- D -

Dictionary of Latin Phrases and Proverbs: D

dabit deushis quoque finem
God will bring an end to this (Virgil)

dabit qui dedit
S/he who has given once will give [again]

da fidei quae fidei sunt
Give to faith that which belongs to faith

da locum melioribus
Give way to your betters (Terence)

damna minus consulta movent
Losses to which we are accustomed affect us less deeply (Juvenal)

damnant quodnon intelligunt
They condemn what they do not understand

damnosa hereditas
Inheritance of damnation, ruinous legacy

damnum absque iniuria
Loss without injury, not subject to remedy

dante Deo
By the gift of God

dapes inemptae
Unbought feasts; homegrown produce

dare pondus idonea fumo
Fit only to give weight to smoke (Persius)

data et accepta
Things given and received; expenses and income

data fata secutus
Following what is decreed by fate (Virgil)

dat, donat, dicat
S/he gives, devotes, dedicates

date et dabitur vobis
Give and it shall be given unto you (the Vulgate translation of the Bible)

date obolum Belisario
Give a penny to Belisarius

dat veniam corvis, vexat censura columbas
The censures indulge the crows but harass the doves (Juvenal)

Davus sum, non Oedipus
I am Davus, not Oedipus (Terence)

de aequitate
In equity

de ambitu
In bribery

de asini umbra disceptare
To argue about the shadow of an ass (Disareli)

de auditu
From hearsay

De Beata Vita
On the Good Life (St. Augustine)

debellare superbos
To overthrow the proud (Virgil)

de bene esse
Subject to conditions or provisions

debitum
Debt

debitum naturae
Debt of nature (death)

de bona memoria
Of good memory (of a sound mind)

de bonis asportatis
Of the goods carried away

de bonis non administratis
Of the goods not yet administered

de bonis propriis
Out of his own goods

de bono et malo
Of good and bad; come what may

de bono gestu
For good behaviour

decani
To be sung by the dean (antiphonal music)

decanus
Dean; having supervision over ten people

decanta
Pour off

deceptio visus
A deception of vision; an optical illusion

decessit sine prole (DSP)
Died without children

decies repetita placebit
Though ten times repeated, it will continue to please (Horace)

decipimur specie rectie
We are deceived by the semblance of what is right (Horace)

decipi quam fallere est tutius
It is safer to be deceived than to deceive

decipi frons prima multos
The first appearance deceives many

De Civitate Dei
On the City of God (St. Augustine)

de claro die
By the light of day

decori decus addit avito
He adds honor to the ancestral honor

decretum
A decree; a mandate

decubitus
Lying down

decus et tutamen
Honour and defense

de die in diem
From day to day; continuously

de duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum
Of two evils, always choose the lesser one (Thomas à Kempis)

de facto
Existing by fact

defectus sanguinis
Failure to issue

deficit omne quod nasciture
Everything that is born passes away (Quintillan)

de fide
Of faith

de fide et officio iudicis non recipitur quaestio
No question can be allowed concerning the faith and duty of the judge

definitum
A thing defined

de fumo in flammam
Out of the smoke into the flame

degeneres animos timor arguit
Fear betrays ignoble souls

de gratia
By favour

de gustibus non est disputandum
In matters of taste, there is no argument

Dei gratia
By the grace of God

Dei iudicium
By the judgement of God

de integro
From the beginning; one more time

dei penates
Guardians of the household (household gods)

Dei plena sunt omnia
All things are full of God

Dei Sponsa
The Bride of God (poem by Patmore)

