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List of Latin phrases: C



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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 C. See List of Latin phrases for the main list.

Contents
&nbsp;A&nbsp; · &nbsp;B&nbsp; ·  C  · &nbsp;D&nbsp; · &nbsp;E&nbsp; · &nbsp;F&nbsp;
· &nbsp;G&nbsp; · &nbsp;H&nbsp; · &nbsp;I&nbsp; · &nbsp;L&nbsp; · &nbsp;M&nbsp; ·
&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] C


Latin Translation Notes
cacoethes scribendi badly accustomed to (of) writing Greek and Latin. From Satires of
Juvenal. See hypergraphia.
Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius. Kill them. For the Lord knows those who
are his. Supposed statement by Abbot Arnaud Amalric before the massacre of Béziers
during the Albigensian Crusade, recorded 30 years later, according to Caesar of
Heisterbach.
cadavera vero innumera truly countless bodies Used by the Romans to describe the
aftermath of the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains.
caetera desunt the rest is missing Caetera is Medieval Latin for cētera.
calix meus inebrians my cup makes me drunk 
camera obscura dark chamber An optical device used in drawing, and an ancestor of modern
photography. The source of the word camera.
canes pugnaces war dogs or fighting dogs 
canis canem edit dog eats dog Refers to a situation where nobody is safe from anybody,
each man for himself.
capax infiniti capable of the infinite a term referring (at least) to some Christian
doctrines of the incarnation of the Son of God when it asserts that humanity is capable
of housing full divinity within its finite frame. Related to the Docetic heresy and
sometimes a counterpoint to the Reformed 'extracalvinisticum.'
caput inter nubila (condit) (he plunges) [his] head in the clouds So aggrandized as to
be beyond practical (earthly) reach or understanding (from Virgil's Aeneid and the
shorter form appears in John Locke's Two Treatises of Government)
caput mortuum dead head Originally an alchemical reference to the dead head or worthless
residue left over from a reaction. Also used to refer to a freeloader or worthless
element.
Caritas Christi The love of Christ It implies a command to love as Christ loved. Motto
of St. Francis Xavier High School located in West Meadowlark Park, Edmonton.
Caritas in Veritate Charity in Truth Pope Benedict XVI's third encyclical.
carpe diem seize the day An exhortation to live for today. From Horace, Odes I, 11.8.
Carpere refers to plucking of flowers or fruit. The phrase collige virgo rosas has a
similar sense.
carpe noctem seize the night An exhortation to make good use of the night, often used
when carpe diem, q.v., would seem absurd, e.g., when observing a deep sky object or
conducting a Messier marathon.
Carthago delenda est Carthage must be destroyed The Roman senator Cato the Elder ended
every speech after second Punic Wars with ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam,
literally "For the rest, I am of the opinion that Carthage is to be destroyed." Before
the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in the European Parliament, Daniel Hannan ended
all his speeches in a similar way with Pactio Olisipiensis censenda est "The Lisbon
Treaty must be put to a referendum".
casus belli event of war Refers to an incident that is the justification or case for war.
causa mortis cause of death 
cave beware! especially used by Doctors of Medicine, when they want to warn each other
(e.g.: "cave nephrolithiases" in order to warn about side effects of an uricosuric).
Spoken aloud in some British public schools by pupils to warn each other of impending
authority.
cave canem Beware of the dog 
cave laborem beware of work 
cave nil vino beware of no wine 
caveat emptor let the buyer beware The purchaser is responsible for checking whether the
goods suit his need. Phrases modeled on this one replace emptor with lector,
subscriptor, venditor, utilitor: "reader", "signer", "seller", "user".
cedant arma togae let arms yield to the gown "Let military power yield to civilian
power", Cicero, De Officiis I:77. See also: Toga
celerius quam asparagi cocuntur more swiftly than asparagus [stem]s are cooked Or simply
"faster than cooking asparagus". A variant of the Roman phrase velocius quam asparagi
coquantur, using a different adverb and an alternative mood and spelling of coquere.
cepi corpus I got the body In law, it is a return made by the sheriff, upon a capias, or
other process to the like purpose; signifying, that he has taken the body of the party.
