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Despite Latin no longer being taught in most schools interest in the meanings of Latin words used in ordinary conversation or in the mottoes of organisations is great. Some Latin phrases convey a shade of meaning much better than the nearest English equivalent - for example, an ad hoc committee, a non sequitur. As the following passage shows, Latin terms are these days used subconsciously more often than is generally realised: Marcus remembered how in 2000 anno domini his uncle had lain in extremis for weeks before dying, rather spoiling a year which had otherwise been an annus mirabilis. Requiescat in pace. A post mortem ordered ad hoc had shown that the prima facie cause of his rigor mortis had been food poisoning. He had apparently forgotten about caveat emptor when shopping and thus had made a bona fide mistake in his choice of store. Res ipsa loquitur. The uncle had been an emeritus professor and had received a doctorate honoris causa for the research modus operandi used for his magnum optus. Unfortunately he became non compos mentis in his nineties. He and Marcus had been ad idem on gourmet food inter alia. Marcus once gave him some choice cheeses and had received a book with his uncle's ex libris as a quid pro quo. Marcus was de facto acting in loco parentis of a teenage girl who was still virgo intacta despite going out with a boy who was infra dig. Marcus had no desire to catch them in flagrante delicto, so he lectured them in extenso and repeated his admonitions ad nauseam. He took them aside and sub rosa read to them various words of wisdom - exempli gratia, extracts taken verbatim from a book listed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. However, they took all his advice cum grano salis. Deo gratia nothing terrible had happened so far and deo volente it never would - gaudeamus igitur. |