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List of Latin phrases: M



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This page lists direct English translations of Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and
et cetera. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases, as Greek
rhetoric and literature reached its peak centuries before that of ancient Rome.

This list covers the letter M. See List of Latin phrases for the main list.

Contents
&nbsp;A&nbsp; · &nbsp;B&nbsp; · &nbsp;C&nbsp; · &nbsp;D&nbsp; · &nbsp;E&nbsp; ·
&nbsp;F&nbsp; · &nbsp;G&nbsp; · &nbsp;H&nbsp; · &nbsp;I&nbsp; · &nbsp;L&nbsp; ·  M 
· &nbsp;N&nbsp; · &nbsp;O&nbsp; · &nbsp;P&nbsp; · &nbsp;Q&nbsp; · &nbsp;R&nbsp; ·
&nbsp;S&nbsp; · &nbsp;T&nbsp; · &nbsp;U&nbsp; · &nbsp;V&nbsp; · full
References


[edit] M


Latin Translation Notes
magister dixit the teacher has said it Canonical medieval reference to Aristotle,
precluding further discussion
Macte animo! Generose puer sic itur ad astra Young, cheer up! This is the way to the
skies. The motto of Academia da Força Aérea(Air Force Academy) of the Brazilian Air
Force
Magna Carta Great Charter A set of documents between Pope Innocent III, King John of
England, and English barons. (1215 AD)
magna cum laude with great praise A common Latin honor, above cum laude and below summa
cum laude.
Magna Europa est Patria Nostra Great Europe is Our Fatherland Political motto of
pan-Europeanists (cf. ave Europa nostra vera Patria)
magna est vis consuetudinis great is the power of habit 
magno cum gaudio with great joy 
magnum opus great work Said of someone's masterpiece
maiora premunt greater things are pressing Used to indicate that it is the moment to
address more important, urgent, issues.
mala fide in bad faith Said of an act done with knowledge of its illegality, or with
intention to defraud or mislead someone. Opposite of bona fide.
mala tempora currunt bad times are upon us Also used ironically, e.g.: New teachers know
all tricks used by pupils to copy from classmates? Oh, mala tempora currunt!.
male captus bene detentus wrongly captured, properly detained An illegal arrest will not
prejudice the subsequent detention/trial.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium I prefer liberty with danger to peace
with slavery 
malum discordiae apple of discord Alludes to the apple of Eris in the Judgement of
Paris, the mythological cause of the Trojan War. It is also a pun based on the
near-homonymous word malum (evil). The word for "apple" has a long ā vowel in Latin and
the word for "evil" a short a vowel, but they are normally written the same.
malum quo communius eo peius the more common an evil is, the worse it is 
malum in se wrong in itself A legal term meaning that something is inherently wrong (cf.
malum prohibitum).
malum prohibitum wrong due to being prohibited A legal term meaning that something is
only wrong because it is against the law.
manibus date lilia plenis give lilies with full hands A phrase from Virgil's Aeneid,
6.883, mourning the death of Marcellus, Augustus' nephew. Quoted by Dante as he leaves
Virgil in Purgatory, 30.21, echoed by Walt Whitman in Leaves of Grass III, 6.
manu militari with a military hand Using armed forces in order to achieve a goal
manu propria (m.p.) with one's own hand With the implication of "signed by one's hand".
Its abbreviated form is sometimes used at the end of typewritten or printed documents or
official notices, directly following the name of the person(s) who "signed" the document
exactly in those cases where there isn't an actual handwritten signature.
manus celer Dei the swift hand of God Originally used as the name of a ship in the
Marathon game series, its usage has spread. In the PlayStation game, Blood Omen: Legacy
of Kain, the phrase was written in blood on the walls of a vampire's feeding room. It is
assumed that one of the dying victims wrote it with his fingers. After the game's main
character surveys the bloody room, associative logic dictates that the phrase was to
deify both the vampire's wrath on shackled, powerless humans and the boundless slaughter
of his victims.
manus manum lavat one hand washes the other famous quote from The Pumpkinification of
Claudius, ascribed to Seneca the Younger.] It implies that one situation helps the other.
mare clausum closed sea In law, a sea under the jurisdiction of one nation and closed to
all others.
mare liberum free sea In law, a sea open to international shipping navigation.
mare nostrum our sea A nickname given to the Mediterranean Sea during the height of the
Roman Empire, as it encompassed the entire coastal basin.
Mater Dei Mother of God A name given to describe the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to
