LATIN QUOTES AND EXPRESSIONS

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Many Latin expressions are used in books and in everyday English speech, and you will certainly find most those phrases listed and translated on my site. However, the existing body of Latin literature, both Classical and Medieval is extremely vast. There are many undiscovered gems of wit and wisdom, so I encourage you to study Latin :) The source for a quote is sometimes indcated, but one must remember that Latin quotations are often used as if they were anonymous maxims of universal wisdom. Unlike the collections of quotes that you will find on some other websites, these lines have been actually looked at more than once by someone who knows Latin. I am sure, however, that some typos have not been fixed, so do not assume that anything you find here is safe and good enough to be tattooed on your person! Always ask a Latinist before using a Latin quote for any permanent purpose.

This site also hosts a plethora of imporant resources about Latin, as well as some other languages. Most notably, there a list of legal Latin maxims. Elsewhere on this site there are Latin phrases used in medicine, heraldry, jewelry engravings, sundials and Latin love poems. There is even a motto generator that lets you create Latin phrases without knowing Latin!

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Cacoethes scribendi - An insatiable urge to write. (Juvenal)

Cadit quaestio - The question drops

Caeca invidia est - Envy is blind. (Livy)

Caeci caecos ducentes - Blind leading the blind

Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei - The heavens declare the glory of God

Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt - They change the sky, not their soul, who run across the sea. (Horace)

Caelum videre iussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus - He bid them look at the sky and lift their faces to the stars. (Ovid)

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris - If Caesar were alive, you'd be chained to an oar

Camera obscvra - Hidden room

Canis timidus vehementius latrat quam mordet - A timid dog barks more violently than it bites. (Curtius Rufus)

Carpe diem - Seize the day. (opportunity) (Horace)

Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero - Seize the day, trust as little as possible in tomorrow. (Horace)

Casus belli - Event (that is the justification for, or the cause) of war

Causa mortis - Death Cause

Causarum justia et misericordia - For the causes of justice and mercy

Cave ab homine unius libri - Beware of anyone who has just one book. (Latin Epigram)

Cave canem - Beware of the dog

Cave cibum, valde malus est - Beware the food, it is very bad

Cave quid dicis, quando, et cui - Beware what you say, when, and to whom

Cave - Beware!

Caveat emptor - Let the buyer beware. (He buys at his own risk)

Caveat venditor - Let the seller beware

Caveat - Let him/her beware

Cedant arma togae - Let arms yield to the toga. (Let violence give place to law)

Cedo maiori - I yield to a greater person

Certum est, quia impossibile - It is certain, because it is impossible. (Tertullianus)

Cetera desunt - The rest is missing

Ceteris paribus - All else being equal

Christus rex - Christ the King

Cineri gloria sera venit - Fame comes too late to the dead

Circa (c.) - Approximately

Clara pacta, boni amici - Clear agreements, good friends

Codex Juris Canonici - Book of canon law

Cogito, ergo sum - I think, therefore I am. (Reni Descartes)

Commodum ex iniuria sua nemo habere debet - No person ought to have advantage from his own wrong

Commune bonum - The common good

Commune periculum concordiam parit - Common danger brings forth harmony

Communi consilio - By common consent

Compos mentis - Of sound mind (and judgement)

Concordia discors - Discordant harmony

Concordia res parvae crescent - Work together to accomplish more

Conditio sine qua non - Condition without which not, or an essential condition or requirement

Confer (cf.) - Compare

Confiteor - I confess

Congregatio de Propaganda Fide - Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith

Coniecturalem artem esse medicinam - Medicine is the art of guessing. (Aulus Cornelius Celsus)

Coniunctis viribus - With united powers

Conlige suspectos semper habitos - Round up the usual suspects

Consensu omnium - By the agreement of all

Consensus audacium - An agreement of rash men. (a conspiracy) (Cicero)

Consuetudinis magna vis est - The force of habit is great. (Cicero)

Consule Planco - In the consulship of Plancus (In the good old days) (Horace)

Consummatum est - It is completed (Christ's last words, John 19:30)

Contra felicem vix deus vires habet - Against a lucky man a god scarcely has power

Contra mundum - Against the world

Contraria contrariis curantur - The opposite is cured with the opposite. (Hippocrates)

Coram populo - In the presence of the people. (Horace)

Cornix cornici oculos non effodiet - A crow doesn't rip out the eyes of another crow

Cornucopia - Horn of plenty

Corpus christi - The body of Christ

Corpus delicti - The body of a crime. (The substance or fundamental facts of a crime)

Corpus Juris Canonici - The body of canon law

Corpus Juris Civilis - The body of civil law

Corpus vile - Worthless body

Corrigenda - A list of things to be corrected. (in a book)

Corruptio optimi pessima - Corruption of the best is worst

Cotidiana vilescunt - Familiarity breeds contempt

Cotidie damnatur qui semper timet - The man who is constantly in fear is every day condemned. (Syrus)

Cras amet qui nunquam amavit; Quique amavit, cras amet - May he love tomorrow who has never loved before

Credite amori vera dicenti - Believe love speaking the truth. (St. Jerome)

Credo quia absurdum - I believe it because it is absurd. (contrary to reason) (Tertullian)

Credo ut intelligam - I believe in order that I may understand. (St. Augustine)

Credula vitam spes fovet et melius cras fore semper dicit - Credulous hope supports our life, and always says that tomorrow will be better. (Tibullus)

Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crevit - The love of wealth grows as the wealth itself grew. (Juvenalis)

Crescite et multiplicamini - Increase and multiply

Crimen falsi - Perjury

Crudelius est quam mori semper timere mortem - It is more cruel to always fear death than to die. (Seneca)

Crux - Puzzle

Cui bono? - For whose benefit is it? (a maxim sometimes used in the detection of crime) (Cicero)

Cui dono lepidum novum libellum? - To whom do I give my new elegant little book? (Catullus)

Cui malo? - Who suffers a detriment?

Cui peccare licet peccat minus - One who is allowed to sin, sins less. (Ovid)

Cuius regio, eius religio - He who rules, his religion

Cuiusvis hominis est errare; nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare - Any man can make a mistake; only a fool keeps making the same one

Cuivis dolori remedium est patientia - Patience is the cure for all suffer

Culpa - A sin

Culpam poena premit comes - Punishment closely follows crime as its companion. (Horace)

Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt - When catapults are outlawed, only outlaws will have catapults

Cum grano salis - With a grain of salt. (Pliny the Elder?)

Cum laude magnum - With great success

Cum laude - With praise

Cum tacent, clamant - When they remain silent, they cry out. (Their silence speaks louder than words) (Cicero)

Cum - With

Cura nihil aliud nisi ut valeas - Pay attention to nothing except that you do well. (Cicero)

Cura posterior - A later concern

Cura ut valeas - Take care

Curae leves loquuntur ingentes stupent - Slight griefs talk, great ones are speechless. (minor losses can be talked away, profound ones strike us dumb)

Curriculum vitae - The course of one's life

Cursum perficio - My journey is over, or I finish my journey

Custos morum - Guardian of morals