List of Latin phrases: O
Encyclopedia
O
| Latin | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| o homines ad servitutem paratos | men fit to be slaves! | attributed (in Tacitus Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors... , Annales Annals (Tacitus) The Annals by Tacitus is a history of the reigns of the four Roman Emperors succeeding Caesar Augustus. The surviving parts of the Annals extensively cover most of the reigns of Tiberius and Nero. The title Annals was probably not given by Tacitus, but derives from the fact that he treated this... , III, 65) to the Roman Emperor Roman Emperor The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor... Tiberius Tiberius Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian... , in disgust at the servile attitude of Roman senators Roman Senate The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic... ; said of those who should be leaders but instead slavishly follow the lead of others |
| o tempora, o mores | Oh, the times! Oh, the morals! | also translated "What times! What customs!"; from Cicero Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief... , Catilina Catiline Orations The Catiline Orations or Catilinarian Orations were speeches given in 63 BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero, the consul of Rome, exposing to the Roman Senate the plot of Lucius Sergius Catilina and his allies to overthrow the Roman government.... I, 1, 2 |
| obiit (ob.) | one died | "He/she died", inscription on gravestones; ob. also sometimes stands for obiter (in passing or incidentally) |
| obit anus, abit onus | The old woman dies, the burden is lifted | Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher known for his pessimism and philosophical clarity. At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the four separate manifestations of reason in the phenomenal... |
| obiter dictum | a thing said in passing | in law, an observation by a judge on some point of law not directly relevant to the case before him, and thus neither requiring his decision nor serving as a precedent, but nevertheless of persuasive authority. In general, any comment, remark or observation made in passing |
| obliti privatorum, publica curate | Forget private affairs, take care of public ones | Roman political saying which reminds that common good should be given priority over private matters for any person having a responsibility in the State |
| obscuris vera involvens Obscuris vera involvens The phrase Obscuris vera involvens means Truth is enveloped by obscurity. It is from Virgil's Aeneid.It is also found on an engraving on the title page of Francis Bacon's Wisdom of the Ancients .... |
the truth being enveloped by obscure things | from Virgil Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid... |
| obscurum per obscurius | the obscure by means of the more obscure | An explanation that is less clear than what it tries to explain; synonymous with ignotum per ignotius Ignotum per ignotius Ignotum per ignotius refers to an explanation more unfamiliar than the concept which it seeks to explain.... |
| obtorto collo | with a twisted neck | unwillingly |
| oculus dexter (O.D.) | right eye | Ophthalmologist Ophthalmology Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems... shorthand |
| oculus sinister (O.S.) | left eye | |
| oderint dum metuant | let them hate, so long as they fear | favorite saying of Caligula Caligula Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most... , attributed originally to Lucius Accius Lucius Accius Lucius Accius , or Lucius Attius, was a Roman tragic poet and literary scholar. The son of a freedman, Accius was born at Pisaurum in Umbria, in 170 BC... , Roman tragic poet (170 BC); Motto of the Russian Noble Family Krasnitsky |
| odi et amo | I hate and I love | opening of Catullus Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus was a Latin poet of the Republican period. His surviving works are still read widely, and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art.-Biography:... 85 Catullus 85 Catullus 85 is a poem by the Roman poet Catullus for his mistress Lesbia. Its declaration of conflicting feelings "I hate and I love" is renowned for its force and brevity.The meter of the poem is the elegiac couplet.-Text:... ; the entire poem reads, "odi et amo quare id faciam fortasse requiris / nescio sed fieri sentio et excrucior" (I hate and I love. Why do I do this, you perhaps ask. / I do not know, but I feel it happening and am tormented) |
| odi profanum vulgus et arceo | I hate the unholy rabble and keep them away | from Horace Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:... |
| odium theologicum Odium theologicum The Latin phrase Odium theologicum is the name originally given to the often intense anger and hatred generated by disputes over theology... |
theological hatred | name for the special hatred generated in theological Theology Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo... disputes |
| oleum camino | (pour) oil on the fire | from Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian.... ' (1466–1536) collection of annotated Adagia Adagia Adagia is an annotated collection of Greek and Latin proverbs, compiled during the Renaissance by Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus. Erasmus' collection of proverbs is "one of the most monumental ... ever assembled" Adagia (adagium is the singular form and adagia is the plural) is an... |
| omne ignotum pro magnifico | every unknown thing [is taken] for great | or "everything unknown appears magnificent" |
| Omnes homines sunt asini vel homines et asini sunt asini | All men are donkeys or men and donkeys are donkeys | a sophismata Sophismata Sophismata in medieval philosophy are difficult or puzzling sentences presenting difficulties of logical analysis that must be solved... proposed and solved by Albert of Saxony (philosopher) Albert of Saxony (philosopher) Albert of Saxony was a German philosopher known for his contributions to logic and physics... |
| omnes vulnerant, postuma necat or omnes feriunt, ultima necat | all [the hours] wound, last one kills | usual in clocks, reminding the reader of death |
| omnia cum deo | all with God | motto for Mount Lilydale Mercy College, Lilydale, Victoria, Australia |
| omnia dicta fortiora si dicta Latina | everything said [is] stronger if said in Latin | or "everything sounds more impressive when said in Latin"; a more common phrase with the same meaning is quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur (whatever said in Latin, seems profound) |