See also habeas corpus.
certum est quod certum reddi potest it is certain if it is capable of being rendered
certain Often used in law when something is not known, but can be ascertained (e.g. the
purchase price on a sale which is to be determined by a third-party valuer)
cessante ratione legis cessat ipsa lex when the reason for the law ceases, the law
itself ceases A rule of law becomes ineffective when the reason for its application has
ceased to exist or does not correspond to the reality anymore. By Gratian.
cetera desunt the rest are missing Also spelled "caetera desunt".
ceteris paribus with other things equal Idiomatically translated as "all other things
being equal" - that is, disregarding or eliminating the possibility of other factors in
a situation.
charta pardonationis se defendendo a paper of pardon to him who defended himself The
form of a pardon for killing another man in self-defence. (see manslaughter)
charta pardonationis utlagariae a paper of pardon to the outlaw The form of a pardon of
a man who is outlawed. Also called perdonatio utlagariae.
Christianos ad leones [Throw the] Christians to the lions! 
Christo et Doctrinae For Christ and Learning The motto of Furman University.
Christus nos liberavit Christ has freed us title of volume I, book 5, chapter XI of Les
Misérables by Victor Hugo.
Christus Rex Christ the King A Christian title for Jesus.
circa (c.) or (ca.) around In the sense of "approximately" or "about". Usually used of a
date.
circulus in probando circle made in testing [a premise] Circular reasoning. Similar term
to circulus vitiosus.
circulus vitiosus vicious circle In logic, begging the question, a fallacy involving the
presupposition of a proposition in one of the premises (see petitio principii). In
science, a positive feedback loop. In economics, a counterpart to the virtuous circle.
citius altius fortius faster, higher, stronger Motto of the modern Olympics.
clamea admittenda in itinere per atturnatum   A writ whereby the king of England could
command the justice to admit one's claim by an attorney, who being employed in the
king's service, cannot come in person.
clausum fregit   A legal action for trespass to land; so called, because the writ
demands the person summoned to answer wherefore he broke the close (quare clausum
fregit), i.e., why he entered the plaintiff's land.
claves Sancti Petri the keys of Saint Peter A symbol of the Papacy.
clavis aurea golden key The means of discovering hidden or mysterious meanings in texts,
particularly applied in theology and alchemy.
clerico admittendo about to be made a clerk In law, a writ directed to the bishop, for
the admitting a clerk to a benefice upon a ne admittas, tried, and found for the party
who procures the writ.
clerico capto per statutum mercatorum   In law, a writ for the delivery of a clerk out
of prison, who is imprisoned upon the breach of statute merchant.
clerico convicto commisso gaolae in defectu ordinarii deliberando   In law, a writ for
the delivery of a clerk to his ordinary, that was formerly convicted of felony; by
reason that his ordinary did not challenge him according to the privilege of clerks.
clerico intra sacros ordines constituto non eligendo in officium   In law, a writ
directed to the bailiffs, etc., that have thrust a bailiwick or beadleship upon one in
holy orders; charging them to release him.
Codex Iuris Canonici Book of Canon Law The official code of canon law in the Roman
Catholic Church (cf. Corpus Iuris Canonici).
Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt Those who hurry cross the sea change the
sky [upon them], not their souls or state of mind Hexameter by Horace (Epistulae I, 11
v.27). Seneca shortens it to Animum debes mutare, non caelum (You must change [your]
disposition, not [your] sky) in his Letter to Lucilium XXVIII, 1
cogito ergo sum I think, therefore I am. A rationalistic argument used by French
philosopher René Descartes to attempt to prove his own existence.
coitus interruptus interrupted congress Aborting sexual intercourse prior to
ejaculation—the only permitted form of birth control in some religions.
coitus more ferarum congress in the way of beasts A medical euphemism for the
doggy-style sexual position.
collige virgo rosas pick, girl, the roses 
Exhortation to enjoy fully the youth, similar to Carpe diem, from De rosis nascentibus
(also titled Idyllium de rosis) attributed to Ausonius or Virgil.  "Gather ye rosebuds
while ye may", 1909, by John William Waterhouse

