Latin Phrases

Pamela ELI
26 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ad nauseam
    to a sickening or excessive extent
    Only 27 times in COCA.
    COCA example "We've identified what's going on and spoken and written about it ad nauseum, the question is: What do we do about it?"
  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
    http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2010/11/07/131138272/reality-is-what-our-minds-make-of-it has a lot of examples of this phrase
  4. antebellum
    belonging to a period before a war
    increased a lot in frequency from 1960-2000 (maybe due to more publishing about military history?)
    example book title "Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market"
  5. caveat emptor
    the principle that the buyer takes on the risk of a purchase
    frequency: 59 (in COCA, so not very common)
    'an economic system [that] loosely resembles a laissez faire, caveat emptor capitalism'
    literally, "let the buyer beware," which means a policy that avoids consumer protection laws
  6. et alia
    and others
    · Definition: “and other”
    · Example: Blachowicz et al. (2006, p. 532) refer to this form of vocabulary development as "incidental word learning.”
    · Ngrams:.000005028%
    · Google Scholar: 45,000
    Used in its long form, gradually has become less and less popular ever since 1850.
  7. etcetera
    additional unspecified odds and ends; more of the same
    · Definition: “and so on”
    · Example: Together the teachers and students participate in large group activities--discussion boards, Internet forums, blogs, etc.
    · COCA: nothing came up as a Collocate (this can go at the end of a clause with almost any list)
    · NGRAMS: .0000584%
    · Google Scholar:64,000
  8. ex tempore
    without preparation
    Frequency : Over time, this phrase has been less used since 1950. (0.000004%)
    Usage data : this phrase is rarely used but sometimes used with “but” as "But a few ex tempore editorial comments from Geraldo Rivera or Ted Koppel, reporting live from the bloody...."
    Doesn't show up in Google N-Gram as commonly used as two words.
    From 1800-2000, almost stable frequency of usage
  9. ex post facto
    affecting things past
    Example: "Well, their grounds are several. The first of which is that they are worried that its an ex post facto law. And that means that its a law that made what was legal for them to do previously, now makes it illegal. And in general, ex post facto laws are unconstitutional."
  10. in absentia
    although or while not present
    Frequency : Over time, this phrase has been steadily increase little by little since 1950. (0.000018%)
    Usage data : Most frequently used with “In” For example, in absentia to life in prison or in absentia for his activism in college
  11. in vitro
    in an artificial environment outside the living organism
  12. in vivo
    in the living organism
    In a test tube (literally glass) (from http://users.accesscomm.ca/nsalway/latin.html)
  13. inter alia
    among other things
  14. lingua franca
    a common language used by speakers of different languages
    "Swahili is the most common lingua franca in East Africa."
    "You must allow your tongue to travel back to a time when the lingua franca was Latin."
  15. non sequitur
    a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it
  16. per capita
    relating to each person individually
    per capita - frequency: 3392 (in COCA, very common!)
    'we know that the United States has more guns per capita than any other country in the world'
    · Definition: by or for each individual person
    · Example: income per capita
    · COCA: per capita income, per capita GDP
    · Ngrams: .000854%
    · Google Scholar: 2,820,000
  17. per diem
    a daily allowance for living expenses
  18. per se
    with respect to its inherent nature
    with respect to its inherent nature
    Frequency:2098
    Usage: I'm not a sentimental man, per se, but some things you just don't feel right tossing in the trash.
  19. persona non grata
    an individual who for some reason is not wanted or welcome
    persona non grata - frequency: 118 (in COCA)
    'getting canned by NASA had made me persona non grata with private space companies'
    "I am an accredited diplomat. Worst-case, your government declares me persona non grata and sends me home."
  20. post-mortem
    discussion of an event after it has occurred
  21. postpartum
    relating to or happening in the time after giving birth
    post-partum care
  22. pro bono
    done for the public good without compensation
    Example "The Wilkes County judge appointed me, and ordered me to defend this young man pro bono."
  23. pro rata
    in proportion
    in proportion
    Frequency:30
    Usage: If he quits earlier, he gets a pro rata portion of the retention bonus.
  24. sine qua non
    a prerequisite
    frequency: 227 (in COCA)
    'emotional intelligence is the sine qua non of leadership'
    something you can't do without
  25. vice versa
    with the order reversed
    · Definition: in reverse order from that stated, or conversely
    · Example: America is popular in Australia, and vice versa.
    · COCA: or vice versa
    · Ngrams: .000631%
    · Google Scholar: 1,350,000
    with the order reversed
    Frequency:2063 (COCA)
    Usage: If I could remember her advice, I'd reject it, and vice versa because it doesn't meld with my beliefs about what is best for the church
    "She hates him and vice-versa. "
  26. ad hoc
    for or concerned with one specific purpose
    ad hoc - frequency: 1150 in COCA (common!)
    'these collections have evolved ad hoc in response to changing institutional collecting priorities'
Created on Mon Apr 01 21:36:12 EDT 2013 (updated Thu Apr 04 15:48:25 EDT 2013)

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