Jesus, who is also called the "Son of God."
mater facit Mother Does It Used as a joke to say Mother Fuck It, though it really means
"mother does it"
Mater semper certa est The mother is always certain a Roman-law principle which has the
power of praesumptio iuris et de iure, meaning that no counter-evidence can be made
against this principle (literally: Presumed there is no counter evidence and by the
law). Its meaning is that the mother of the child is always known.
mater familias the mother of the family The female head of a family. See pater familias.
materia medica medical matter The branch of medical science concerned with the study of
drugs used in the treatment of disease. Also, the drugs themselves.
me vexat pede it annoys me at the foot Less literally, "my foot itches". Refers to a
trivial situation or person that is being a bother, possibly in the sense of wishing to
kick that thing away.
mea culpa my fault Used in Christian prayers and confession to denote the inherently
flawed nature of mankind. Can also be extended to mea maxima culpa (my greatest fault).
Analogous to the nonstandard modern English slang "my bad".
mea navis aëricumbens anguillis abundat My hovercraft is full of eels A relatively
common recent Latinization inspired by the Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook sketch by Monty
Python.
media vita in morte sumus In the midst of our lives we die A well-known sequence,
falsely attributed to Notker during the Middle Ages. It was translated by Cranmer and
became a part of the burial service in the funeral rites of the Anglican Book of Common
Prayer.
Mediolanum captum est Milan has been captured Used erroneously as Mediolanum Capta Est
by the black metal band Mayhem as an album title. Mediolanum was an ancient city in
present-day Milan, Italy.
meliora better things Carrying the connotation of "always better". The motto of the
University of Rochester.
Melita, domi adsum Honey, I'm home! A relatively common recent Latinization from the
joke phrasebook Latin for All Occasions. Grammatically correct, but the phrase would be
anachronistic in ancient Rome.
memento mori remember that [you will] die Figuratively "be mindful of dying" or
"remember your mortality", and also more literally rendered as "remember to die", though
in English this ironically misses the original intent. An object (such as a skull) or
phrase intended to remind people of the inevitability of death. A more common theme in
Christian than in Classical art. The motto of the Trappist order.
memento vivere a reminder of life Also, "remember that you have to live." Literally
rendered as "remember to live."
memores acti prudentes futuri mindful of what has been done, aware of what will be Thus,
both remembering the past and foreseeing the future. From the North Hertfordshire
District Council coat of arms.
mens agitat molem the mind moves the mass From Virgil. Motto of Rossall School, the
University of Oregon, the University of Warwick and the Eindhoven University of
Technology.
mens et manus mind and hand Motto of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
mens rea guilty mind Also "culprit mind". A term used in discussing the mindset of an
accused criminal.
mens sana in corpore sano a sound mind in a sound body Or "a sensible mind in a healthy
body".
meminerunt omnia amantes lovers remember all 
metri causa for the sake of the meter Excusing flaws in poetry "for the sake of the
meter"
Miles Gloriosus Glorious Soldier Or "Boastful Soldier". Miles Gloriosus is the title of
a play of Plautus. A stock character in comedy, the braggart soldier. (It is said that
at Salamanca, there is a wall, on which graduates inscribe their names, where Francisco
Franco had a plaque installed reading FRANCISCUS FRANCUS MILES GLORIOSUS.)
minatur innocentibus qui parcit nocentibus he threatens the innocent who spares the
guilty 
mirabile dictu wonderful to tell 
mirabile visu wonderful to see A Roman phrase used to describe a wonderful
event/happening.
miscerique probat populos et foedera jungi He approves of the mingling of the peoples
and their bonds of union Latin Aeneid of Virgil, Book IV, line 112, "he" referring to
the great Roman god, who approved of the settlement of Romans in Africa. Old Motto of
Trinidad and Tobago, and used in the novel A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul.
misera est servitus ubi jus est aut incognitum aut vagum miserable is that state of
slavery in which the law is unknown or uncertain Quoted by Doctor Johnson in his paper
for James Boswell on Vicious intromission.
miserabile visu terrible by the sight A terrible happening or event.
miserere nobis have mercy upon us A phrase within the Gloria in Excelsis Deo and the
Agnus Dei, to be used at certain points in Christian religious ceremonies.
