Brain Food With a Latin Flavor

In the spirit of “A day spent without learning something is a day wasted“, I’m going to start regularly injecting this very blog with Brain Food. If I’m lucky, I’ll learn a thing or two….maybe even three!

Today I thought I’d brush up on Latin. Have any of you lost all the foreign language you learned in High School? Mine’s just about all gone, and it’s really a shame because I once wrote, read and spoke Spanish really well. Now I’m lucky if I can get through the basics. I should have kept on studying. Bad me!

Maybe if I start re-learning it it’ll all come easier to me this time around. Okay, decision made - I’m going to begin a nightly study routine…. Muy bien!

But, first Latin….

Following are a few common phrases along with what they mean. Latin is so beautiful….but is it actually spoken anywhere any longer? I’m not sure.

Persona Non Grata
This is a person who really doesn’t matter - “An unacceptable person.” People generally use the phrase today to identify a person who has very little, if any, worth.

Cogito Ergo Sum
“I think, therefore I am” - I actually considered this as a possible name for a blog once. It was going to be a thought-provoking, think tank-challenging blog, but was just too challenging to create. Nah, kidding - I just never got around to it.

Quid Pro Quo
“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” Did you know the British nicknamed their pound quid after this phrase because Quid Pro Quo refers to a deal.

This phrase is most often used in courtrooms - in deals of guilt or innocence.

E Pluribus Unum
“Out of many, one.” America’s national motto, featured on our currency.

Carpe Diem
My favorite - “Seize the day!” If I had lived in ancient Rome, I would have “signed off” with Carpe Diem as my way of saying…..

Make each moment count double,
~Joi

Have a great week!