Classical Christian Dictionary #4

Latin phrases you might want to think about using . . .

Ad nauseam—to the point of nausea. This should not be spelled ad nauseum.

Alma mater—this refers to how your graduates will refer to your school, provided they make it through. The phrase means “nurturing mother.”

Carpe diem—this means “seize the day,” and is thought by some to be practical advice. Don’t let opportunities drift by you. Grasp the opportunities when they come.

Carpe crustulum—even more practical, this means “seize the cookie.”

Cave canem—this means “beware of the dog.” Some things change and some things don’t.

Caveat emptor—this means “let the buyer beware.” The purchaser is buying the product “as is,” and is responsible for whatever happens.

Circa—this means “around” or “approximately. It is what you use when a date is uncertain, but you can approximate it. It is abbreviated as c. or ca. You would therefore say “Rollo the Rotund was born in Friesland, c. 1310).

Cum grano salis—to be used when you are not quite sure. It means “with a grain of salt.”

Cum laude—this phrase will most likely show up in your graduation ceremonies, and it means “with praise.” It is the bronze medal of Latin kudos.

Deo volente—in line with James 4:15, this means “God willing.” It is sometimes abbreviated as D.V.

Ecce! Ursuli gummi!—Look! Gummy bears!

Et cetera—this means “and the others,” referring to a list. This is abbreviated in English as etc. It does not need to be doubled up, as in etc. etc. We understood you the first time. When the list is apples, oranges, mangoes, etc. the etc. is proper. When it is a list of persons, like Murphy, Brown, Miller, et al. the abbreviation etc. is not used. Et al. is short for et aliis.

Exempli gratia—this is abbreviated as e.g. and means “for example.” It should not be confused with id est, abbreviated as i.e. You would use the latter when you are saying the same thing again in different words. “The first day of class is the first Monday of next month, i.e. September 3.” You would use e.g. when you are pointing out one example of the kind of thing you mean. “It gets cool after sundown so bring something to put on (e.g. a light jacket, or a sweater).

Festina lente—purportedly said by Augustus Caesar, it means “make haste slowly.” A weighty imponderable, worthy of a place on a Starbucks cup.

Ibid.—this is an abbreviation, hence the period, and is short for ibidem, which means “in the same place.” It is used in footnotes to indicate that you are citing the same book you just cited previously.

Id est—this is abbreviated as i.e. and means “that is.” For proper usage, see exempli gratia.

In loco parentis (or, in the plural, in loco parentibus)—in the place of the parent/s. This refers to the fact that teachers in a Christian school are serving on behalf of the parents, and at the pleasure of the parents. Their authority over the student is therefore derivative.

Ipso facto—this is what you would say if you think it is stinking obvious. It means “by the very fact itself.”

Magna cum laude—this phrase also shows up in graduation ceremonies. It means “with great praise,” and is the silver medal on such occasions.

Mea culpa—this is what you should have a student say when they are sent to the office. It means “my fault.” If they were really bad, you might have them say mea maxima culpa—“my most grievous fault.”

Mutatis mutandis—if you are going from one situation to another, and they are not exactly alike, you would say this. It means “after the necessary changes are made.”

Non sequitur—this means “it does not follow,” but is not referring to a duckling that lost its mother. This is a phrase used in identifying logical fallacies, and refers to a conclusion that “does not follow” from the premises.

Nota bene—this means “note well,” or “take notice.” It is often abbreviated as N.B.

Persona non grata—this refers to the odd man out, to the person not wanted.

Quod erat demonstrandum—this is usually abbreviated as Q.E.D. and shows up in argumentative contexts, like your logic class. If you think you proved your point, you would say Q.E.D., but hopefully without any spiritual pride.

Requiescat in pace—in English, this is usually abbreviated as R.I.P and means “rest in peace.” It so happens that the English translation abbreviated is also R.I.P.

Sic—this means thus, and is short for “thus he says.” You would use this when you are quoting someone, and you want to reproduce the quote exactly, but whoever it was made a mistake in that quote, and you don’t want people to think it was you. And so it would look like this: “Murgatroyd says, “Columbus made his first landfall in 1493 (sic), and planted the flag of Spain on the beach.”

Sine qua non—this refers to an essential ingredient or condition. It means “without which not.”

Sola fide—this means “faith alone.” It refers to the Protestant doctrine that teaches that faith is the only instrument to receive the grace of God in Christ. This faith is not a dead faith, being itself a gift of God, it is the only kind of faith that God gives, which is a living faith.

Sola Scriptura—this means “Scripture alone,” and refers to the Protestant doctrine of Scripture. It does not mean that Scripture is the only spiritual authority in the lives of believers. It means that it is the only spiritual authority with the two characteristics of infallibility and ultimacy. All other spiritual authorities (pastors, councils, parents) have true authority, but they are fallible, and they are not ultimate. Appeal can be made beyond them.

Soli Deo gloria—this is one of the five watchwords of the Reformation, and means “glory to God alone.”

Solus Christus—this means “Christ alone,” and is another of the five watchwords of the Reformation. It refers to the fact that Christ is the sole mediator between God and man.

Summa cum laude—this is the gold medal in graduation ceremonies. It means “with highest praise.”

Tiro in exercitu stellarum—literally, a novice in the army of the stars. Or more colloquially, a space cadet.