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List of Latin phrases: P



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

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References


[edit] P


Latin Translation Notes
pace in peace "With all due respect to", "with due deference to", "by leave of", or "no
offense to". Used to politely acknowledge someone who disagrees with the speaker or
writer.

pace tua your peace Thus, "with your permission".
pacta sunt servanda agreements must be kept Also "contracts must be honoured". Indicates
the binding power of treaties.
palma non sine pulvere no reward without effort Also "dare to try"; motto of numerous
schools.
palmam qui meruit ferat let whoever wins the palm bear it Achievement should be rewarded
– motto of the University of Southern California.
panem et circenses bread and circuses From Juvenal, Satire X, line 81. Originally
described all that was needed for emperors to placate the Roman mob. Today used to
describe any entertainment used to distract public attention from more important matters.
para bellum prepare for war From "Si vis pacem para bellum" if you want peace prepare
for war since if a country is ready for war its enemies will not attack. Can be used to
denote support or approval for a war or conflict.
parens patriae parent of the nation A public policy requiring courts to protect the best
interests of any child involved in a lawsuit. See also Pater Patriae.
Pari passu with equal step Thus, "moving together", "simultaneously", etc.
parva sub ingenti the small under the huge Implies that the weak are under the
protection of the strong, rather than that they are inferior. Motto of Prince Edward
Island.
parvis imbutus tentabis grandia tutus When you are steeped in little things, you shall
safely attempt great things. Motto of Barnard Castle School, sometimes translated as
"Once you have accomplished small things, you may attempt great ones safely"
passim here and there Less literally, "throughout" or "frequently". Said of a word that
occurs several times in a cited text. Also used in proofreading, where it refers to a
change that is to be repeated everywhere needed.
pater familias father of the family Or "master of the house". The eldest male in a
family, who held patria potestas ("paternal power"). In Roman law, a father had enormous
power over his children, wife, and slaves, though these rights dwindled over time.
Derived from the phrase pater familias, an Old Latin expression preserving the archaic
-as ending for the genitive case.
Pater Patriae father of the nation Also rendered with the gender-neutral parens patriae
("parent of the nation").
pater peccavi father, I have sinned The traditional beginning of a Roman Catholic
confession.
Pater Omnipotens Father Almighty A more direct translation would be "omnipotent father".
pauca sed matura few, but ripe Said to be one of Carl Gauss's favorite quotations. Used
in The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
pauca sed bona few, but good Similar to "quality over quantity"; though there may be few
of something, at least they are of good quality.
pax aeterna eternal peace A common epitaph.
Pax Americana American Peace A euphemism for the United States of America and its sphere
of influence. Adapted from Pax Romana.
Pax Britannica British Peace A euphemism for the British Empire. Adapted from Pax Romana.
Pax Christi Peace of Christ Used as a wish before the Holy Communion in the Catholic
Mass, also the name of the peace movement Pax Christi
pax Dei peace of God Used in the Peace and Truce of God movement in 10th-century France.
Pax Deorum Peace of the Gods Like the vast majority of inhabitants of the ancient world,
the Romans practiced pagan rituals, believing it important to achieve a state of Pax
Deorum (The Peace of the Gods) instead of Ira Deorum (The Wrath of the Gods).
Pax Domine peace, lord lord or master; used as a form of address when speaking to clergy
or educated professionals.
pax et bonum peace and the good Motto of St. Francis of Assisi and, consequently, of his
monastery in Assisi; translated in Italian as pace e bene.
pax et justitia peace and justice Motto of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
pax et lux peace and light Motto of Tufts University and various schools. Also written
as "Pax et Lvx".
pax in terra peace on earth Used to exemplify the desired state of peace on earth.
Pax Europaea European peace A euphemism for Europe after World War II
Pax Hispanica Spanish Peace A euphemism for the Spanish Empire. Specifically can mean
the twenty-three years of supreme Spanish dominance in Europe (approximately
1598–1621). Adapted from Pax Romana.
pax maternum, ergo pax familiarum peace of mothers, therefore peace of families If the
mother is peaceful, then the family is peaceful. The opposite of the Southern American
saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."
Pax Mongolica Mongolian Peace A period of peace and prosperity in Asia during the Mongol
Empire.
Pax Romana Roman Peace A period of relative prosperity and lack of conflict in the early
Roman Empire.
Pax Sinica Chinese Peace A period of peace in East Asia during times of strong Chinese
hegemony.
pax tecum peace be with you (singular)
