'sui generis'?
Just wondering if there is an accepted opposite of this term, maybe something like 'generalis generis'?
yuttadhammo
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What did "semel iterumque" mean?
I am told that "semel iterumque" was a common phrase in classical Latin. What did it mean?
Google translate says "once and again," but I'm not sure what that's supposed to signify (or whether it's correct).
Was the meaning of the phrase "twice" or…
user13305
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Use of imperfect in a letter
In the teacher's letter in cap. XXIII of Orberg's Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata Pars I Familia Romana, it says,
Scribebam Tusculi Kalendis Iuniis. Hic dies me monet de pecunia quam mihi debes.
Why is the imperfect 'scribebam' used here? I would…
Thomas Wening
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Can Latin do Noun-Noun Adjuncts?
First, to begin, I'm a hobbyist with no formal background whatsoever in Latin. I only know what I can manage to successfully google and read on my own.
Anyway, I've read that Latin can't use nouns as adjectives. So if you want to say a word like,…
Jack Pliskin
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Aut *celer* aut *vēlōx*?
Celer and vēlōx are often treated as synonymous. I feel certain that I learned the technical distinction between them once: that celer was potential speed, while vēlōx was actual speed. So Usain Bolt sitting on the couch would be celer (he's capable…
Draconis
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9
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Translation of a passage related to the crusades
I am a historian, and I came across a text from Bauldric of Dol, a medieval historian. This text is about the crusades. I have been unable to translate the following passage. Could someone here help me out?
sicut heri et nudiustertius, seriatim…
turuncu
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Use of reflexive pronoun in passive periphrastic constructions
As I understand it:
the reflexive pronoun is used when the object of a sentence relates to the subject e.g. puer cor suum sequitur - the boy follows his (own) heart.
to convey a meaning of obligation, latin uses gerundive + esse construction.…
grumio
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Why does canis have both masculine and feminine forms?
Most nouns in Latin (and e.g. Spanish) have only one gender. Some other have two (epicene nouns). canis is one example (Separate Q: are there more examples?)
I wonder why is that the case for canis. My naive guess is that it is because of their…
luchonacho
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"nemo aliquid facit nisi qui" + indicative or subjunctive
In another question, a reference was given to Varro:
De subus nemini ignotum, nisi qui apros non putat sues vocari.
which was translated as:
As to swine, everybody knows — except those who think that wild boars ought not to be called swine.
At…
d_e
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9
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Stereotypical Foreign-ness
In English writing, there are certain conventions for representing foreign accents. For example, a French character could replace all of zeir TH's wiz Z's, while an Italian might-a add-a short-a vowels to all-a their words, a German vould svap V's…
Draconis
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9
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Does the Latin Caspius derive from a Semitic root?
I want to start off by acknowledging that this is tendentious speculation, but I cannot say for sure why it might be wrong, except that I cannot create a clear trajectory for this relationship.
Is the name Caspius/Caspi (the Caspian Sea, the…
cmw
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9
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Can we use the gerund passively?
In a recent question it was pointed out that there is no passive gerund, and cupido amandi can't mean the desire of being loved. But I'm not sure that this is the case. I tend to view the gerund as signifying the action itself hence it may be used…
d_e
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Ancient Greek: how worried do I need to be about "long" and "short" accents?
I've been learning for a couple of months now, from a rather ancient book, which blissfully ignores all questions of accents.
But I recently found out about them (with help from Luke Ranieri among others, and I actually bought Allen's Vox Graeca,…
mike rodent
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Antecedent Noun After The Relative Clause
Calcidius on Plato's Timaeus, 276:
Omnia tamen haec in unum aiunt concurrere, ut et generata sit ea quae subiecta est universo corpori silva [=materia]
The English translation:
In all this, they (the Jews) say, they agree that matter, underlying…
Ali Nikzad
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