adumbrae — To outline. Which evolved to today's adumbrate, which means to give a faint shadow or slight representation, i.e. to outline. The notebook fixes the discovery as having taken place on May 5, 1970, which fits the chronology adumbrated by Michael Cox.
advant garde — Artists or writers whose ideas are ahead of their time. French. Syn: vanguard.
advocatus diaboli — Devil's advocate. His duty requires him to prepare in writing all possible arguments, even at times seemingly slight, against the raising of anyone to the honours of the altar.
Ag (argentum) — Silver. The element symbol for silver, Ag, is from the Latin word for it, argentum. Silver is extracted from argentite ore.
aide-mémoire — Memory aid. Position paper. Something that acts as an aid to memory, such as crib notes or a mnemonic devices. French.
agit. (agita) — Shake. As in an apothacary formulation. The doctor's instructions said to add the ingredients and agit.
agora — Market-place. Greek.
al dante — To the bite. Biting into pasta or vegtables to decide when the food is finished cooking. Pasta should retain a slight resistance when biting into it, but should not have a hard center. Italian.
alea iacta est — The die is cast. Said Julius Caesar, in Suetonius, after his decision to defy Roman law by crossing the Rubicon river with his troops. (Suetonius actually uses it in the future imperative "Alea iacta esto": "Be sure to cast the dice").
alfresco — Outdoors, in the fresh air. Alfresco dining on the deck. The conference was held alfreso in the park, alongside the river. Italian.
alias — Otherwise
alibi — Elsewhere
alis volat propiis — She flies with her own wings. The Oregon state motto
alma mater [ALL-muh MAH-ter] — Nourishing mother. Your alma mater is the university or college which granted your degree.
alter ego — Other self. A corporation used by an individual to conduct personal business. It’s illegal. In alter ego scenario, individuals will be held liable to the corporation.
alumnus / alumna [a-LUM-nus/nuh] — A former member/student of a university or college. The ‘us' ending is masculine, the ‘a' ending feminine. Abbre: alum
agent provocateur — Provocative agent. A person who attempts to provoke suspected individuals or groups into committing unlawful acts. French.
AH (anno Hegirae) — In the year of the Hegira. 622 AD, Mohammed was driven out of Mecca, beginning the Hegira.
aioli — A rich sauce of crushed garlic, egg yolks, lemon juice, and olive oil. French.
AM / A.M. (Ante Meridiem) — Before midday. The meeting was scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9 AM.
AMDG / A.M.D.G. (Ad maiorem Dei gloriam) — To the greater glory of God. The motto of the Jesuits.
amici — Friends. The law firm represented amici Washington State Manufacturers Association, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Independent Business Association.
amicus curiae — A friend of the court. A nonparty who interposes, with the permission of the court, and volunteers information upon some matter before the court.
amuse-guele —"To amuse the stomach" - a tasty small snack compliments of the chef to endear him to the patrons. Sometimes known as an "amuse-bouche", or "to amuse the palate". French
anathema sit! — Be anathema! Be cursed! Damn you!
animus — Mind, attitude, intention or disposition. Anti-union animus is the official term for anti-union sentiments that may affect various management actions and result in union organizers, members or representatives being harassed
annuit coeptis — He (God) has favored our undertakings. On the U.S. seal.
annus horribilis — A horrible year Used memorably by Queen Elizabeth II to describe what a bad year 1992 had been for her.
annus mirabilis — A wonderful year
ante bellum — Before the war
ante litteram — Before the letter. Said after an expression that describes something that existed before the expression itself was introduced or became common. For example, one could say that Alan Turing was a computer scientist ante litteram, since the profession of "computer scientist" was not recognised in Turing's day.
antiphon [an-TAH-fon] — Sung responses
ap / a.p. (ante prandium) — Before lunch. Also means before any meal. The instructions on the medicine bottle said to take the pills a.p.
apéritif — Before dinner cocktail. From Latin, "to open". French.
apologia — A spoken or written defense. Also, apology. From the Greek word apologos, "a story," from apo- + logos, "speech."
appellation — Broadly speaking, the region where a wine is from. When used narrowly, the term signifies the branding offered by wine authorities to indicate the precise origin, grape variety, and heritage of wines. French.
après-ski — After skiing. The French term actually refers to snow boots, but the literal translation of the term is what is meant in English, as in "après-ski" social events. French.
aq (aqua) — Water
aqua vitae — Water of life (brandy)
ars artis gratia — Art for art's sake
ars longa, vita brevis — Art is long, life is short. From Hippocrates, saying that the art of medicine is long, but lifes of doctor and patient are short.
