WORDS FROM OTHER LANGUAGES
ab initio, [L.] From the start.
ad finem, [L.] To the end.
adnauseam, [L.] To the point of disgust.
ancien régime, [F.] Society, conditions
before F. REVOLUTION or other great
change.
Anglice, [L.] In English, the English way.
annus mirabilis, [L.] Very good year.
ante bellum, [L.] Before the war.
atelier, [F.] Work-place of painter,
worker in stone etc.
à tout prix, [F.] Whatever the price.
au contraire, [F.] Quite the opposite.
au fond, [F.] Truly, at the root.
au pied de la lettre, [F.] Taking the
words in their straightforward sense.
ave, [L.] Word used at meeting.
beau monde, [F.] High society.
Blitzkrieg, [G.] Sudden war in which all
possible force is used for quick end.
bourgeoisie, [F.] BOURGEOIS persons.
canaille, [F.] Low, rough persons.
casus belli, [L.] Cause for war, argument.
ceteris paribus, [L.] Other things being
the same, equal, unchanged.
chargé d'affaires, [F.] One acting for
AMBASSADOR.
ci-devant, [F.] QUONDAM.
comme il faut, [F.] In good taste.
compos mentis, [L.] Not off one's head.
corrigendum, [L.] Error to be put right.
couleur de rose, [F.] Seen as more
beautiful, pleasing, than it is.
coup d'état, [F.] Sudden violent change
of government
coup de grace, [F.] Death-blow.
cui bono, [L.] Whose is the profit?
da capo, [It., Mus.] To be played again
from the start.
de facto, [L.] In fact.
de jure, [L.] By right.
denovo, [L.] Again, in a new way.
Deo volente, [L.] If it is GOD'S desire.
de rigueur, [F.] Looked on as necessary
to do, have, by good society etc.
de trop, [F.] Not desired, in the way.
deus ex machina, [L.] Sudden help, as
from the sky, sp. in play etc.
distingue, [F.] DISTINGUISHED-looking.
double entendre, [F.] Way of putting
something designed to be taken in two
possible senses.
eau de cologne, [P.] Sort of PERFUME
from Cologne.
élan, [F.] Force, driving-power, bright
quality.
embarras de richesse, [F.] More good
things than one is able to make use of.
en famille, [F.] In the family circle.
enfant terrible, [F.] Boy, girl, who puts
troubling questions, etc.
en fête, [F.] In FESTIVE dress etc.
en masse, [F.] All together, in a mass.
en passant, [F.] On one's way, while
saying or doing some other thing.
en pension, [F.] At a price covering room
and meals.
en rapport, [P.] In harmony, agreement.
entente cordiale, [F.] Happy relations,
agreement.
entrenous, [F.] Between ourselves,
privately.
eureka! [Gk.] Here is the looked-for thing!
ex cathedra, [L.] Said as by a great
authority.
exeat, [L.] He goes out (stage direction).
exeunt (omnes), [L.] They (all) go out
(stage direction).
ex parte, [L.] Supporting, in the interests
of, one side only.
facile princeps, [L.] Clearly the best.
fait accompli, [F.] Thing done, now a
fact, and so no longer open to argument.
felo de se, [L.] SUICIDE.
fin de siàcle, [F.] As of the late 1800's,
DECADENT.
flagrante delicto, [L.] In the act of doing
the crime.
gamin, [F.] Bad boy.
hauteur, [F.] Quality of being HAUGHTY.
hic jacet, [L.] Here is the last resting-place
of.
hoi polloi, [Gk.] Common persons.
idée fixe, [F.] Fixed idea.
ignis fatuus, [L.] WILL-O'-THE-WISP.
in camera, [L.] (Of law hearing etc.)
privately.
in extenso, [L.] In full detail.
in extremis, [L.] At the point of death.
in loco parentis, [L.] Acting as a father
or mother (to).
in medias res, [L.] Into the middle of
what is taking place.
in re, [L., Law] About, to do with.
in situ, [L.] In its place.
in statu pupillari, [L.] (At university) in
the position of a learner.
inter alia, [L.] Among other things.
ipse dixit, [L.] He himself said.
jene sais quoi, [F.] Quality one is conscious
of but unable to put into words.
joie de vivre, [F.] Pleasure in living.
juste milieu, [F.] GOLDEN MEAN.
lares et penates, [L.] GODS of the house,
one's family things.
leitmotif, leitmotiv, [G.] Bit of music
used in opera again and again as sign of
person, idea.
lèse-majesté, [F.] Crime of TREASON, sp.
acting, talking, without right respect for
ruler, or [Hum.] important person.
magnum opus, [L.] Person's chief work.
maitre d'hôtel, [F.] Restaurant manager,
head waiter.
mélange, [F.] Mixed mass, group.
mirabile dictu, [L.] Very surprisingly.
mise en scène, [F.] Stage SETTING.
modus operandi, [L.] Way of doing.
modus vivendi, [L.] Agreement making
it possible to go on living, working.
mot juste, [F.] The right word(s).
mutatis mutandis, [L.] With the necessary
changes, adjustment.
ne plus ultra, [L.] Than which nothing
better is possible.
noblesse oblige, [F.] High position makes
it more necessary to do right.
non compos mentis, [L.] Off one's head.
non sequitur, [L.] Point without reasoned
connection with what went before.
nota bene, [L.] Take note (of).
obiter dictum, [L.] Opinion given by
Judge at hearing but not forming part of
his decision; something said by the way.
pace, [L.] Though with respect for.
pari passu, [L.] Going together, with
equal steps.
passim, [L.] (In book etc.) here and there,
all through.
pax vobiscum! [L.] Peace to you!
per contra, [L.] On the other hand.
per diem, [L.] On every day.
per se, [L.] Necessarily, in itself.
persona (non) grata, [L.] Person (not)
viewed with approval, whose company
is (not) desired (with persons named).
pièp;ce de résistance, [P.] The chief thing
on the programme.
pis aller, [F.] Thing done as MAKESHIFT.
prima facie, [L.] At first view.
pro forma, [L.] As a form (in business).
pro rata, [L.] (Of amount) in a fixed
relation to some other amount.
Putsch, [G.] Strong attack, forward push.
réchauffé, [F.] Something cooked a
second time.
reductio ad absurdum, [L.] Pushing
of argument etc. to point at which it
becomes foolish.
soi-disant, [F.] Named so by oneself,
without right.
sub judice, [L., Law] In process of being
judged.
succès d'estime, [F.] Getting approval
of good judges but not of general public.
suggestio falsi, [L.] False suggestion.
sui generis, [L.] Unlike any other thing.
summum bonum, [L.] The highest good.
tabula rasa, [L.] A page without writing.
terra incognita, [L.] New country of
which there is little knowledge.
tertium quid, [L.] A third, middle, way.
tour de force, [F.] Something very expert,
done by using all one's powers.
tout ensemble, [F.] General effect of
thing viewed all together.
tu quoque, [L.] You no less than I.
vale, [L.] Words used at parting.
verbum satis sapienti, [L.] A word is
enough to the wise.
via media, [L.] A middle way.
vide infra, [L.] See later.
vide supra, [L.] See earlier.
vox populi, [L.] The voice of the masses.
Weltschmerz, [G.] Sad feeling about
existence.
Zeitgeist, [G.] Outlook, point of view,
special to some time in history.