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18
votes
2 answers
What is "slipped my mind" in Latin?
In English and other languages, we often use alternatives to "I forgot," apparently to shift blame from ourselves to inanimate objects. So in English, we say,
It slipped my mind.
And in Spanish:
Se me olvidó. [lit. It forgot itself on me]
Is…
Nathaniel is protesting
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17
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Why is the passive participle in Matthew 10:1 rendered as active in English?
I'm a little confused by the clause that begins Matthew 10:
10:1 Et convocatis duodecim discipulis suis, dedit illis potestatem spirituum immundorum, ut ejicerent eos, et curarent omnem languorem, et omnem infirmitatem.
The Douay-Rheims bible…
ktm5124
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17
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1 answer
What are the key differences between the main Latin verbs meaning "to kill"?
I'm a student and my class laughs when we learn a new verb for "to kill". Just to list some of them:
necare
interficere
extinguere
There are of course many others.
What are the key differences between these and other significant Latin words that…
Distjubo
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17
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1 answer
Did ancient Romans develop cryptography for Latin?
Did the Romans ever develop any form of cryptography, where either words were replaced with other words or letters were replaced with other letters? Do we have any remaining examples, and if so have we translated them?
tox123
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17
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1 answer
Why are verbs often listed under their first person singular form and not under infinitive as in many other languages?
The natural way of listing verbs in dictionaries is by infinitive, but this is not the case in many Latin dictionaries. Why? Were there some of the first Latin dictionaries using first person singular as the verb's base form?
Pavel V.
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17
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2 answers
Please help translate this short Latin phrase left behind by a deceased man
I worked an estate sale a few years ago and the experience has never left me. The man who passed away left this note on a chalk board and I found a photo of it the other day. I have wondered what it says ever since! I took Latin in college, but it…
Nicocurio
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17
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2 answers
Is the usage of "id est" in Latin exactly like the usage of "i.e." or "that is" in English?
There was a question a little while back on the English SE asking about the "plural form of i.e." (unfortunately, it got closed because the author didn't clarify what they meant).
While I was trying to answer that question, I faced the problem of…
Asteroides
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17
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2 answers
How do we know that Italian words come from accusatives, not ablatives?
I have been told by several sources that Italian nouns and adjectives that originate from Latin come from accusative forms.
Also the final -m is lost and an u becomes o.
For example, caro > carnem > carne.
However, it seems that in many cases one…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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17
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3 answers
Did the Romans use dictionaries to check what words mean?
Did Romans or other ancient users of Latin have lists of difficult words with explanations in Latin?
I mean dictionaries composed entirely in Latin, not dictionaries between Latin and another language.
I can think of many kinds of people who could…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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17
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2 answers
When and why did the ablative form?
When did the ablative originate? Additionally, I’d like to know which case was used before the ablative for adverbials. I think it replaced the dative, as I also study Ancient Greek. In that language, the dative is used.
TooMuchRAM
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17
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1 answer
What errors did the Greeks typically make in Latin?
Suppose a person born and educated in Greece comes to ancient Rome.
They have learned Latin and can converse fluently but not at a native level.
What kinds of wrong pronunciation, vocabulary, or structures would the Romans be likely to hear?
Are…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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17
votes
5 answers
What is a Latin version of Inshallah?
Anyone who served in the military in Iraq (and probably anyone who has done business in the Gulf) in the last 15 years is familiar with the term 'Inshallah.' I suppose it means 'God willing,' as in, "I will do this thing, Inshallah." Realistically,…
kingledion
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17
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"Eundem"/"eumdem" in medieval Latin
"Eundem" is the correct accusative of "idem". However, I saw "eumdem" in various texts of medieval and/or Church Latin. So I wonder:
when did "eumdem" start to be used, perhaps by non-native Latin users?
when did it become a regularly accepted…
Pavel V.
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17
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1 answer
How can I say "undo" in Latin?
The question of how to express my username, Undo, in Latin recently came up in chat. As Ben Kovitz notes, Latin seems to lack the word 'defacio' or similar.
How can I say my name, the verb "undo", in Latin?
user11
17
votes
2 answers
How would a Roman refer to a great-great-great- . . . -great-grandparent?
Referring to progressively more distance ancestors, I would list my
Pater (father)
Avus (grandfather)
After this point, it gets a bit shaky. This, for example, gives past ancestors as
Proavus (great-grandfather)
Abavus…
HDE 226868
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