Dei sub numine viget
It flourishes under the will of God (motto of Princeton University)

delenta est Carthago
Carthage must be destroyed (Cato the Elder)

deliciae humani generis
The delight of mankind (Emperor Titus)

delictum
Offense

delineavit
S/he drew it

delirium tremens
Alcoholic distress; delusions and trembling

delphinum natare doces
You are teaching a dolphin to swim

delphinum silvis appingit, fluctibus aprum
He portrays a dolphin in the wods anda wild boar on the waves (Horace)

de lunatico inquiriendo
A writ to inquire into the insanity of a person

dementia
Insanity

dementia a potu
Insanity from drinking

dementia praecox
Insanity in adolescence

deme supercilio nubem
Remove the cloud from you brow

de minimis
Of the most insignificant things

de minimis non curat lex
The law does not concern itself with trifles

de mortuis nil nisi bonum
Of the dead [say] nothing but good (Horace)

de nihilo nihil
Nothing comes from nothing (Persius)

denique caelum
Heaven at last (battle cry of the Crusaders)

denique non omnes eadem mirantur amantque
All men do not admire and love the same things (Horace)

de novo
New, fresh, renewed, to begin again

dente lupus, cornu taurus petit
The wolf attackswith his teeth, the bull with his horns (Horace)

dente superbo
With a disdainful tooth (Horace)

dentur tales doses
Give of such doses

Deo adjuvante non timendum
God helping, nothing should be feared

Deo date
Give to God

deo dignus vindice nodus
A knot worthy of god to untie

Deo duce
With God as my leader

Deo duce, ferro comitante
With God as my leader and my sword as my companion

Deo et regi fidelis
Faithful to God and king

Deo favente
With God's favour

Deo gratias (D.G,)
Thanks be to God

Deo juvante
With God's help (motto of Monaco)

de omnibus rebus et quibusdam aliis
Concerning all things andcertain other matters (circumlocution)

de omni rescibili et quibusdam aliis
Concerning everything knowable and a few other things besides

Deo Optimo Maximo (D.O.M.)
For God, the best and greatest (motto of the Benedictines)

Deo, patriae, amicis
For God, motherland, and friends

deorum cibus est
It is food for the gods

deos enim religuos accepimus, Caesares dedimus
The gods were handed down to us, but we created the Caesars (i.e., the rulers) ourselves

dei fortioribus adsunt
The gods aid the stronger (Tacitus)

Deo volente (D.V.)
God willing

de pilo pendet
It hangs by a hair (reaching a critical stage)

de plano
With ease, without difficulty

de praesenti
For the present

deprendi miserum est
It is wretched tobe detected

De Profundis
From the depths; out of despair (Psalm 130)

de proprio motu
Of one's own motion (spontaneouly)

de rubus
Of things

De Rerum Natura
On the Nature of Things (Lucretius)

desideratum
A thing much desired or needed

Desideria
Longings (poem by Wordsworth)

designatum
That which is designated

desinit in piscem mulier formosa superne
A woman, beautiful above, with a fish's tail (Horace)

desipere in loco
It is sweet to relax at the proper time (Horace)

desuetudo
disuse, no longer active

desunt cetera
The rest of things is lacking; the remainder is lacking

desunt multa
Many things are lacking

de te fabula narratur
The story is told about you (Horace)

de tempore in tempus
From time to time

detur aliquando otium quesque fessis
Let ease and rest be sometimes granted to the weary (Seneca)

detur digniori
Let it be given to the more worthy

detur pulchriori
Let it be given to the more beautiful

Deum cole, regem serva
Worship God and serve the king

Deus avertat
God forbid

Deus det
God grant

Deus est regit qui omnia
There is a God who rules all things

Deus est summum bonum
God is the chief good

deus ex machina
god from a machine (a person who intervenes to solve a problem at the last minute)

Deus gubernat navem
God steers the ship

Deus lux Mea
God is my light (motto of the Catholic University of America)

Deus misereatur
May God have mercy (Psalm 67)

Deus nobiscum, quis contra?
God is with us, who can be against us?

