Latin Phrases

R Kent S.
178 words 34 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. a fortiori
    with greater reason
  2. a posteriori
    involving reasoning from facts or particulars to general principles or from effects to causes
  3. a priori
    reasoned from a general principle to a necessary effect
  4. ab initio
    at the beginning
  5. actus reus
    activity that transgresses moral or civil law
  6. ad hoc
    for or concerned with one specific purpose
  7. ad hominem
    appealing to personal considerations rather than to reason
  8. ad infinitum
    without or seemingly without limit
  9. ad libitum
    without advance preparation
  10. ad valorem
    in proportion to the estimated value of the goods taxed
  11. adjournment
    the termination of a meeting
  12. affidavit
    written declaration made under oath
  13. agency
    the state of being in action or exerting power
  14. alibi
    proof that someone accused of a crime could not have done it
  15. alter ego
    a very close friend who seems almost a part of yourself
  16. amicus curiae
    an adviser to the court on some matter of law who is not a party to the case; usually someone who wants to influence the outcome of a lawsuit involving matters of wide public interest
  17. ante
    the initial contribution that each player makes to the pot
  18. antebellum
    belonging to a period before a war
  19. anteriorly
    in an anterior direction
  20. aper
    someone who copies the words or behavior of another
  21. austerity
    excessive sternness
  22. axenic
    completely free from other organisms
  23. bona fide
    not counterfeit or copied
  24. bona fide
    not counterfeit or copied
  25. capital
    a large alphabetic character used in writing or printing
  26. casus belli
    an event used to justify starting a war
  27. caveat
    a warning against certain acts
  28. caveat emptor
    the principle that the buyer takes on the risk of a purchase
  29. certiorari
    a legal document requesting a higher court to review a case
  30. ceteris paribus
    all other things being equal
  31. codefendant
    a defendant who has been joined together with one or more other defendants in a single action
  32. cognomen
    the name used to identify the members of a family
  33. compos mentis
    of sound mind, memory, and understanding
  34. conflate
    mix together different elements
  35. Contra
    a member of the guerrilla force that opposed a left-wing government in Nicaragua
  36. corpus
    a collection of writings
  37. corpus delicti
    the body of evidence that constitute the offence
  38. ctenidium
    comb-like respiratory structure serving as the gill of certain mollusks
  39. de facto
    existing, whether with lawful authority or not
  40. de jure
    by right; according to law
  41. de novo
    from the beginning
  42. defalcation
    a sum of money owned by someone else that is misused
  43. dictum
    an authoritative declaration
  44. diminish
    decrease in size, extent, or range
  45. en masse
    all together
  46. enplane
    board a plane
  47. ergo
    (used as a sentence connector) therefore or consequently
  48. erratum
    a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind
  49. escadrille
    a small squadron
  50. et al.
    and others
  51. etcetera
    additional unspecified odds and ends; more of the same
  52. ex cathedra
    with the full authority of the office
  53. ex gratia
    as a favor; not compelled by legal right
  54. ex officio
    by virtue of a job or position
  55. ex post facto
    affecting things past
  56. ex vivo
    in an artificial environment outside the living organism
  57. executable
    capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are
  58. exposit
    state
  59. exsanguine
    destitute of blood or apparently so
  60. extant
    still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost
  61. felo-de-se
    a person who kills himself intentionally
  62. fiat
    a legally binding command or decision
  63. fiduciary
    relating to or of the nature of a legal trust
  64. fieri facias
    a writ ordering a levy on the belongings of a debtor to satisfy the debt
  65. forfeiture
    something that is lost or surrendered as a penalty
  66. habeas corpus
    a writ ordering a prisoner to be brought before a judge
  67. i.e.
    that is to say; in other words
  68. ibid.