Art Deco /Art Déco — A decorative and architectural style of the period 1925-1940, characterized by geometric designs, bold colors, and the use of plastic and glass. French Art Déco, from Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a 1925 exposition in Paris, France.
as / a.s. (auris sinistra) — Left ear. The instructions on the medicine bottle said one drop a.s.
Au (aurum) — Gold. The element symbol for gold, Au, is from the Latin word for it, aurum. All the elements' naming convention is Latin.
au / a.u. (auris unitas) — Both ears. The instructions on the medicine bottle said one drop a.u.
au contraire — On the contrary. Au contraire, mon amie. French.
au fait — Conversant, informed. Used in British English to mean "familiar" or "conversant": She's not really au fait with my ideas. French.
au gratin — With gratings. In French, au gratin refers to anything that is grated and put on top of a dish, like breadcrumbs or cheese. In English, au gratin means "with cheese."
French.
au jus — In the juice. Served with the meat's natural juices. French.
au naturel — Covered with nothing. Nude. French.
au pair — At par. A person who works for a family (cleaning and/or teaching the children) in exchange for room and board. French.
AUC / A.U.C. (Ab urbe condita) — From the founding of the city (of Rome) c. 753 BC
auri sacra fames — The accursed hunger for gold -Vergil
aurea mediocritas — Golden Mean. An ethical goal. From Horace's Odes.
aut vincere aut mori — Either conquer or die
Ave Maria — Hail, Mary. These words are the opening of the greeting addressed to Mary by the angel Gabriel, when he announced to her that she was to become the Mother of God's Son, as reported in the Gospel of St. Luke.
avoirdupois — To have weight. A term for weight. French & English.
BA / B.A. (baccalaureus artium) — Bachelor of Arts degree
baguette — Narrow stick loaf of bread. French.
baklava — Rich Middle Eastern cake made of thin layers of flaky pastry filled with nuts and honey. Turkish.
beaucoup — Much. French.
BCE / B.C.E. — Before Common Era, or Before Christian Era. Equivalent to B.C., and is likewise placed after the year number.
BC / B.C. — Before Christ
benedicta tu in mulieribus — Blessed are you among women. It was addressed to Mary by her cousin Elizabeth, who was herself to become the mother of John the Baptist, as reported in the Gospel of St. Luke.
bête noire — Black beast. Anything that you fear and hate. French.
bid / b.i.d. (bis in die) — Twice daily. The instructions on the medicine bottle said take one tablet b.i.d.
billet-doux — Sweet note. Love letter. French.
bon appétit — Good appetite. Said before eating. Fench.
bon vivant — Good liver. Someone who lives well, who knows how to enjoy life. French.
bona fide [BONE-uh FIDE] — In good faith. One's bona fides are documents or testimonials establishing one's credentials or honesty.
bona officia — Good services. A nation's offer to mediate in disputes between two other nations. The U.S. offered Cambodia its bona officia to help clear land mines.
bourgeois — Middle class. Conventional, materialistic, and boring. French.
boutonnière — Buttonhole. The flower in the lapel of a man's jacket. French.
brule — literally "burned": such as with caramelized sugar on creme brule. French.
C (carbo) — Carbon. The element symbol for carbon, C, comes from the Latin word for coal, carbo.
c'est la vie — That's life. French.
c. / ca. / cir. / circ. (circa) — Appoximately. Used with dates, e.g., Euclid wrote the Elements circa 300 AC.
c. — Century. Badminton was first played in England mid-19c.
camera obscura — Dark chamber. A darkened enclosure having an aperture, usually provided with a lens, through which light from external objects enters to form an image of the objects on the opposite surface. Many people have speculated that Vermeer may have used some sort of optical device to help him create his paintings, possibly a device called a Camera obscura, the forerunner of the modern camera.
canapes — Class of hors d'oeuvre that are always served on small pieces of bread. French.
cannolo / cannoli (plural) — Fried pastry shell(s) with a sweet creamy ricotta cheese filling. Italian.
carmen et error — Song and Error. Ovid was banished to Tomi (on the Black Sea) by Augustus for his song (poem) and error, c. 10 A.D.
carpe diem [CAR-pay DEE-um] — Seize the day. A motto which says to live in the now, and/or to not waste time or opportunity.
