Few Latin sayings express a philosophical problem as compactly as ex nihilo nihil fit: “nothing comes from nothing.” The phrase appears to make a simple claim…
Latin has given English a remarkably rich vocabulary for affection, loyalty, desire, and companionship. A short phrase can suggest a passionate romance, a…
Latin has supplied legal English with a remarkable number of compact expressions. Many of these phrases preserve an older way of organizing legal thought,…
A story does not always need to begin at the beginning. Some of the most compelling narratives open with a crisis, a discovery, a confrontation, or a decision…
French is often described as a Romance language, a term that points directly to its descent from the speech of the Roman world. Its vocabulary, grammatical…
Latin abbreviations remain part of everyday professional communication, even when writers do not think of them as Latin. Expressions such as e.g., i.e., etc.,…
A sudden verbal mistake can feel intensely modern: a name is confused, a word comes out wrong, or an unintended idea escapes during conversation. Yet the…
Some ideas fit neatly into familiar groups. A person may be described by a profession, an object by its function, or a work by its genre. Other things resist…
Latin expressions appear throughout English prose, from legal documents and academic articles to medical notes, newspaper headlines, and everyday conversation.…