Legal language often appears precise while leaving room for disagreement. A statute may list several specific items and then add broad words such as “other…
Latin abbreviations remain a familiar feature of academic citation, even as research moves from printed books to digital databases. Terms such as ibid., et…
Some scientific discoveries depend on taking an object out of its surroundings. A specimen may be sliced, preserved, measured, or placed beneath a microscope.…
The Latin word caritas is often translated as “charity,” yet that English equivalent can make the term seem narrower than it once was. In modern speech,…
Latin expressions often survive because they name ideas that remain useful long after the language itself has faded from everyday speech. Some appear in music,…
Shakespeare’s plays are filled with borrowed language. His characters speak in English, but their words often carry traces of Greek mythology, Roman history,…
Few Latin phrases carry such a vivid image as alea iacta est: a die has been cast, and the result can no longer be controlled. The expression describes a…
Few Latin expressions have traveled so easily from ancient civic life into modern offices, laboratories, courtrooms, and everyday conversation. Ad hoc means…
“Semper Fidelis” is the official motto of the United States Marine Corps. The phrase is usually translated as “Always Faithful,” although “Always Loyal”…
Latin has served the Catholic Church as a language of worship, theology, administration, and cultural memory for many centuries. Its presence is especially…