pax vobiscum peace [be] with you A common farewell. The "you" is plural ("you all"), so
the phrase must be used when speaking to more than one person; pax tecum is the form
used when speaking to only one person.
peccavi I have sinned Telegraph message and pun from Charles Napier, British general,
upon completely subjugating the Indian province of Sindh in 1842. This is, arguably, the
most terse military despatch ever sent. The story is apocryphal.
pecunia non olet money doesn't smell According to Suetonius' De vita Caesarum, when
Emperor Vespasian was challenged by his son Titus for taxing the public lavatories, the
emperor held up a coin before his son and asked whether it smelled or simply said non
olet ("it doesn't smell"). From this, the phrase was expanded to pecunia non olet, or
rarely aes non olet ("copper doesn't smell").
pecunia, si uti scis, ancilla est; si nescis, domina if you know how to use money, money
is your slave; if you don't, money is your master Written on an old Latin tablet in
downtown Verona (Italy).
pede poena claudo punishment comes limping That is, retribution comes slowly but surely.
From Horace, Odes, 3, 2, 32.
pendent opera interrupta the work hangs interrupted From the Aeneid of Virgil, Book IV.
per By, through, by means of See specific phrases below.
per angusta ad augusta through difficulties to greatness The motto of numerous
educational establishments.
per annum (pa.) per year Thus, "yearly"—occurring every year.
per ardua through adversity Motto of the British RAF Regiment
per ardua ad alta through hard work, great heights are achieved Motto of University of
Birmingham, Methodist Ladies' College, Perth
per ardua ad astra through adversity to the stars Motto of the air force of several
nations (including the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom) and of several schools.
The phrase is used by Latin Poet Virgil in the Aeneid; also used in Henry Rider
Haggard's novel The People of the Mist.
per aspera ad astra through hardships to the stars From Seneca the Younger. Motto of
NASA and the South African Air Force. A common variant, ad astra per aspera ("to the
stars through hardships"), is the state motto of Kansas. Ad Astra ("To the Stars") is
the title of a magazine published by the National Space Society. De Profundis Ad Astra
("From the depths to the stars.") is the motto of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy
Society.
per capsulam through the small box That is, "by letter".
per capita by heads "Per head", i.e., "per person", a ratio by the number of persons.
The singular is per caput.
per contra through the contrary Or "on the contrary" (cf. a contrario).
per curiam through the senate Legal term meaning "by the court", as in a decision.
per crucem vincemus through the cross we shall conquer Motto of , Dewsbury.
per definitionem through the definition Thus, "by definition".
per diem (pd.) by day Thus, "per day". A specific amount of money an organization allows
an individual to spend per day, typically for travel expenses.
per mare per terram By Sea and by Land Motto of the Royal Marines and (with small
difference) of Clan Donald and the Compagnies Franches de la Marine.
per mensem (pm.) by month Thus, "per month", or "monthly".
per os (p.o.) through the mouth Medical shorthand for "by mouth".
per pedes by feet Used of a certain place can be traversed or reached by foot, or to
indicate that one is travelling by foot as opposed to by a vehicle.
per procura (p.p.) or (per pro) through the agency Also rendered per procurationem. Used
to indicate that a person is signing a document on behalf of another person. Correctly
placed before the name of the person signing, but often placed before the name of the
person on whose behalf the document is signed, sometimes through incorrect translation
of the alternative abbreviation per pro. as "for and on behalf of".
per quod by reason of which In a UK legal context: "by reason of which" (as opposed to
per se which requires no reasoning). In American jurisprudence often refers to a
spouse's claim for loss of consortium.
per rectum (pr) through the rectum Medical shorthand. See also per os.
per se through itself Also "by itself" or "in itself". Without referring to anything
else, intrinsically, taken without qualifications, etc. A common example is negligence
per se. See also malum in se.
per stirpes through the roots Used in wills to indicate that each "branch" of the
testator's family should inherit equally. Contrasted with per capita.
per unitatem vis through unity, strength Motto of Texas A&amp;M University Corps of
Cadets.
per veritatem vis through truth, strength Motto of Washington University in St. Louis.
per volar sunata[sic] "born to soar" Motto of St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School and St
Margaret's Anglican Girls' School The phrase is not from Latin but from Dante's
Purgatorio, Canto XII, 95, the Italian phrase "per volar sù nata".
perge sequar advance, I follow from Virgil's Aeneid IV 114; in Vergil's context:
"proceed with your plan, I will do my part."
perpetuum mobile thing in perpetual motion A musical term. Also used to refer to
hypothetical perpetual motion machines.
persona non grata person not pleasing An unwelcome, unwanted or undesirable person. In
