“Carpe Diem” and Other Latin Phrases You Already Know

Many of us have heard the saying that “Latin is considered a dead language.” But how could that be when we still use Latin phrases here and there, and the number of people speaking the language is growing each year? So… is Latin really a “dead language?” Well, the answer is not that simple and it all depends on who you ask.

Technically, Latin is a “dead language” because it’s no longer the native language of a group of people. Sure, it is the official language of Vatican City but Latin is still not the primary language of the people living there. In fact, the people living around that area speak Italian and English, and many other languages.

In a way, yes, Latin is “dead” but it is not extinct (an extinct language is a totally different story, and Latin is definitely not part of that group). In fact, Latin is sort of alive… not just in Vatican City or by the growing number of Latin learners. But it is very, very alive in the words we use and say, the ideas we learn and share, the theories we study and discuss.

Think about your favorite animal, surely its scientific name is in Latin (and Greek). For example, Canis lupus familiaris is the scientific name for the dog, and Rana temporaria is the scientific name for the common frog. Think about a philosophical phrase that you read somewhere, surely that as well has Latin roots. For example, A contrariis is the Latin term used in logic that means to the contrary, and Statu hominis is the Latin term that means the state of humans.

Unbelievably, we have spent most of our lives using Latin words. And that’s pretty cool. Because in a sense, we have been keeping Latin alive in our own little ways, by using Latin phrases once in a while. With that in mind, here’s a listicle of Latin terms that we have certainly come across many moons ago or maybe even just 3 text messages ago.

1. Veni, vidi, vici

Translation: I came; I saw; I conquered.

The saying is credited to Julius Caesar, who penned it in a letter to the Roman Senate sometime after winning the Battle of Zela, in the year 47 BC. According to Plutarch, Caesar allegedly used the phrase in a report to Amantius.

2. Carpe diem

Translation: Seize the day

The old saying is taken from Book 1 of Horace's Odes, a piece of Roman poetry that was composed in 23 BC. You can also hear this phrase in the movie Dead Poets Society with Robin Williams.

3. Cogito, ergo sum

Translation: I think, therefore I am

The proverb was written in French by French philosopher René Descartes in 1637. The earliest known use of the term in Latin was found in a margin note in Descartes' Principles of Philosophy.

4. Per se

Translation: In itself; by itself

This five-letter phrase is sometimes written in italics, and it is used to emphasize a single point.

5. Et tu, Brute?

Translation: And you, Brutus?; Even you, Brutus?; You too, Brutus?

This line first appears in Julius Caesar Act 3 Scene 1 by William Shakespeare.

6. Acta, non verba

Translation: Deeds, not words

Similar to the saying “actions speak louder than words.”

7. Verbatim

Translation: In Exact words

The first use of the word verbatim as an adverb was in the 15th century.

8. Quid pro quo

Translation: Something for something

The expression is thought to have been popularized by apothecaries to describe the exchanging of one medication for another.

9. Ad hoc

Translation: For this

This phrase can be used when referring to something that is existing for a specific purpose only.

10. Mea culpa

Translation: My fault; my mistake

This Latin phrase is taken from a confessional prayer known as the Confiteor.

11. Ad infinitum

Translation: To infinity

Used to describe something that goes on and on, without limit.

12. Et cetera

Translation: And other similar things; and the rest

The Latin phrase is a loan translation of the Greek phrase “καὶ τὰ ἕτερα” (kai ta hetera). Usually abbreviated as “etc.”

13. Audentes fortuna iuvat

Translation: Fortuna favors the bold

The Latin proverb may be a translation of Democritus's Ancient Greek phrase regarding boldness and fortune.

14. Alma mater

Translation: Nourishing mother

Used to specify a college, university, or school that a person attended or graduated from.