  69. ibidem
    in the same place (used when citing a reference)
  70. id est
    that is to say; in other words
  71. imprimatur
    formal and explicit approval
  72. improper
    not suitable or right or appropriate
  73. in absentia
    although or while not present
  74. in camera
    kept private or confined to those closely concerned
  75. in extremis
    in grave circumstances or at the point of death
  76. in loco parentis
    in place of the parents
  77. in situ
    in the original or natural place or site
  78. in toto
    in entirety
  79. in vitro
    in an artificial environment outside the living organism
  80. inappositeness
    inappropriateness
  81. infra
    (in writing) see below
  82. infra
    (in writing) see below
  83. iniquitous
    characterized by injustice or wickedness
  84. innuendo
    an indirect and usually malicious implication
  85. inter alia
    among other things
  86. interiorise
    incorporate within oneself; make subjective or personal
  87. interpose
    introduce
  88. intra vires
    within the legal power or authority or a person or official or body etc
  89. inure
    cause to accept or become hardened to
  90. ipse dixit
    an unsupported dogmatic assertion
  91. jural
    of or relating to law or to legal rights and obligations
  92. jus civile
    the legal code of ancient Rome
  93. jus sanguinis
    the principle that a person's nationality at birth is the same as that of his natural parents
  94. jus sanguinis
    the principle that a person's nationality at birth is the same as that of his natural parents
  95. jus soli
    the principle that a person's nationality at birth is determined by the place of birth
  96. legitimate
    in accordance with accepted standards or principles
  97. lingua franca
    a common language used by speakers of different languages
  98. lis pendens
    a pending lawsuit
  99. locus
    the scene of any event or action
  100. Magna Carta
    the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215
  101. magnum opus
    a creator's greatest work of art or literature
  102. malefic
    having or exerting a malignant influence
  103. mandamus
    a court order requiring an official to perform a function
  104. mare clausum
    (closed sea) a navigable body of water under the jurisdiction of a single nation
  105. mare liberum
    (free sea) a navigable body of water to which all nations have equal access
  106. mens rea
    criminal intent
  107. modus operandi
    an unvarying or habitual method or procedure
  108. mutatis mutandis
    with the necessary changes having been carried out
  109. nexus
    the means of connection between things linked in series
  110. nihil
    nil; nothing
  111. nil
    a quantity of no importance
  112. nisi
    not final or absolute
  113. nolle prosequi
    an entry in the court record to the effect that the plaintiff or prosecutor will not proceed
  114. nolo contendere
    (law) an answer of `no contest' by a defendant who does not admit guilt but that subjects him to conviction
  115. nominal
    relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name
  116. non compos mentis
    not of sound mind, memory, or understanding
  117. non pros
    a judgment entered in favor of the defendant when the plaintiff has not continued his action (e.g., has not appeared in court)
  118. non sequitur
    a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it
  119. noncandidate
    someone who has announced they are not a candidate
  120. nota bene
    a Latin phrase (or its abbreviation) used to indicate that special attention should be paid to something
  121. paterfamilias
    the male head of a kin group or tribe
  122. per capita
    relating to each person individually
  123. per diem
    a daily allowance for living expenses
  124. per se
    with respect to its inherent nature
  125. perjure
    make oneself guilty of telling untruths in a court of law
  126. persona non grata
    an individual who for some reason is not wanted or welcome
  127. posse comitatus
    a temporary police force
  128. postmortem
    occurring or done after death
  129. precordium
    the external surface of the body overlying the heart and stomach
  130. prima facie
    as it seems at first sight
  131. primogeniture
    right of inheritance belonging exclusively to the eldest son
  132. pro forma
    in a set manner without serious attention
  133. pro rata
    in proportion
  134. pro re nata
    according to need
  135. pro tem
    for the time being
  136. pro tempore
    for the time being
  137. proper
    marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
  138. protoavis
    most primitive avian type known
  139. quaestor
    any of several public officials of ancient Rome
  140. quantum
    the smallest discrete quantity of some physical property
  141. quasi
    having some resemblance
  142. quid pro quo
    something given in exchange for something else
  143. quo warranto
    a hearing to determine by what authority someone has an office or franchise or liberty
  144. quo warranto
    a hearing to determine by what authority someone has an office or franchise or liberty
  145. re
    the syllable naming the second (supertonic) note of any major scale in solmization
  146. refuter
    a debater who refutes or disproves by offering contrary evidence or argument
  147. res gestae
    things done
  148. res ipsa loquitur
    a rule of evidence whereby the negligence of an alleged wrongdoer can be inferred from the fact that the accident happened
  149. res judicata
    a matter already settled in court; cannot be raised again
  150. res publica
    a politically organized body of people under a single government
  151. scienter
    (law) deliberately or knowingly
  152. scintilla
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
  153. scire facias
    a judicial writ based on some record and requiring the party against whom it is brought to show cause why the record should not be enforced or annulled
  154. scire facias
    a judicial writ based on some record and requiring the party against whom it is brought to show cause why the record should not be enforced or annulled
  155. seriatim
    one after another in sequence
  156. sibilant
    of speech sounds forcing air through a constricted passage
  157. sine die
    without a date fixed (as of an adjournment)
  158. sine qua non
    a prerequisite
  159. spodumene
    a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminum silicate
  160. sub judice
    before a judge or court of law
  161. subpoena
    a writ issued to compel the attendance of a witness
  162. subpoena ad testificandum
    a writ issued by court authority to compel the attendance of a witness at a judicial proceeding; disobedience may be punishable as a contempt of court
  163. subpoena duces tecum
    a writ issued by a court at the request of one of the parties to a suit
  164. sui generis
    constituting a class of its own; unique
  165. supercede
    take the place or move into the position of
  166. supersedure
    act of replacing one person or thing by another especially one held to be superior
  167. supra
    at an earlier place
  168. tabula rasa
    an opportunity to start over without prejudice
  169. terminus
    a place where something ends or is complete
  170. trial
    the act of testing something
  171. ultra vires
    beyond the legal power or authority of a person, official, body, etc.
  172. uxor
    (legal terminology) the Latin word for wife
  173. veto
    a vote that blocks a decision
  174. vice versa
    with the order reversed
  175. videlicet
    as follows
  176. vigilante
    a person who takes the law into his or her own hands
  177. vis major
    a natural and unavoidable catastrophe that interrupts the expected course of events
  178. viz.
    as follows
Created on Sat Jan 30 09:55:36 EST 2010 (updated Sat Jan 30 09:58:08 EST 2010)

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