Latin words and phrases

Ad usum Delphini means “for the use of the Dauphin”.

"An eye for an eye", or the law of retaliation, is the principle that a person who has injured another person is to be penalized to a similar degree, or in softer interpretations, the victim receives the [estimated] value of the injury in compensation.

Non bis in idem, which translates literally from Latin as "not twice in the same [thing]", is a legal doctrine to the effect that no legal action can be instituted twice for the same cause of action.

Sede vacante in the canon law of the Catholic Church is the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church and especially that of the papacy.

In argumentation theory, an argumentum ad populum (Latin for "appeal to the people") is a fallacious argument that concludes that a proposition is true because many or most people believe it: "If many believe so, it is so.

Filioque (Ecclesiastical Latin: [filiˈɔkwe], literally "and [from] the Son") is a Latin term added to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (NCC) which is not in the original version.

In publishing and graphic design, lorem ipsum (derived from Latin dolorem ipsum, translated as "pain itself") is a filler text commonly used to demonstrate the graphic elements of a document or visual presentation.

Vacuum is space void of matter.

"De Brevitate Vitae" (Latin: "On the Shortness of Life"), more commonly known as "Gaudeamus Igitur" ("So Let Us Rejoice") or just "Gaudeamus", is a popular academic commercium song in many Western countries, mainly sung or performed at university graduation ceremonies.

In situ (/ɪn ˈsɪtjuː/ or /ɪn ˈsaɪtʃuː/; often not italicized in English) is a Latin phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position".

Sol Invictus ("Unconquered Sun") was the official sun god of the later Roman Empire and a patron of soldiers.

Sola scriptura (Latin: by Scripture alone) is a Christian theological doctrine which holds that the Christian Scriptures are the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice.

Si vis pacem, para bellum is a Latin adage translated as, "If you want peace, prepare for war".

De rerum natura (Latin: [deː ˈreːrũː naːˈtuːraː]; On the Nature of Things) is a first-century BC didactic poem by the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius (c. 99 BC – c. 55 BC) with the goal of explaining Epicurean philosophy to a Roman audience.

Translatio imperii (Latin for "transfer of rule") is a historiographical concept, originating in the Middle Ages, in which history is viewed as a linear succession of transfers of an imperium that invests supreme power in a singular ruler, an "emperor".

In the sciences, an experimentum crucis (English: crucial experiment or critical experiment) is an experiment capable of decisively determining whether or not a particular hypothesis or theory is superior to all other hypotheses or theories whose acceptance is currently widespread in the scientific community.

Ad hominem (Latin for "to the man" or "to the person"), short for argumentum ad hominem, is a logical fallacy in which an argument is rebutted by attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making the argument, or persons associated with the argument, rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself.

Argument from ignorance (from Latin: argumentum ad ignorantiam), also known as appeal to ignorance (in which ignorance represents "a lack of contrary evidence"), is a fallacy in informal logic.

Tabula rasa (/ˈtæbjələ ˈrɑːsə, -zə, ˈreɪ-/) refers to the epistemological idea that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that therefore all knowledge comes from experience or perception.

"Veni, vidi, vici" (Classical Latin: [ˈweːniː ˈwiːdiː ˈwiːkiː]; Ecclesiastical Latin: [ˈvɛni ˈvidi ˈvitʃi]; "I came; I saw; I conquered") is a Latin phrase popularly attributed to Julius Caesar who, according to Appian, used the phrase in a letter to the Roman Senate around 47 BC after he had achieved a quick victory in his short war against Pharnaces II of Pontus at the Battle of Zela.

Erga omnes is a Latin phrase which means "towards all" or "towards everyone".

Deus vult (Classical Latin for "God wills it") was the cry of the people at the declaration of the First Crusade by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095 when the Byzantine Empire requested help in defense from the Seljuk invasion of Anatolia.

A precept (from the Latin: præcipere, to teach) is a commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authoritative rule of action.

A locum is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another.

Per aspera ad astra (or, less commonly, ad astra per aspera) is a popular Latin phrase meaning "through hardships to the stars".

A plurale tantum (Latin for "plural only", plural form: pluralia tantum) is a noun that appears only in the plural form and does not have a singular variant for referring to a single object.

A motu proprio (Latin for: "on his own impulse") is a document issued by the Pope (or by a monarch) on his own initiative and personally signed by him.

A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves.

Res judicata or res iudicata, also known as claim preclusion, is the Latin term for "a matter [already] judged", and refers to either of two concepts: in both civil law and common law legal systems, a case in which there has been a final judgment and is no longer subject to appeal; and the legal doctrine meant to bar (or preclude) continued litigation of a case on same issues between the same parties.

Consubstantial (Latin: consubstantialis) is an adjective used in Latin Christian christology, coined by Tertullian in Against Hermogenes 44, used to translate the Greek term homoousios.

Dux (/dʌks, dʊks/; plural: duces) is Latin for "leader" (from the noun dux, ducis, "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.).

Deo Vindice (English: Under God, our Vindicator), was the motto of the Confederate States of America (CSA), and was engraved on their official seal.

A solis ortu usque ad occasum is a heraldic motto roughly meaning "From sunrise to sunset" in Latin.

Sophismata (from the Greek word σόφισμα, 'sophisma', which also gave rise to the related term "sophism") in medieval philosophy are difficult or puzzling sentences presenting difficulties of logical analysis that must be solved.

A non sequitur (Latin for "it does not follow"), in formal logic, is an invalid argument – an argument whose conclusion does not follow from its premises.

Gentile (from Latin gentilis, by the French gentil, feminine: gentille, meaning of or belonging to a clan or tribe) is an ethnonym that commonly means non-Jew.

Numerus clausus ("closed number" in Latin) is one of many methods used to limit the number of students who may study at a university.

Auctoritas is a Latin word and is the origin of English "authority".

In Civil law and Roman law, the legitime (legitima portio), also known as a forced share or legal right share, of a decedent's estate is that portion of the estate from which he cannot disinherit his children, or his parents, without sufficient legal cause.

Ex nihilo is a Latin phrase meaning "out of nothing".

Quos ego (Latin, literally 'Whom I') are the words, in Virgil's Aeneid (I, 135), uttered by Neptune in threat to the disobedient and rebellious winds.