diplomatic contexts, a person rejected by the host government. The reverse, persona
grata ("pleasing person"), is less common, and refers to a diplomat acceptable to the
government of the country to which he is sent.
petitio principii request of the beginning Begging the question, a logical fallacy in
which a proposition to be proved is implicitly or explicitly assumed in one of the
premises.
pia desideria pious longings Or "dutiful desires".
pia fraus pious fraud Or "dutiful deceit". Expression from Ovid. Used to describe
deception which serves Church purposes.
pia mater pious mother Or "tender mother". Translated into Latin from Arabic. The
delicate innermost of the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
pinxit one painted Thus, "he painted this" or "she painted this". Formerly used on works
of art, next to the artist's name.
placet it pleases expression of assent
pluralis majestatis plural of majesty The first-person plural pronoun when used by an
important personage to refer to himself or herself; also known as the "royal we".
plus minusve (p.m.v.) more or less Frequently found on Roman funerary inscriptions to
denote that the age of a decedent is approximate.
plus ultra further beyond The national motto of Spain and a number of other
institutions. Motto of the Colombian National Armada.
pollice compresso favor iudicabatur goodwill decided by compressed thumb Life was spared
with a thumb tucked inside a closed fist, simulating a sheathed weapon. Conversely, a
thumb up meant to unsheath your sword.
pollice verso with a turned thumb Used by Roman crowds to pass judgment on a defeated
gladiator. The type of gesture used is uncertain. Also the name of a famous painting
depicting gladiators by Jean-Léon Gérôme.
pons asinorum bridge of asses Any obstacle that stupid people find hard to cross.
Originally used of Euclid's Fifth Proposition in geometry.
Pontifex Maximus Greatest High Priest Or "Supreme Pontiff". Originally an office in the
Roman Republic, later a title held by Roman Emperors, and later a traditional epithet of
the pope. The pontifices were the most important priestly college of the religion in
ancient Rome; their name is usually thought to derive from pons facere ("to make a
bridge"), which in turn is usually linked to their religious authority over the bridges
of Rome, especially the Pons Sublicius.
posse comitatus force of the county Thus, to be able to be made into part of a retinue
or force. In common law, a sheriff's right to compel people to assist law enforcement in
unusual situations.
post aut propter after it or by means of it Causality between two phenomena is not
established (cf. post hoc, ergo propter hoc).
post cibum (p.c.) after food Medical shorthand for "after meals" (cf. ante cibum).
post coitum After sex After sexual intercourse.
post coitum omne animal triste est sive gallus et mulier After sexual intercourse every
animal is sad, except the cock and the woman Or: triste est omne animal post coitum,
praeter mulierem gallumque. Attributed to Galen of Pergamum.]
post hoc ergo propter hoc after this, therefore because of this A logical fallacy where
one assumes that one thing happening after another thing means that the first thing
caused the second. The title of a West Wing episode.
post festum after the feast Too late, or after the fact.
post meridiem (p.m.) after midday The period from noon to midnight (cf. ante meridiem).
post mortem (pm) after death Usually rendered postmortem. Not to be confused with post
meridiem.
Post mortem auctoris (p.m.a.) after the author's death The phrase is used in legal
terminology in the context of intellectual property rights, especially copyright, which
commonly lasts until a certain number of years after the author's death.
post nubila phoebus after the clouds, the sun Motto of the University of Zulia,
Venezuela.
post prandial after the time before midday Refers to the time after any meal. Usually
rendered postprandial.
post scriptum (p.s.) after what has been written A postscript. Used to mark additions to
a letter, after the signature. Can be extended to post post scriptum (p.p.s.), etc.
post tenebras lux, or post tenebras spero lucem after darkness, [I hope for] light Motto
of the Protestant Reformation inscribed on the Reformation Wall in Geneva from Vulgata,
Job 17:12. Former motto of Chile; motto of Robert College of Istanbul.
postera crescam laude we grow in the esteem of future generations Motto of the
University of Melbourne.
praemonitus praemunitus forewarned is forearmed  
praesis ut prosis ne ut imperes Lead in order to serve, not in order to rule. Motto of
Lancaster Royal Grammar School.
praeter legem after the law Legal terminology, international law.
Praga mater urbium Prague, Mother of Cities Motto of Praha from 1927
Praga Caput Rei publicae Prague, Head of the Republic Motto of Praha from 1991
Praga Caput Regni Prague, Head of the Kingdom Motto of Praha from Middle Ages
pretiumque et causa laboris The prize and the cause of our labour Motto of Burnley
Football Club; from Ovid's Metamorphoses, 4.739 (Latin/English): "The Tale of Perseus
and Andromeda": resoluta catenis incedit virgo, pretiumque et causa laboris. ("freed of
her chains the virgin approaches, cause and reward of the enterprise.")
