| latin phrase | english translation |
| |
| Pace tua |
With your consent |
| Pace |
By leave of |
| Pacta sunt servanda |
Agreements are to be kept. (Cicero) |
| Pactum serva |
Keep the faith |
| Pallida mors |
Pale Death. (Horace) |
| Palmam qui meruit ferat |
Let him who has earned it bear the reward |
| Panem et circenses |
Bread and circuses. Food and games to keep people happy. (Juvenalis) |
| Par pare refero |
I return like for like tit for tat retaliation |
| Parens patriae |
Parent of the country |
| Pares cvm paribvs |
Like persons with like persons. Birds of a feather flock together |
| Pari passu |
With equal pacemoving together |
| Pars maior lacrimas ridet et intus habet |
You smile at your tears but have them in your heart. (Martialis) |
| Particeps criminis |
Partner in crime |
| Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus |
Mountains will be in labour, and an absurd mouse will be born. (all that work and nothing to show for it) |
| Parva leves capiunt animas |
Small things occupy light minds (small things amuse small minds) |
| Parva scintilla saepe magnam flamam excitat |
The small sparkle often initiates a large flame |
| Passim |
All through |
| Pater familias |
Father of the family |
| Pater historiae |
The father of history |
| Pater Noster |
Our Father (The first words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin) |
| Pater patriae |
Father of the country |
| Patria est communis omnium parens |
Our native land is the common parent of us all. (Cicero) |
| Patris est filius |
He is his father's son |
| Paucis verbis, quid est deconstructionismus? |
What, in a nutshell, is deconstructionism? |
| Paucis verbis |
In a few words |
| Pavesco, pavesco |
I'm shaking, I'm shaking |
| Pavpertas omnivm artivm repertrix |
Poverty [is the] inventor of all the arts necessity is the mother of invention |
| Pax et bonum! |
Peace and salvation! |
| Pax tecum |
May peace be with you (Singular) |
| Pax vobiscum |
May peace be with you (Plural) |
| Pax |
Peace |
| Peccatum tacituritatis |
Sin of silence |
| Peccavi |
I have sinned |
| Peculium |
Property |
| Pecunia in arbotis non crescit |
Money does not grow on trees |
| Pecunia non olet |
Money has no smell. Money doesn't stink. (don't look a gift horse in the mouth) (Vespasianus) |
| Pecvniate obedivnt omnia |
All things obey money. Money makes the world go round |
| Pede poena claudo |
Punishment comes limping. Retribution comes slowly, but surely. (Horace) |
| Pendente lite |
While a suit is pending |
| Penetalia mentis |
The innermost recesses of the mind. Heart of hearts |
| Per accidens |
By Accident |
| Per angusta in augusta |
Through difficulties to great things |
| Per annum (p.a.) |
Yearly |
| Per ardua ad astra |
Through difficulties to the stars |
| Per aspera ad astra |
Through the thorns to the stars |
| Per capita |
Per head |
| Per cent (per centum) |
Per hundred |
| Per contra |
On the contrary |
| Per diem |
Per day; daily allowance |
| Per fas et nefas |
Through right or wrong |
| Per impossibile |
As is impossible a way to qualify a proposition that cannot ever be true |
| Per mensem |
Monthly |
| Per procurationem (per pro) |
By delegation to |
| Per se |
By or in itself |
| Per varios usus artem experientia fecit |
Through different exercises practice has brought skill. (Manilius) |
| Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim |
Be patient and tough; some day this pain will be useful to you. (Ovid) |
| Periculum in mora |
There is danger in delay. (Livy) |
| Perpetuo vincit qui utitur clementia |
He is forever victor who employs clemency. (Syrus) |
| Perpetuum mobile |
Perpetual motion |
| Perscriptio in manibus tabellariorum est |
The check is in the mail |
| Persona (non) grata |
(un)welcome person |
| Pessimum genus inimicorum laudantes |
Flatterers are the worst type of enemies |
| Pessimus inimicorum genus, laudantes |
The worst kind of enemies, those who can praise. (Tacitus) |
| Petitio principii |
An assumption at the start |
| Philosophum non facit barba! |
The beard does not define a philosopher. (Plutarch) |
| Pictor ignotus |
Painter unknown |
| Pinxit |
He/she painted it |
| Pistrix! Pistrix! |