| omnia extares! | Let it all hang out! | motto for The Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college... , Olympia, Washington, USA |
| omnia mutantur, nihil interit | everything changes, nothing perishes | Ovid Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria... (43 BC – 17 AD), Metamorphoses, book XV, line 165 |
| omnia omnibus | all things to all men | 1 Corinthians 9:22 |
| si omnia ficta | if all (the words of poets) is fiction | Ovid |
| omnia vincit amor | love conquers all Love Conquers All Love Conquers All, omnia vincit amor, amor vincit omnia or amor vincat omnia may refer to:*omnia vincit amor, Latin phrase from Eclogue X by Virgil*Amor Vincit Omnia , 1601–1602 painting by Caravaggio... |
Virgil Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid... (70 BC – 19 BC), Eclogue X, line 69 |
| omne vivum ex ovo | every living thing is from an egg | foundational concept of modern biology Biology Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines... , opposing the theory of spontaneous generation Spontaneous generation Spontaneous generation or Equivocal generation is an obsolete principle regarding the origin of life from inanimate matter, which held that this process was a commonplace and everyday occurrence, as distinguished from univocal generation, or reproduction from parent... |
| omnia munda mundis Omnia munda mundis Omnia munda mundis, literally meaning "to the pure [men], all things [are] pure", is a Latin sentence that has entered a relatively common usage in many countries.The phrase is from the Latin translation of the New Testament:... |
everything [is] pure to the pure [men] | from The New Testament New Testament The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament.... |
| omnia praesumuntur legitime facta donec probetur in contrarium | all things are presumed to be lawfully done, until it is shown [to be] in the reverse | in other words, "innocent until proven guilty" |
| omnibus idem | the same to all | motto of Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft - Knight in the Order of Saint Michael - was a Dutch historian, poet and playwright from the period known as the Dutch Golden Age.-Life:... , usually accompanied by a sun, which shines for (almost) everyone |
| omnibus locis fit caedes | Let there be slaughter everywhere | Julius Caesar Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.... 's The Gallic War Commentarii de Bello Gallico Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination.The "Gaul" that Caesar... , 7.67 |
| omnis traductor traditor | every translator is a traitor | every translation is a corruption of the original; the reader should take heed of unavoidable imperfections |
| omnis vir tigris | everyone a tiger | motto of the 102nd Intelligence Wing |
| omnium gatherum | gathering of all | miscellaneous collection or assortment; often used facetiously |
| onus probandi | burden of proof | |
| onus procedendi | burden of procedure | burden of a party to adduce evidence that a case is an exception to the rule |
| opera omnia | all works | collected works of an author |
| opera posthuma | posthumous works | works published after the author's death |
| operari sequitur esse | act of doing something follows the act of being | scholastic phrase, used to explain that there is no possible act if there is not being: being is absolutely necessary for any other act |
| opere citato (op. cit.) | in the work that was cited | used in academic works when referring again to the last source mentioned or used |
| opere et viritate | in action and truth | doing what you believe is morally right through everyday actions |
| opere laudato (op. laud.) | See opere citato | |
| operibus anteire | leading the way with deeds | to speak with actions instead of words |
| ophidia in herba | a snake in the grass | any hidden danger or unknown risk |
| opus anglicanum | English work | fine embroidery, especially used to describe church vestments |
| Opus Dei Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the... |
The Work of God | Catholic organisation |
| ora et labora | pray and work Pray and work In Christian mysticism, the phrase pray and work refers to the monastic practice of working and praying, generally associated with its use in the Rule of St. Benedict.... |
Completely this principle of the Benedictine monasteries reads: "Ora et labora (et put), Deus adest sine mora." "Pray and work (and reads), God is (or: God helps) without delay." |
| ora pro nobis | pray for us | "Sancta Maria, mater Dei, ora pro nobis pecatoribus" |
| oratio directa | direct speech | expressions from Latin grammar |
| oratio obliqua | indirect speech | |
| orbis non sufficit | the world does not suffice or the world is not enough | from Satires of Juvenal (Book IV/10), referring to Alexander the Great; James Bond James Bond (character) Royal Navy Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. He is the main protagonist of the James Bond series of novels, films, comics and video games... 's adopted family motto in the novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service; it made a brief appearance in the film adaptation of the same name On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film) On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model, George Lazenby... and was later used as the title of the nineteenth James Bond film, The World Is Not Enough The World Is Not Enough The World Is Not Enough is the nineteenth spy film in the James Bond film series, and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Michael Apted, with the original story and screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein. It... . |
| orbis unum | one world | seen in The Legend of Zorro The Legend of Zorro The Legend of Zorro is a 2005 sequel to The Mask of Zorro , both directed by Martin Campbell. Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones reprise their roles as the titular hero and his spouse, and Rufus Sewell stars as the villain... |
| ordo ab chao | out of chaos, comes order | one of the oldest mottos of Craft Freemasonry Freemasonry Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge... . |
| oremus pro invicem | Let us pray, one for the other; let us pray for each other | Popular salutation for Roman Catholic clergy at the beginning or ending of a letter or note. Usually abbreviated OPI. |
| orta recens quam pura nites | newly risen, how brightly you shine | Motto of New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... . |