Cassandra — Trojan seeress who uttered true prophecies, but lacking the power of persuasion, was never believed. Used to refer to anyone like her. Greek mythology.
cause célèbre — Famous case. Something that everyone is talking about. French.
casus belli — Occasion of war. An event an or action that justifies or allegedly justifies a war or conflict.
cave canem — Beware the dog
caveat emptor — Let the buyer beware
caveat lector — Let the reader beware The writer does not vouch for the accuracy of a text. Probably a recent calque on caveat emptor
caveat venditor — Let the seller beware The seller of goods is responsible for providing information about the goods to the purchaser
CE / C.E. Christian Era or Common Era. Equivalent to A.D.
certiorari — To be informed of. Writ of certiorari: directs a lower court to deliver the record of proceedings in a case to a higher court for review
cetera desunt — The rest is missing. Used within brackets to indicate text that is missing. This was probably in the transcripts of the Nixon tapes.
ceteris paribus — All other things being equal. Economists use the term ceteris paribus as a 'short hand' for all other variables remaining the same.
ceterum censeo — In conclusion. Cato the Elder used to conclude his speeches, on any topic whatsoever, with 'Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam' (In conclusion, I think that Carthage must be destroyed).
cf / cf. (confer) — Indicates that one should compare the present passage, statement or reference with the one referred to, which in outside of the work. Often enclosed in parenthesis. Cf. Richard Rorty in his chapter 'The Contingency of Language' from his book "Contingency, Irony, Solidarity" (New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1989). If reference is made to material within the work, use v.d.
chaise longue — Long chair. Often mistakenly written as "chaise lounge" - which actually makes perfect sense. French.
château — Castle, country home, manor, estate. Plural, châteaux. French.
cheval-de-frise — Frisian horse. Barbed wire, spikes, or broken glass attached to wood or masonry and used to block access. French.
cheval glace — Horse mirror A long mirror set into a moveable frame. French.
citius-altius-fortius — Faster-Higher-Stronger. The Olympic motto.
clara pacta, boni amici — Clear agreements, good friends
coiffe — Hair. French
coiffeur — Hair dresser. French.
coiffure — Hair style. French.
compos mentis — Control of mind. Of sound mind. Sometimes used rather humorously. The opposite of non compos mentis, that is, not having control of one's faculties. It was determined that the criminal was non compos mentis.
Confoederatio Helvetica (C.H.) — Helvetian Confederation. The official name of Switzerland, which explains the use of "ch" for its ISO country code and Internet domain
concierge — Hotel employee who assists guests. In Frence, it's a person living in an apartment building, who attends the entrance, and serves as a janitor. French.
consummatum est — It is completed. According to John 19:30 the last words of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
Corpus Christi — Body of Christ
corpus delicti — The facts [body] of a crime. The body, the burned home...
corpus juris — Body of laws of a state
corpus luteum — Mass of tissue formed after release of an egg in mammals
corpus vile — Vile body. A person or thing fit only to be the object of an experiment. A worthless thing. Afterbirth.
corrigenda — Things to be corrected
coup d'état — Attack on the state. A "coup" (as it is sometimes abbreviated) is where the army suddenly replaces the government of its country. French.
coup de grâce — Stroke of kindness. Originally, this meant cutting the throat of a wounded enemy to stop their suffering. Now it means the final action that defeats someone else.
creme de la creme — Cream of the cream. The very best. French.
cru — A growth or vineyard. French.
cru classé — Classed growth (wine). French.
crudite — A pre-dinner snack, often a raw seasonal vegetable with a dipping suace, perhaps to accompany an aperitif. French.
Cu (cyprium) — Copper. The chemical element symbol for copper, Cu, comes from the Latin word for Cyprus, cyprium, where it was mined by the ancients.
cui bono? — For whose benefit? A maxim sometimes used in the detection of crime. A maxim of Cassius, quoted by Cicero. Of what good? A title of a poem by Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881).
cui prodest? — Whom does it benefit? A short form for 'cui prodest scelus, is fecit,' in Seneca's Medea; the murderer is the one who gains by the murder.
culpa est mea — The fault is mine. Dear Abby's favorite Latin motto. Cf. mea culpa.
cum laude [coom LOUD-ay] — With praise. Used on degree certificates to indicate exceptional academic standing.
cum grano salis — With a grain of salt. Not to be taken too seriously.
CV / C.V. (curriculum vitae) — Course of life. A summary of one's education, professional history, and job qualifications, as for a prospective employer. A résumé
Top A-C D-L M-Z
Attributions
the Armchair Grammarian
http://community-2.webtv.net/solis-boo/Grammar1/page21.html