Few Latin phrases carry as much legal weight as habeas corpus. Literally meaning “you shall have the body,” the expression refers to a court order requiring a…
The phrase "ars longa vita brevis" has echoed through more than two thousand years of human reflection, drifting from ancient medical texts into galleries,…
Few Latin expressions have travelled so neatly from international law into ordinary conversation as persona non grata. Literally meaning “an unwelcome person,”…
Ceteris paribus is one of those Latin phrases that slips into academic writing so smoothly that many readers never pause to consider its weight. The expression…
“Non sequitur” is a Latin expression meaning “it does not follow”. In logic, it describes a conclusion that is not supported by the statements before it. In…
The Latin phrase ad hoc means “for this” or “for this particular purpose”. In everyday English, it describes something created, arranged or decided for a…
A bargain is often described as a simple trade: one person offers money, labour, access or information, while another provides something of comparable value.…
Pax Romana is usually translated as “Roman peace”, but the phrase means more than a simple absence of war. It describes a long period in which Rome imposed…
A story does not always begin at the beginning. It may open with a detective standing over a body, a family already arguing in a hospital corridor, or a…