combinatio nova new combination It is frequently abbreviated comb. nov.. It is used in
the life sciences literature when a new name is introduced, e.g. Klebsiella granulomatis
comb. nov..
communibus annis "in common years" One year with another; on an average. "Common" here
does not mean "ordinary", but "common to every situation"
communibus locis "in common places" A term frequently used among philosophical and other
writers, implying some medium, or mean relation between several places; one place with
another; on a medium. "Common" here does not mean "ordinary", but "common to every
situation"
communis opinio generally accepted view 
compos mentis in control of the mind Describes someone of sound mind. Sometimes used
ironically. Also a legal principle, non compos mentis (not in control of one's
faculties), used to describe an insane person.
concordia cum veritate in harmony with truth Motto of the University of Waterloo.
concordia salus salvation through harmony Motto of Montreal. It is also the Bank of
Montreal coat of arms and motto.
condemnant quod non intellegunt They condemn what they do not understand or They condemn
because they do not understand (the quod is ambiguous) 
condicio sine qua non condition without which not A required, indispensable condition.
Commonly mistakenly rendered with conditio ("seasoning" or "preserving") in place of
condicio ("arrangement" or "condition").
confer (cf.) confer]] "compare". Used as an abbreviation in text to recommend a
comparison with another thing (cf. citation signal).
Confoederatio Helvetica (C.H.) Helvetian Confederation The official name of Switzerland,
hence the use of "CH" for its ISO country code, ".ch" for its Internet domain, and "CHF"
for the ISO three-letter abbreviation of its currency, the Swiss franc.
coniunctis viribus with connected strength Or "with united powers". Sometimes rendered
conjunctis viribus.
consuetudo pro lege servatur Custom is held as law. Where there are no specific laws,
the matter should be decided by custom;] established customs have the force of laws.]
Also consuetudo est altera lex (custom is another law) and consuetudo vincit communem
legem (custom overrules the common law); see also: Consuetudinary.
consummatum est It is completed. The last words of Jesus on the cross in the Latin
translation of John 19:30.
contemptus saeculi scorn for the times Despising the secular world. The monk or
philosopher's rejection of a mundane life and worldly values.
contra spem spero hope against hope Title of a poem by Lesya Ukrainka; also used in the
Pentateuch with reference to Abraham the Patriarch.
contradictio in terminis contradiction in terms A thing or idea that would embody a
contradiction, for example, payment for a gift, or a circle with corners. The fallacy of
proposing such a thing.
contraria contrariis curantur the opposite is cured with the opposite First formulated
by Hippocrates to suggest that the diseases are cured with contrary remedies. Antonym of
similia similibus curantur (the diseases are recovered with similar remedies.)
contra bonos mores against good morals Offensive to the conscience and to a sense of
justice.
contra legem against the law 
contra principia negantem non est disputandum there can be no debate with those who deny
the foundations Debate is fruitless when you don't agree on common rules, facts,
presuppositions.
cor ad cor loquitur heart speaks to heart From Augustine's Confessions, referring to a
prescribed method of prayer: having a "heart to heart" with God. Commonly used in
reference to a later quote by Cardinal John Henry Newman. A motto of Newman Clubs.
cor aut mors Heart or Death (Your choice is between) The Heart (Moral Values, Duty,
Loyalty) or Death (to stop exist, to no longer matter, to no longer be respected as
person of integrity.)
cor meum tibi offero domine prompte et sincere my heart I offer to you Lord promptly and
sincerely motto of Calvin College
cor unum one heart A popular school motto. Often used as names for religious and other
organisations such as the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.
coram Deo in the Presence of God A phrase from Christian theology which summarizes the
idea of Christians living in the Presence of, under the authority of, and to the honor
and glory of God.
coram nobis, coram vobis in our presence, in your presence Two kinds of writs of error.
coram populo in the presence of the people Thus, openly.
coram publico in view of the public 
Corpus Christi Body of Christ The name of a feast in the Roman Catholic Church
commemorating the Eucharist. It is also the name of a city in Texas, Corpus Christi,
Texas, and a controversial play.
corpus delicti body of the offence The fact that a crime has been committed, a necessary
factor in convicting someone of having committed that crime; if there was no crime,
there can not have been a criminal.
Corpus Iuris Canonici Body of Canon Law The official compilation of canon law in the
Roman Catholic Church (cf. Codex Iuris Canonici).
Corpus Iuris Civilis Body of Civil Law The body of Roman or civil law.
corpus vile worthless body A person or thing fit only to be the object of an experiment.
corrigenda things to be corrected 
corruptio optimi pessima the corruption of the best is the worst 
corruptus in extremis corrupt to the extreme Motto of the fictional Springfield Mayor
Office in The Simpsons TV-Show
corruptissima re publica plurimae leges When the republic is at its most corrupt the