Deus nobis fiducia
God is our trust (motto of George Washington University)

deus nobis haec otia fecit
God has brought for us this repose (Virgil)

Deus providebit
God will provide

Deus tecum
May God be with you (singular)

Deus vobiscum
May God be with you (plural)

Deus vult
God wills it (motto of the First Crusade)

de verbo in verbum
Word for word

de verborum signifacatione
On the significance of words

dextras dare
To give right hands (to shake hands)

dextro tempore
At the right time (Horace)

dicamus bona verba
Let us speak words of good omen (Terence)

dic bona fice
Tell me in good faith (Plautus)

dicere quae puduit, scribere iussit amor
What [modesty] forbade me to say, love has commanded me to write (Ovide)

dicitur
It is said (they say)

dictis facta suppetant
Let deeds correspond to words

dictum ac factum
[No sooner] said than done

dictum de dicto
Report upon hearsay

dictum de omni et nullo
Maxim of all and nothing

dictum sapienti sat est
A word of the wise is sufficient

diebus alternis
Every other day

diebus tertiis
Every third day

diem ex die
Day by day (continuously)

diem perdidi
I have lost (wasted) a day (Emperor Titus)

dies
Day, daily
Lunae
Monday
Martis
Tuesday
Mercurii
Wednesday
Iovis
Thursday
Veneris
Friday
Saturni
Saturday
Dominica
Sunday

dies a quo
Day from which

dies datus
A given day

dies dominicus
The Lord's day

dies faustus
A day bringing good fortune; auspicious day

dies infaustus
A day bringing bad fortune; an unlucky day

Dies Irae
Day of Wrath (hymn for the Requiem Mass)

dies juridicus
A day on which the court is in session

dies non
A day on which no business can be transacted

dies non juridicus
A day on which the court is not in session

difficiles nugae
Laborious trifles (Martial)

difficilia quae pulchra
Things that are excellent are difficult

digito monstrari
To be pointed out with fingers (Persius)

dignus vindice nodus
A knot worthy of such a liberator (Horace)

di (also dii)
gods (singular: deus)

di immortales virtutem approbare, non adhibere debent
We may expect the gods to approve virtue, but not to endow us with it

di maiores
The greater gods; men of eminence

di meliora
Heaven send us better times

dimidium facti qui coepit habet
He who has begun has the work half done (Horace)

dimidius
One-half

di minores
The lesser gods; men of lesser merit

di penates
The household gods

di pia facta vident
The gods see virtuous deeds (Ovid)

dirige nos Domine
Direct us, O Lord

dirigo
I direct (motto of the state of Maine)

diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata rotundis
He pulls down, he builds up, he changes square things to round (Horace)

dis aliter visum
The gods thought otherwise (Virgil)

disce pati
Learn to endure

discere et docere
To learn and to teach

discere docendo
To learn through teaching

disciplina praesidium civitatis
Instruction is the safeguard of the state (motto of the University of Texas)

dis ducibus
Under the direction of the gods

disiecta membra
Scattered limbs; fragments of a work

disiecta membra poetae
Limbs of the dismembered poet (Horace)

dispendia morae
Loss of time (Virgil)

disputandi pruritus ecclesiarum scabies
An itch for disputation is the incurable disease of the church

ditat Deus
God enriches (motto of the US state of Arizona)

dives agris, dives positis in faenore nummis
rich in lands, rich in money lent out at interest (Horace)

divide in partes aequales
Divide into equal parts

divide et impera
Divide and rule or
Divide and conquer or
Divide in order to conquer

divide et regna
Divide and rule (Michiavelli)

divina natura dedit agros, ars humana aedificavit urbes
Divine nature gave us the fields, human skill built the cities (Terence)

divinae particula aurae
Particle of divine spirit (Horace)

divitiae virum faciunt
Riches make the man

dixi
I have spoken (I will say no more)

docendo discitur
One learns by teaching docendo

discimus
We learn by teaching

doce ut discas
Teach in order to learn

doctor utriusque legis
Doctor of both laws (canon and civil)

doctus cum libro
Learned with a book (having book learning)

doctus cum multis libris
Learned with many books (a polymath)

dolium volvitur
An empty cask is easily rolled

dolus
Deceit; fraud

dolus bonus
Permissable deceit

dolus malus
Unlawful deceit

Domine, dirige nos
Lord, direct us (motto of London)

