| latin phrase | english translation |
| |
| Saepe creat molles aspera spina rosas |
Often the prickly thorn produces tender roses. (Ovid) |
| Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit |
Often it is not even advantageous to know what will be. (Cicero) |
| Saepe stilum vertas |
May you often turn the stylus (You should make frequent corrections.) |
| Salus populi suprema lex |
The safety of the people is the supreme law. (Cicero) |
| Salva veritate |
With truth preserved |
| Salve (plural salvete) |
Hail; welcome |
| Salve sis |
May you be well |
| Salve veritate |
Saving the truth |
| Salve(te) |
Greetings! |
| Salve |
Hello |
| Sanctum sanctorum |
The holy of holies |
| Sane ego te vocavi. forsitan capedictum tuum desit |
I did call. Maybe your answering machine is broken |
| Sapere aude! |
Dare to be wise! (Horace) |
| Sapiens nihil affirmat quod non probat |
A wise man states as true nothing he does not prove (don't swear to anything you don't know firsthand) |
| Sartor resartus |
The tailor patched |
| Sat sapienti |
Enough for a wise man. (Plautus) |
| Satis |
Enough |
| Satius est impunitum relinqui facinus nocentis, quam innocentem damnari |
It is better that a crime is left unpunished than that an innocent man is punished. (Corpus Iuris Civilis) |
| Scala Caeli |
The ladder of heaven |
| Scala naturae |
The ladder of nature |
| Scandalum magnatum |
Scandal of magnates |
| Schola cantorum |
School of singers |
| Scientia est potentia |
Knowledge is power |
| Scientia non habet inimicum nisp ignorantem |
Science has no enemies but the ignorants |
| Scilicet (sc.) |
That is to say |
| Scio cur summae inter se dissentiant! Numeris Romanis utor! |
I know why the numbers don't agree! I use Roman numerals! |
| Scio me nihil scire |
I know that I know nothing. Certain knowledge cannot be obtained. (Socrates) |
| Scire tuum nihil est, nisi te scire hoc sciat alter |
Your knowledge is nothing when no one else knows that you know it |
| Sciri facias |
Cause (him) to know |
| Scito te ipsum |
Know yourself |
| Scribere est agere |
To write is to act |
| Scripsit |
He/she wrote it |
| Sculpsit |
He/she engraved it |
| Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes? |
Who watches the watchmen? (Juvenal) |
| Sedit qui timuit ne non succederet |
He who feared he would not succeed sat still. (For fear of failure, he did nothing.) (Horace) |
| Semper fidelis |
Always faithful |
| Semper idem |
Always the same thing. (Cicero) |
| Semper inops quicumque cupit |
Whoever desires is always poor. (Claudian) |
| Semper letteris mandate |
Always get it in writing! |
| Semper paratus |
Always prepared |
| Semper superne nitens |
Always striving upwards |
| Semper ubi sub ubi ubique |
Always wear underwear everywhere |
| Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) |
The Senate and the Roman people |
| Sensu lato |
Broadly speaking |
| Sensu stricto |
Strictly speaking |
| Sensu stricto, nullo metro compositum est |
Strictly speaking, it doesn't rhyme |
| Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare |
I think some people in togas are plotting against me |
| Sequens (seq.) |
The following (one) |
| Sequens mirabitur aetas |
The following age will be amazed |
| Sequentia (seqq.) |
The following (ones) |
| Seriatim |
One after another in order |
| Serva me, servabo te |
Save me and I will save you. (Petronius Arbiter) |
| Si Deus pro nobis quis contra nos |
If God is with us who is against us |
| Si fallatis officium, quaestor infitias eat se quicquam scire de factis vestris |
If you fail, the secretary will disavow all knowledge of your activities |
| Si fecisti nega! |
If you did it, deny it (stonewall!) |
| Si finis bonus est, totum bonum erit |
If the end is good, everything will be good (all's well that ends well) |
| Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere |
If it ain't broke, don't fix it |
| Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes |
Essentially it says, "if you can read this, you're overeducated." |
| Si hoc non legere potes tu asinus es |
If you can't read this, you're an ass |
| Si minor plus est ergo nihil sunt omnia |
If less is more, then nothing is everything |
| Si monumentum requiris circumspice |
If you seek a monument, look around |
| Si post fata venit gloria non propero |
If glory comes after death, I'm not in a hurry (if one must die to be recognised, I can wait) |
| Si sapis, sis apis |
If you are wise, be a bee |
| Si tacuisses, philosophus manisses |
If you had kept quiet, you would have remained a philosopher. (Boethius) |
| Si tu id aeficas, ei venient. Ager somnia |
If you build it, they will come |
| Si vis amari, ama |
If you wish to be loved, love. (Seneca) |
| Si vis pacem, para bellum |
If you want peace, prepare for the war. (Vegetius) |
| Sic ad nauseam |
And so on to the point of causing nausea |
| Sic erat in fatis |
So it was fated |
| Sic faciunt omnes |
Everyone is doing it |