laws are most numerous Tacitus
cras amet qui nunquam amavit; quique amavit, cras amet May he love tomorrow who has
never loved before; And may he who has loved, love tomorrow as well It's the refrain
from the 'Pervigilium Veneris', a poem which describes a three day holiday in the cult
of Venus, located somewhere in Sicily, involving the whole town in religious festivities
joined with a deep sense of nature and Venus as the "procreatrix", the life-giving force
behind the natural world.
Credo in Unum Deum I Believe in One God The first words of the Nicene Creed and the
Apostles' Creed.
credo quia absurdum est I believe it because it is absurd A very common misquote of
Tertullian's et mortuus est Dei Filius prorsus credibile quia ineptum est (and the Son
of God is dead: in short, it is credible because it is unfitting), meaning that it is so
absurd to say that God's son has died that it would have to be a matter of belief,
rather than reason. The misquoted phrase, however, is commonly used to mock the dogmatic
beliefs of the religious (see fideism). This phrase is commonly shortened to credo quia
absurdum, and is also sometimes rendered credo quia impossibile est (I believe it
because it is impossible) or, as Darwin used it in his autobiography, credo quia
incredibile.
crescamus in Illo per omnia May we grow in Him through all things Motto of Cheverus High
School.
crescat scientia vita excolatur let knowledge grow, let life be enriched Motto of the
University of Chicago.
crescit eundo it grows as it goes State motto of New Mexico, adopted in 1887 as the
territory's motto, and kept in 1912 when New Mexico received statehood. Originally from
Lucretius' De rerum natura book VI, where it refers in context to the motion of a
thunderbolt across the sky, which acquires power and momentum as it goes.
cruci dum spiro fido while I live, I trust in the cross, Whilst I trust in the Cross I
have life Motto of the Sisters of Loreto (IBVM) and its associated schools.
cucullus non facit monachum The hood does not make the monk William Shakespeare, Twelfth
Night, Scene I, Act V 48–50
cui bono Good for whom? "Who benefits?" An adage in criminal investigation which
suggests that considering who would benefit from an unwelcome event is likely to reveal
who is responsible for that event (cf. cui prodest). Also the motto of the Crime
Syndicate of America, a fictional supervillain group. The opposite is cui malo (Bad for
whom?).
cui prodest for whom it advances Short for cui prodest scelus is fecit (for whom the
crime advances, he has done it) in Seneca's Medea. Thus, the murderer is often the one
who gains by the murder (cf. cui bono).
cuius est solum eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos Whose the land is, all the way to
the sky and to the underworld is his. First coined by Accursius of Bologna in the 13th
century. A Roman legal principle of property law that is no longer observed in most
situations today. Less literally, "For whosoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to the
sky and down to the depths."
cuius regio, eius religio whose region, his religion The privilege of a ruler to choose
the religion of his subjects. A regional prince's ability to choose his people's
religion was established at the Peace of Augsburg in 1555.
cuiusvis hominis est errare, nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare. Anyone can
err, but only the fool persists in his fault Cicero, Philippica XII, 5.
culpa fault Also "blame" or "guilt". In law, an act of neglect. In general, guilt, sin,
or a fault. See also mea culpa.
cum gladiis et fustibus with swords and clubs From the Bible. Occurs in Matthew 26:47
and Luke 22:52.
cum gladio et sale with sword and salt Motto of a well-paid soldier. See salary.
cum grano salis with a grain of salt Not to be taken too seriously or as the literal
truth.
cum hoc ergo propter hoc with this, therefore on account of this fallacy of assuming
that correlation implies causation.
cum laude with praise The standard formula for academic Latin honors in the United
States. Greater honors include magna cum laude and summa cum laude.
cum mortuis in lingua mortua with the dead in a dead language Movement from Pictures at
an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky
cuncti adsint meritaeque expectent praemia palmae let all come who by merit deserve the
most reward Motto of University College London.
cura personalis care for the whole person Motto of University of Scranton.
cura te ipsum take care of your own self An exhortation to physicians, or experts in
general, to deal with their own problems before addressing those of others.
cur Deus Homo Why the God-Man The question attributed to Anselm in his work of by this
name, wherein he reflects on why the Christ of Christianity must be both fully Divine
and fully Human. Often translated "why did God become Man?"
curriculum vitae course of life An overview of a person's life and qualifications,
similar to a résumé.
custos morum keeper of morals A censor.
cygnis insignis distinguished by its swans Motto of Western Australia.
cygnus inter anates swan among ducks 


[edit] Notes



1. ^ "Abbreviations"
2. ^ "Abbreviations", University of Sussex
3. ^ Jon R. Stone, More Latin for the Illiterati, Routledge, 1999, p. 53.
4. ^ Giles Jacob, A Law Grammar, W. Clarke & Sons, 1817, p. 3.



[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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