Latin words

ab initio

Ab initio (/ˌæb ɪˈnɪʃioʊ/) is a Latin term meaning “from the beginning” and is derived from the Latin ab (“from”) + initio, ablative singular of initium (“beginning”). [1] [2] [3]

• In view of these omissions, the proceedings to recover possession fail ab initio.

a priori & a posteriori

a priori: using previous experiences or facts to decide what the likely result or effect of something will be. (“from the earlier”) [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

• a ruling made on a priori grounds.
• There’s no a priori reason to think your expenses will remain the same in a new city.
• an a priori argument for the defendant’s innocence.
• “It’s freezing outside; you must be cold” is an example of a priori reasoning.

a posteriori: using facts that you know now to form a judgment about what must have happened before. (“from the later”)

• This assumption will be verified a posteriori.
• The only feasible way to do this is to study the evolution of the system a posteriori.

a.m. & p.m.

a.m. & p.m. [1]

• a.m., “ante meridiem”, translating to “before midday”;
• p.m., “post meridiem”, translating to “after midday”.

carpe diem

a Latin expression meaning “seize the day”, used for saying that people should enjoy the present rather than worrying about the future. [1] [2]

• I may as well have dessert - carpe diem, right?
• the carpe diem spirit that prevails during wartime

Cogito, ergo sum

The Latin “cogito, ergo sum”, usually translated into English as “I think, therefore I am”, is the “first principle” of René Descartes’s philosophy. He originally published it in French as “je pense, donc je suis” in his 1637 Discourse on the Method, so as to reach a wider audience than Latin would have allowed. [1]

De novo

used in English to mean “from the beginning”, “anew”. [1]

• As in other machine learning application domains, benchmarks in Scientific ML may serve as a source of readily-available training data for algorithm development and testing without the overhead of generating data de novo. (from PDEBENCH: An Extensive Benchmark for Scientific Machine Learning).

de facto standard

A “de facto standard” is a custom or convention that is commonly used even though its use is not required. [1]

“De facto” is a Latin phrase (literally “of fact”), here meaning “in practice but not necessarily ordained by law” or “in practice or actuality, but not officially established”.

A “de facto standard” contrasts an international standard which is defined by an organization such as International Standards Organization, or a standard required by law (also known as “de jure standards”).

• In several technical fields such as computer science, mathematics, engineering and physics, TeX has become a de facto standard. Many thousands of books have been published using TeX, including books published by Addison-Wesley, Cambridge University Press, Elsevier, Oxford University Press, and Springer. (from TeX)

e.g. (exempli gratia)

abbreviation for “exempli gratia”, a Latin phrase that means “for example”. It can be pronounced as “e.g.” or “for example”. [1] [2]

• You should eat more food that contains a lot of fibre, e.g. fruit, vegetables, and bread.

et al. (et alia)

abbreviation for “et alia”, meaning “and others”. It is used in formal writing to avoid a long list of names of people who have written something together. [1]

etc. (et cetera)

abbreviation for “et cetera”, meaning “and other similar things”. It is used to avoid giving a complete list. [1] [2]

• We saw lots of lions, tigers, elephants, etc.

i.e. (id est)

used especially in writing before a piece of information that makes the meaning of something clearer or shows its true meaning. [1] [2]

• The hotel is closed during low season, i.e. from October to March.
• The price must be more realistic, i.e. lower.

abbreviation for “id est” (= Latin for “that is”).

• The hotel is closed during the off season, i.e., from October to March.

memento mori

something that reminds people that everyone must die; Latin for “remember (that you have) to die”. [1] [2]

• The painting features a human skull, the classic memento mori.

per se

by or of itself. [1] [2]

• Research shows that it is not divorce per se that harms children, but the continuing conflict between parents.
• It is not a pretty town per se, but it is where my family comes from, so I like it.
• AGG (Anti-Grain Geometry) is a 2D rendering graphics library written in C++. It features anti-aliasing and sub-pixel resolution. It is not a graphics library, per se, but rather a framework to build a graphics library upon. (from Anti-Grain Geometry)

Si vis pacem, para bellum.

“If you want peace, prepare for war.” The main clause of the adage was used as a motto by German arms maker Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM), and is the source of the term Parabellum as applied to firearms and ammunition (especially the 7.65mm Parabellum and the 9mm Parabellum cartridges). “Parabellum” was the telegraphic address of DWM. [1] [2]

Veni, vidi, vici

“Veni, vidi, vici”, “I came; I saw; I conquered”, is a Latin phrase used to refer to a swift, conclusive victory. The phrase is 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 (modern-day Zile, Turkey). [1]

vice versa

used to say that what you have just said is also true in the opposite order. [1]

• He doesn’t trust her, and vice versa (= she also doesn’t trust him).

French words

Comme ci, comme ça

so-so. [1] [2]

de rigueur

If you say that a possession or habit is “de rigueur”, you mean that it is fashionable and therefore necessary for anyone who wants to avoid being considered unfashionable. [1] [2] [3]

• T-shirts now seem almost de rigueur in the West End.
• the gleaming white teeth that are de rigueur for movie stars.
• … tattoos, of course, being de rigueur among the poetry set.

Spanish words

Mi casa es tu casa

“Mi casa es tu casa” (informal) or “mi casa es su casa” is a Spanish expression of welcome meaning “My house is your house” (“welcome” or “make yourself at home”). [1] [2]