Dominica palmarum
Palm Sunday

dominium eminens
Eminent domain

Domino Optimo Maximo (D.O.M)
To the Lord, best and greatest

Dominus
The Lord

Dominus illuminatio mea
The Lord is my light (motto of the University Oxford, England)

Dominus providebit
The Lord will provide

Dominus vobiscum
May the Lord be with you

domus et placens uxor
A home and a pleasing wife (Horace)

Domus Procerum
The House of Lords

donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos
As long as you are fortunate, you will have many friends

dono dedit
S/he gives a gift

dormitat Homerus
[even] Homer sleeps

do ut des
I give so that you may give

do ut facias
I give so that you may do

dramatis personae
List of characters in a play

duabus sellis sedere
To sit in two saddles (to wear two hats)

duas tantum res anxius optat, panem et circenses
Two things only do the people earnestly desire, bread and the circus (Juvenal)

duces tecum
You shall bring it with you (subpoena)

ducit amor patriae
The love of country leads [me]

ductus
Style; manner

ductus figuratus
Figurative or indirect style

ductus simplex
Straightforward or simple style

ductus subtilis
Subtle or deceiving style

ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt
Fate leads the willing soul, but drags along the unwilling one (Seneca)

dulce bellum inexpertis
War is sweet to those who have never fought

dulce est desipere in loco
It is sweet to relax at the proper time

dulce et decorum est pro patria mori
It is sweet and proper to die for one's country

dulce quod utile
What is useful is sweet

dulces moriens reminiscitur Argos
As he dies, he remembers his beloved Argos (Virgil)

dulce sodalicium
Sweet companionship; pleasant association

dulcis amor patriae
Sweet is the love of one's country

dulcis domus
Sweet home

dum
While; on condition that...

dum docent, discunt
While they teach, they learn (Seneca)

dum fortuna fuit
While fortune lasted

dum inter homines sumus, colamus humanitatem
So long as we live along human beings, let us cherish humanity (Seneca)

dum loquimor fugerit invida aetas
Even as we speak, time speeds swiftly away (Horace)

dum loquor, hora fugit
Time is flying while I speak (Ovid)

dum solus
While single

dum spiro, spero
While I breathe, I hope (a motto of South Carolina)

dum tacent clamant
Though they are silent, they cry aloud

dum vita est spes est
While there's life, there's hope

dum vitant stulti vitia in contraria currunt
In shunning vices, fools run to the oposite extreme (Horace)

dum vivimus, vivamus
While we live, let us live

duplici spe uti
To have a double hope

dura lex sed lex
The law is hard, but it is the law

durante
During

durante absentia
During [someone's] absense

durante bene placito
During good pleasure; as long as one wishes

durante dolore
While pain lasts

durante minore aetate
During minority; at an early age; while one is young

durante vita
During one's life

durate et vosmet rebus servate secundis
Carry on and preserve yourselvesfor better times (Virgil)

durum hoc est sed ita lex scripta est
This is harsh but the law is written

dux femina facti
A woman was the leader in the deed (Virgil)

dux gregis
Leader of the flock de duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum
Of two evils, the lesser is always to be chosen (choose the lesser of two evils)

de minimis non curat praetor/ de minimis non curat lex
A praetor/law does not concern himself with petty matters/with very small matters (don't bother me with small matters)

dura lex sed lex
The law is hard, but it is the law

diligentia maximum etiam mediocris ingeni subsidium
Diligence is a very great help even to a mediocre intelligence.

difficile est tenere quae acceperis nisi exerceas
It is difficult to retain what you may have learned unless you should practise it.

de gustibus non disputandum
One ought not argue about tastes/ there is no arguing about tastes

de facto
From the fact actual or actually

de jure
In law /by right

de mortuis nil nisi bonum
Speak nothing but good of the dead

de novo
Anew

deo volente
God willing

de profundis
Out of our depths

dramatis personae
Characters of the play

di te incolumem custodiant
May the Gods guard your safety (an official good-bye phrase)