| Sic friatur crustum dulce |
That's the way the cookie crumbles |
| Sic itur ad astra |
Such is the path to the stars (i.e. Gain reputation) (Vergil) |
| Sic passim |
Thus everywhere |
| Sic semper tyrannis |
Thus always to tyrantsa statement often accompanying a regicide |
| Sic transit gloria mundi |
So passes the glory of the world |
| Sic volo, sic iubeo |
I want this, I order this. (Juvenalis) |
| Sic |
Thus, just so |
| Silent enim leges inter arma |
Laws are silent in times of war. (Cicero) |
| Simia quam similis, turpissimus bestia, nobis! |
How like us is that very ugly beast the monkey. (Cicero) |
| Simplex munditiis |
Unaffected by manners. (Horace) |
| Simpliciter |
Naturally; without qualification |
| Sine cura |
Without a care |
| Sine die |
Without a day (indefinitely) |
| Sine ira et studio |
Without anger or bias. (Tacitus) |
| Sine loco (sl) |
Without place |
| Sine nobilitatis |
Without nobility (SNOB) |
| Sine prole (sp) |
Without issue |
| Sine qua non |
Something/someone indispensable |
| Sine sole sileo |
Without the sun I'm silent. (sundial inscription) |
| Siste, viator |
Wait, travelerinscription on Roman tombstones |
| Sit tibi terra levis |
May the earth be light upon youtombstone inscription |
| Sit vis vobiscum |
May the Force be with you. (Star Wars) |
| Sobria inebrietas |
Sober intoxication |
| Sol omnibus lucet |
The sun shines upon us all. (Petronius) |
| Sola lingua bona est lingua mortua |
The only good language is a dead language |
| Solitudinem fecerunt, pacem appelunt |
They made a desert and called it peace. (Tacitus) |
| Solum potestis prohibere ignes silvarum |
Only you are can prevent forest fires |
| Sona si latine loqueris |
Honk if you speak Latin |
| Sotto voce |
In soft voice |
| Spectaculorum procedere debet |
The show must go on |
| Spectatvm venivnt, venivnt spectentvr vt ipsae |
They come to see, they come that they themselves be seen to see and be seen |
| Spemque metumque inter dubiis |
Hover between hope and fear. (Vergil) |
| Spero melior |
I hope for better things |
| Spero nos familiares mansuros |
I hope we'll still be friends |
| Spiritus asper |
Rough breathing |
| Spiritus lenis |
Smooth breathing |
| Splendide mendax |
Splendidly false. (Horace) |
| Splendor sine occasu |
Splendour without end |
| Stabat Mater |
The mother was standing |
| Stare decisis |
To stand by things decided |
| Status quo |
The current state of being |
| Stercus accidit |
Shit happens |
| Stet |
Let it stand |
| Struit insidias lacrimis cum femina plorat |
When a woman weeps, she is setting traps with her tears. (Dionysius Cato) |
| Studium discendi voluntate quae cogi non potest constat |
Study depends on the good will of the student, a quality which cannot be secured by compulsion |
| Stultior stulto fuisti, qui tabellis crederes! |
Idiot of idiots, to trust what is written! |
| Stultorum calami carbones moenia chartae |
Chalk is the pen of fools, walls (their) paper No Graffiti please. Showing that graffiti is nothing new |
| Stultorum infinitus est numerus |
Infinite is the number of fools. (Bible) |
| Stultum est timere quod vitare non potes |
It is foolish to fear that which you cannot avoid. (Publilius Syrus) |
| Stultus est sicut stultus facit |
Stupid is as stupid does |
| Sua cuique voluptas |
Everyone has his own pleasures |
| Sub dio |
Under the open sky |
| Sub iudice |
Under a judge |
| Sub judice |
Before a court |
| Sub lite |
In dispute |
| Sub poena |
Under penalty of law |
| Sub rosa |
Under the rose. Secretly or in confidence |
| Sub secreto |
In secret |
| Sub silentio |
In silence |
| Sub sole nihil novi est |
There's nothing new under the sun |
| Sub voce (sv) |
Under the voice |
| Subucula tua apparet |
Your slip is showing |
| Suggestio falsi |
Suggestion of something false |
| Suggestio veri, suggestio falsi |
An intimation of truth, an intimation of falcity |
| Sui generis |
Of his/her/its kind |
| Sui iuris |
Of one's own right |
| Sum, ergo edo |
I am, therefore I eat |
| Summa cum laude |
With highest honor |
| Summam scrutemur |
Let's look at the bottom line |
| Summum bonum |
The highest good |
| Summum ius, summa iniuria |
The extreme law is the greatest injustice. (Cicero) |
| Sumptus censum ne superet |
Let not your spending exceed your income (live within your means) |
| Sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt |
These are the tears of things, and our mortality cuts to the heart. (Vergil) |
| Sunt pueri pueri, puerilia tractant |
Children are children, (therefore) children do childish things |
| Suntne vacci laeti |
Are your cows happy? |
| Suo iure |
In one's own right |
| Suo jure |
In one's rightful place |
| Suos cuique mos |
Everyone has his customs. (Gellius) |
| Supra |
Above or on an earlier page |
| Sursum corda |
Lift up your hearts (to God) |
| Suum cuique pulchrum est |
To each his own is beautiful. (Cicero) |
| Svi generis |
Of its own kind unique |