The Basics of Common Latin Phrases

Did you know that scuba is an acronym? The letters stand for “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.” Many Latin phrases are as common as the word scuba, but people don’t know their origins. Let’s demystify some of the most common Latin phrases that we use in English.

i.e vs. e.g

There are not one, not two, but three Latin phrases in that subheading! The first, i.e., stands for id est. Translated literally, that means “it is,” but is is often read “that is.” Id est clarifies or rephrases a statement.

French, Italian, and Portuguese are Romance languages (i.e., derivatives from Latin, the language spoken by the Romans.)
Here, i.e. marks an explanation of the preceding term “Romance languages.”

Both v. and vs. are short for “versus.” Versus means against, as in a case brought against someone in a court of law. It also contrasts two choices, such as white bread versus wheat bread. In Latin, it means “toward.”

People often confuse i.e. and e.g. As you just learned, i.e. is used to add clarification to a phrase. E.g. stands for exempli gratia. It means “for example” or “such as.” Usually, a list of examples follows it.

Romance languages (e.g. French and Spanish) derive from Latin.

As you can see, e.g. is followed by examples of the preceding term.

Et cetera

French and Spanish are just two examples of Romance languages. The linguist Andrew Darby identifies dozens of languages with roots in Latin. Rather than enumerate them all, you can employ the Latin term et cetera (usually abbreviated as etc.). In Latin, et means “and” and cetera means “the rest.”

The Romance languages include Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, et cetera.

Ergo

Ergo means “therefore,” so it’s pretty easy to use. You may have heard two famous phrases with the term. French philosopher René Descartes concluded that because he thinks, he can be certain that he exists: Cogito, ergo sum. (I think, therefore I am.) You can use the other expression to point out an error in logic. When someone incorrectly concludes that one event was caused by a preceding event, it’s called the post hoc ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore because of it) fallacy.

Ad hoc
In Latin, ad hoc means “for this.” In English, it’s used as an adverb or an adjective. The book was written ad hoc to inform the public about the importance of Latin. An ad hoc committee formed to sell the book. In both instances, ad hoc refers to a special purpose. The book was written for the specific purpose of informing the public. The special purpose of the committee was to sell the book.

Per se

“Fundamentally,” “intrinsically,” and “inherently” are synonyms of per se. I am not a linguist per se, but I study languages because I like them.

In the Middle Ages, Latin was an essential component of education. The language remained influential for centuries. It’s no wonder that there are so many Latin phrases still in use. The ones mentioned in this article are among the most common, but there are many more to discover. There’s the motto of the Marines, Semper fidelis, the time-marking abbreviations a.d., and et al., which you may see on the covers of books and magazines. Don’t content yourself with the status quo. If you take a moment to find out what these abbreviations mean, you can make the best use of the Latin that we still have in our language today.

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