Shark! Shark! |
| Placebo |
I will please. Medical expression for remedies with no medical effect, which improve one's medical condition only because one believes they do |
| Placet |
It pleases |
| Pleno iure |
With full authority |
| Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate |
Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily |
| Plusque minusque |
More or less |
| Plvres crapvla qvam gladivs |
Drunkeness [kills] more than the sword. As true today on the road as it ever was |
| Poeta nascitur, non fit |
The poet is born, not made |
| Poli, poli, di umbuendo |
Slowly, Slowly we will get there |
| Pone ubi sol non lucet! |
Put it where the sun don't shine! |
| Posse (posse comitatus) |
The power of the country |
| Possunt quia posse videntur |
They can because they think they can |
| Post bellum |
After the war |
| Post coitem |
After sexual intercourse |
| Post factum |
After the fact |
| Post hoc ergo propter hoc |
After this, therefore because of this |
| Post hoc |
After this |
| Post meridiem (p.m.) |
After midday |
| Post mortem |
After death. (nowadays, the autopsy performed by a coroner) |
| Post obitum |
After death |
| Post partum |
After childbirth |
| Post proelia praemia |
After the battles come the rewards |
| Post scriptum (ps) |
After what has been written |
| Post tenebras lux |
After the darkness, light |
| Postatem obscuri lateris nescitis |
You do not know the power of the dark side |
| Potes currere sed te occulere non potes |
You can run, but you can't hide |
| Potest ex casa magnus vir exire |
A great man can come from a hut. (Seneca) |
| Potestatem obscuri lateris nescis |
You don't know the power of the dark side. (Star Wars) |
| Potius mori quam foedari |
Rather to die than to be dishonoured (death before dishonour) |
| Potius sero quam numquam |
It's better late than never. (Livy) |
| Praemonitus, pramunitus |
Forewarned, forearmed |
| Praetio prudentia praestat |
Prudence supplies a reward |
| Prehende uxorem meam, sis! |
Take my wife, please! |
| Prescriptio in manibus tabellariorium est |
The check is in the mail |
| Pretium iustum est |
The Price is Right |
| Prima facie |
At first sight; on the face of it. (in law, an obvious case that requires no further proof) |
| Primum mobile |
Prime mover |
| Primum non nocere |
The first thing is to do no harm. (Hippocratic oath) |
| Primum viveri deinde philosophari |
Live before you philosophize, or Leap before you look |
| Primus inter pares |
First among equals |
| Principiis obsta |
Resist the beginnings |
| Pro bono (pro bono publico) |
For the good of the public |
| Pro di immortales! |
Good Heavens! |
| Pro et contra |
For and against |
| Pro forma |
As a matter of formality |
| Pro hac vice |
For this occaision |
| Pro memoria |
For a memorial |
| Pro nunc |
For now |
| Pro opportunitate |
As circumstances allow |
| Pro patria |
For one's country |
| Pro rata |
In proportion to the value. (per hour for example) |
| Pro re nata (prn) |
For an occasion as it arises |
| Pro se |
On one's own behalf |
| Pro tanto |
So far |
| Pro tempore (pro tem.) |
For the time being |
| Probae esti in segetem sunt deteriorem datae fruges, tamen ipsae suaptae enitent |
A good seed, planted even in poor soil, will bear rich fruit by its own nature. (Accius) |
| Probatum est |
It has been proved |
| Probitas laudatur et alget |
Honesty is praised and left in the cold. (Juvenal) |
| Promotor fidei |
Promoter of the faith |
| Promoveatur ut amoveatur |
Let him be promoted to get him out of the way |
| Propino fibi salutem! |
Cheers! |
| Proprium humani ingenii est odisse quem laeseris |
It is human nature to hate a person whom you have injured |
| Proxime accessit |
He/she came close |
| Proximo (prox.) |
Of the next month |
| Proximus sum egomet mihi |
I am closest to myself. (Charity begins at home.) (Terence) |
| Pueri pueri, pueri puerilia tractant |
Children are children, (therefore) children do childish things |
| Pulvis et umbra sumus |
We are dust and shadow. (Horace) |
| Purgamentum init, exit purgamentum |
Garbage in, garbage out |
| Puris omnia pura |
To the pure all things are pure |
| Puri sermonis amator |
A lover of pure speech. (Terence) |