Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Latin Proverbs: 46 Most Frequent Words

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 37. Deus omnia non dat omnibus. You can find this saying in Mantuanus, Eclogue 5.

DR 37. Do ut des. This saying can be applied to exchange between human beings, but it is also commonly used to refer to religious contracts: I do something so that you, O god, may do something for me in return.

DR 37. Non dat qui non habet. You can also find this Latin legal maxim in the form, "Nemo dat quod non habet," "No one (can) give what he does not have."

DR 37. Qui non habet, ille non dat. Compare also the version you saw already: Non dat qui non habet.

DR 40. Alia dicunt, alia faciunt. Note how the alia...alia... expression in Latin is equivalent to the English "some things... other things..." - this saying is about hypocrites who say one thing and do another.

DR 40. Dis aliter visum. You can find this sentiment expressed in Vergil, Aeneid 2, when Aeneas is describing the death of Rhipeus, an altogether just and good man, although the gods must have thought otherwise.

DR 40. et alia = et al. This Latin phrase is usually abbreviated: et al. Note that the same abbreviation can stand for et alii as well.

DR 40. Non sibi, sed aliis. This motto is found on the seal of the Georgia Historical Society.

DR 41. per diem This Latin phrase is often abbreviated: p.d. For the use of this phrase in English, see this Wikipedia article. Compare also the similar phrase, "per annum," abbreviated p.a.

DR 46. Multum, non multa. This saying plays on the contrast between the adverbial multum, "much," and the noun multa, "many things." The idea is to do one thing thoroughly, in depth, "multum" - as opposed to do many things, multa, in a superficial way.

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