missit me Dominus the Lord has sent me A phrase used by Jesus Christ.
mittimus we send A warrant of commitment to prison, or an instruction for a jailer to
hold someone in prison.
mobilis in mobili "moving in a moving thing" or, poetically, "changing through the
changing medium" The motto of the Nautilus from the Jules Verne novel 20000 Leagues
Under the Sea.
modus operandi (M.O.) method of operating Usually used to describe a criminal's methods.
modus ponens method of placing Loosely "method of affirming", a logical rule of
inference stating that from propositions if P then Q and P, then one can conclude Q.
modus tollens method of removing Loosely "method of denying", a logical rule of
inference stating that from propositions if P then Q and not Q, then one can conclude
not P.
modus morons
(Dog Latin) — Dog Latin based on wordplay with modus ponens and modus tollens,
referring to the common logical fallacy that if P then Q and not P, then one can
conclude not Q (cf. denying the antecedent and contraposition).
modus vivendi method of living An accommodation between disagreeing parties to allow
life to go on. A practical compromise.
montaini semper liberi mountaineers [are] always free State motto of West Virginia,
adopted in 1872.
Montis Insignia Calpe Badge of the Rock of Gibraltar 
mortui vivos docent The dead teach the living Used to justify dissections of human
cadavers in order to understand the cause of death.
more ferarum like beasts used to describe any sexual act in the manner of beasts
morior invictus death before defeat 
morituri nolumus mori we who are about to die don't want to From Terry Pratchett's The
Last Hero
morituri te salutant those who are about to die salute you Used once in Suetonius' De
Vita Caesarum 5, (Divus Claudius), chapter 21], by the condemned prisoners manning
galleys about to take part in a mock naval battle on Lake Fucinus in AD 52. Popular
misconception ascribes it as a gladiator's salute. See also: Ave Caesar morituri te
salutant and Naumachia.
mors certa, hora incerta death is certain, its hour is uncertain 
mors omnibus death to all Signifies anger and depression.
mors tua vita mea your death, my life From medieval Latin, it indicates that battle for
survival, where your defeat is necessary for my victory, survival.
mors vincit omnia death conquers all" or "death always wins An axiom often found on
headstones.
morte magis metuenda senectus old age should rather be feared than death from Juvenal in
his 'Satires'
mortuum flagellas you are flogging a dead From Gerhard Gerhards' (1466-1536) [better
known as Erasmus] collection of annotated Adagia (1508). Criticising one who will not be
affected in any way by the criticism.
mos maiorum the custom of our ancestors an unwritten code of laws and conduct, of the
Romans. It institutionalized cultural traditions, societal mores, and general policies,
as distinct from specific laws.
motu proprio on his own initiative Or "by his own accord." Identifies a class of papal
documents, administrative papal bulls.
mulgere hircum to milk a male goat From Gerhard Gerhards' (1466-1536) [better known as
Erasmus] collection of annotated Adagia (1508). Attempting the impossible.
multa paucis Say much in few words 
multis e gentibus vires from many peoples, strength Motto of Saskatchewan.
multum in parvo much in little Conciseness. The motto of Rutland, a county in central
England.
Latin phrases are often multum in parvo, conveying much in few words.
mundus vult decipi the world wants to be deceived From James Branch Cabell.
munit haec et altera vincit this one defends and the other one conquers Motto of Nova
Scotia.
mutatis mutandis after changing what needed to be changed Thus, "with the appropriate
changes".


[edit] Notes



1. ^ Harbottle, Thomas Benfield (1906). Dictionary of Quotations (Classical). The
   Macmillan Co.. 
2. ^ The Latin Library: SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DIVI CLAVDI



[edit] References



* Adeleye, Gabriel G. (1999). World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions. Ed. Thomas J.
  Sienkewicz and James T. McDonough, Jr. Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers,
  Inc. ISBN 0865164223.
* Hardon, John, Fr. Modern Catholic Dictionary.
* Stone, Jon R. (1996). Latin for the Illiterati. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN
  0415917751.



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Latin phrases

Latin phrases 
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&nbsp;F&nbsp; · &nbsp;G&nbsp; · &nbsp;H&nbsp; · &nbsp;I&nbsp; · &nbsp;L&nbsp; ·  M 
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Others 
Latin abbreviations · Latin words with English derivatives · Legal Latin terms ·
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