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magna cum laude |
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with great praise |
A common Latin honor, above cum laude and below summa cum laude. |
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natura non facit saltum ita nec lex |
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nature does not make a leap, thus neither does the law |
Shortened form of "sicut natura nil facit per saltum ita nec lex" ("just as nature does nothing by a leap, so neither does the law"), referring to both nature and the legal system moving gradually. |
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locus classicus |
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a classic place |
A quotation from a classical text used as an example of something. |
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lorem ipsum |
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sorrow because of itself |
A mangled fragment from Cicero's De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum ("On the Limits of Good and Evil", 45 BC), used as typographer's filler to show fonts (a.k.a. greeking). |
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luctor et emergo |
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I struggle and emerge |
Motto of the Dutch province of Zeeland to denote its battle against the sea. |
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lucus a non lucendo |
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[it is] a grove by not being light |
From late 4th-century grammarian Honoratus Maurus, who sought to mock implausible word origins such as those proposed by Priscian. A pun based on the word lucus ("dark grove") having a similar appearance to the verb lucere ("to shine"), arguing that the former word is derived from the latter word because of a lack of light in wooded groves. Often used as an example of absurd etymology. |
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lupus in fabula |
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the wolf in the story |
With the meaning "speak of the wolf, and he will come." Occurs in Terence's play Adelphoe. |
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lupus non mordet lupum |
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a wolf does not bite a wolf |
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liberate me ex infernis |
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free me from hell |
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lux sit |
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let there be light |
A more literal Latinization of the phrase "let there be light", the most common translation of fiat lux ("let light arise", literally "let light be made"), which in turn is the Latin Vulgate Bible phrase chosen for the Genesis line "And God said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light". Motto of the University of Washington. |
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lex talionis |
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the law of retaliation |
Retributive justice |
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Magna Europa est Patria Nostra |
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Great Europe is Our Fatherland |
Political motto of pan-Europeanists |
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magna est vis consuetudinis |
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great is the power of habit |
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magno cum gaudio |
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with great joy |
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magnum opus |
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great work |
Said of someone's masterpiece. |
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maiora premunt |
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greater things are pressing |
Used to indicate that it is the moment to address more important, urgent, issues. |
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mala fide |
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in bad faith |
Said of an act done with knowledge of its illegality, or with intention to defraud or mislead someone. |
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mala tempora currunt |
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bad times are upon us |
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malum discordiae |
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apple of dischord |
Alludes to the apple of Eris in the judgement of Paris, the mythological cause of the Trojan War. It is also a pun based on the near-homonymous word malum ("evil"). The word for "apple" has a long a vowel in Latin and the word for "evil" a short a vowel, but they are normally written the same. |
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lux et veritas |
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light and truth |
A translation of the Hebrew Urim and Thummim. Motto of Yale University and Indiana University. An expanded form, lux et veritas floreant (let light and truth flourish), is the motto of the University of Winnipeg, Canada. |
