30 Latin Terms Explained

30 Latin Terms Explained

English has recived many words and phrases from Latin - especially in
the medical and legal fields. From time to time we all hear these terms
but often don’t know what they mean. This is a list of 30 latin terms
that are still in use in English and their meanings.

Terms starting A - D

A Fortiori: Denotes a proof of a claim by means of an already proven
stronger claim. Example: If it is forbidden to ride a bike with an
extra passenger, then it is also forbidden to ride a bike with two
extra passengers.

Ad Hoc: Generally signifies a solution that has been custom designed
for a specific problem, is non-generalizable, and cannot be adapted to
other purposes. Examples include a tailor-made suit, a handcrafted
network protocol or a purpose-specific equation.

Ad Hominem: An ad hominem argument consists of replying to an argument
or factual claim by attacking a characteristic or belief of the person
making the argument or claim, rather than by addressing the substance
of the argument or producing evidence against the claim. It is most
commonly used to refer specifically to the ad hominem abusive, or
argumentum ad personam, which consists of criticizing or personally
attacking an argument’s proponent in an attempt to discredit that
argument.

Ad Infinitum: To continue forever, ie, towards infinity.

Bona Fide: Good faith. This is the mental and moral state of honesty,
conviction as to the truth or falsehood of a proposition or body of
opinion.

Casus Belli: Case or incident of war. Often misspelt as causus belli and believed to mean “cause of war.” This is not correct.

Caveat Emptor: Let the buy beware. Generally caveat emptor is the
property law doctrine that controls the sale of real property after the
date of closing.

Corpus Delecti: Body of crime. This refers to the principle that it
must be proven that a crime has occurred before a person can be
convicted of committing the crime. For example, a person cannot be
tried for larceny unless it can be proven that property has been
stolen. (Remember the top 10 tips for committing the perfect crime?
Keep this in mind).

De Facto: De facto is a Latin expression that means “in fact” or “in
practice” but not spelled out by law. For example, de facto marriage,
or a de facto standard (a standard generally accepted but not
formalized).

De Jure: The opposite of de facto.

Dictum: In common law legal terminology a dictum (plural dicta) is any
statement that forms a part of the judgment of a court, in particular a
court whose decisions have value as precedent.

Terms starting E - O

Ergo: Therefore. For example, “Cogito, ergo sum.” - I think, therefore
I am. (Descartes, though originally in French: “Je pense, donc je
suis.”)

Ex Officio: By virtue of office or position; “by right of office”.
Often used when someone holds one position by virtue of holding
another. A common misconception is that ex officio members of a
committee/congress may not vote, but this is not guaranteed by that
title.

Flagrante Delicto: A legal term used to indicate that a criminal has
been caught in the act of committing an offense (compare corpus
delicti). The colloquial “caught red-handed” or “caught in the act” are
English equivalents.

Habeas Corpus: This is the name of a legal action through which a
person can seek relief from unlawful detention of themselves or another
person. The writ of habeas corpus has historically been an important
instrument for the safeguarding of individual freedom against arbitrary
state action.

Ibid.: This is the term (short for Ibidem) used to provide an endnote
or footnote citation or reference for a source that was cited in the
preceding endnote or footnote. To find the ibid. source, one has to
look at the reference right before it, and so ibid. serves a similar
purpose to ditto marks (〃).

Ipso Facto: This is directly translated as “by the fact itself”, which
means that a certain effect is a direct consequence of the action in
question, instead of being brought about by a subsequent action such as
the verdict of a tribunal.

Lingua Franca: A lingua franca is any language widely used beyond the
population of its native speakers. The de facto status of lingua franca
is usually “awarded” by the masses to the language of the most
influential nation(s) of the time. English is the current lingua franca
of international business, science, and aviation, and has displaced
French as the lingua franca of diplomacy since World War I. One could
also say it is the lingua franca of the Internet.

Magnum Opus: This refers to the best, most popular, or most renowned
achievement of an author, artist, or composer, and most commonly one
who has contributed a very large amount of material. For example, you
might say that Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is his magnum opus.

Non Sequitur: It does not follow. This logic term refers to a conclusion which does not follow from its premise.

Obiter Dictum: “Said by the way”, is a remark or observation made by a
judge that, although included in the body of the court’s opinion, does
not form a necessary part of the court’s decision.

Terms starting P - V

Per Diem: “Per day,” meaning specific amount of money an organization
allows an individual to spend per day. Typically, though not
exclusively, this is to cover travel and subsistence expenses.

Post Mortem: “After death” - an autopsy.

Prima Facie: “On its first appearance”, or “by first instance”. It is
used in modern legal English to signify that on first examination, a
matter appears to be self-evident from the facts.

Primogeniture: Primogeniture is the common law right of the first born
son to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings.
It is the tradition of inheritance by the first-born of the entirety of
a parent’s wealth, estate or office; or in the absence of children, by
collateral relatives, in order of seniority of the collateral line.

Pro Bono: Pro bono is a phrase derived from Latin meaning “for the
public good.” The term is sometimes used to describe professional work
undertaken voluntarily and without payment, as a public service.

Quasi: In some manner or to some degree. Similar to the prefix ’semi’.

Sine Qua Non: “Without which it could not be” (”but for”). It refers to
an indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient. In
recent times it has passed from a merely legal usage to a more general
usage in many languages.

Subpoena: A subpoena is “a command to appear at a certain time and place to give testimony upon a certain matter.”

Vice Versa: “The other way around.” Vice is most commonly pronounced
with one syllable, but in Classical Latin it is pronounced “Wee-kay
wehr-suh” and in Ecclesiastical Latin “Vee-chay vehr-suh”.

Sources: Wikipedia