prima facie at first sight Used to designate evidence in a trial which is suggestive,
but not conclusive, of something (e.g., a person's guilt).
prima luce at dawn Literally "at first light"
primas sum: primatum nil a me alienum puto I am a primate; nothing about primates is
outside of my bailiwick A sentence by the American anthropologist Earnest Hooton and the
slogan of primatologists and lovers of the primates.
primum mobile first moving thing Or "first thing able to be moved". See primum movens.
primum movens prime mover Or "first moving one". A common theological term, such as in
the cosmological argument, based on the assumption that God was the first entity to
"move" or "cause" anything. Aristotle was one of the first philosophers to discuss the
"uncaused cause", a hypothetical originator—and violator—of causality.
primum non nocere first, to not harm A medical precept. Often falsely attributed to the
Hippocratic Oath, though its true source is probably a paraphrase from Hippocrates'
Epidemics, where he wrote, "Declare the past, diagnose the present, foretell the future;
practice these acts. As to diseases, make a habit of two things: to help, or at least to
do no harm."
primus inter pares first among equals A title of the Roman Emperors (cf. princeps).
principia probant non probantur principles prove; they are not proved Fundamental
principles require no proof; they are assumed a priori.
prior tempore potior iure earlier in time, stronger in law A legal principle that older
laws take precedent over newer ones. Another name for this principle is lex posterior.
pro bono publico for the public good Often abbreviated pro bono. Work undertaken
voluntarily at no expense, such as public services. Often used of a lawyer's work that
is not charged for.
pro Brasilia fiant eximia let exceptional things be made for Brazil Motto of São Paulo
state, Brazil.
pro deo et patria For God and Country Motto of many institutions.
pro domo for (one’s own) home or house serving the interests of a given perspective or
for the benefit of a given group.
pro fide et patria for faith and fatherland Motto of the Diocesan College (Bishops).
pro forma for form Or "as a matter of form". Prescribing a set form or procedure, or
performed in a set manner.
pro gloria et patria for glory and fatherland Motto of Prussia
pro hac vice for this occasion Request of a state court to allow an out-of-state lawyer
to represent a client.
pro multis for many It is part of the Rite of Consecration of the wine in Western
Christianity tradition, as part of the Mass.
pro patria for country Pro Patria Medal: for operational service (minimum 55 days) in
defence of the Republic South Africa or in the prevention or suppression of terrorism;
issued for the Border War (counter-insurgency operations in South West Africa 1966–89)
and for campaigns in Angola (1975–76 and 1987–88). Motto of The Royal Canadian
Regiment and Royal South Australia Regiment.
pro patria vigalans watchful for the country Motto of the United States Army Signal
Corps.
pro per [propria persona for self to defend oneself in court without counsel. (see also:
pro se)
pro rata for the rate i.e., proportionately.
pro rege et lege for king and the law Found on the Leeds coat of arms
pro re nata (PRN, prn) for a thing that has been born Medical shorthand for "as the
occasion arises" or "as needed". Also "concerning a matter having come into being". Used
to describe a meeting of a special Presbytery or Assembly called to discuss something
new, and which was previously unforeseen (literally: "concerning a matter having been
born").
pro studio et labore for study and work 
pro se for oneself to defend oneself in court without counsel. Some jurisdictions
prefer, "pro per".
pro tanto for so much Denotes something that has only been partially fulfilled. A
philosophical term indicating the acceptance of a theory or idea without fully accepting
the explanation
pro tempore for the time Equivalent to English phrase "for the time being". Denotes a
temporary current situation.
probatio pennae testing of the pen A Medieval Latin term for breaking in a new pen.
propria manu (p.m.) "by one's own hand"
propter vitam vivendi perdere causas to destroy the reasons for living for the sake of
life That is, to squander life's purpose just in order to stay alive, and live a
meaningless life. From Juvenal, Satyricon VIII, verses 83–84.
provehito in altum launch forward into the deep Motto of Memorial University of
Newfoundland, as well as of the band 30 Seconds to Mars..
proxime accessit he came next The runner-up.
proximo mense (prox.) in the following month Formerly used in formal correspondence to
refer to the next month. Used with ult. ("last month") and inst. ("this month").
pulvis et umbra sumus we are dust and shadow From Horace, Carmina book IV, 7, 16.
punctum saliens leaping point Thus, the essential or most notable point. The salient
point.


[edit] Notes



1. ^ Kinsey, Alfred Charles (1998) [1953]. Sexual Behavior in the Human Female.
   Indiana University Press. p. 638. ISBN 9780253334114.
   http://books.google.com.au/books?id=9GpBB61LV14C&amp;pg=PA638. 



[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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