Latin Terms

Term or phrase Translation
a fortiori from stronger
a posteriori from later
a priori from earlier
a quo from which
ab extra from outside
ab initio from the beginning
absque hoc without this
actori incumbit probatio on the plaintiff rests the proving
actus reus guilty act
ad coelum to the sky
ad colligenda bona to collect the goods
ad hoc for this
ad hominem at the person
ad idem to the same thing
ad infinitum to infinity
ad litem for the case
ad quod damnum according to the harm
ad valorem according to value
adjournment sine die adjournment without a day
affidavit he has sworn
alter ego another I
amicus curiae friend of the court
animus contrahendi contractual intent
animus nocendi intention to harm
animus possidendi intention to possess
animus revertendi intention to return
ante before
(in) arguendo for the sake of argument
audi alteram partem hear the other side
bona fide in good faith
bona vacantia ownerless goods
cadit quaestio the question falls
casus belli case of war
casus fortuitus fortuitous event
caveat may he beware
caveat emptor let the buyer beware

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certiorari to be apprised

ceteris paribus with other things the same

cogitationis poenam nemo nobody suffers punishment for mere intent
patitur

communio bonorum community of property

compensatio morae balance of delay

compos mentis having command of mind

condicio sine qua non a condition without which it could not be

consensus ad idem agreement to the same

consensus facit legem consensus makes the law

consuetudo pro lege servatur custom is held as law

contra against

contra bonos mores against good morals

contra legem against the law

contradictio in adjecto contradiction in itself

contra proferentem against the one bringing forth

coram non judice before one who is not a judge

corpus delicti body of the crime

corpus juris body of law

corpus juris civilis body of civil law

corpus juris gentium body of the law of nations

corpus juris secundum an encyclopedia of law from U.S. federal and state court decisions

crimen falsi crime of falsifying

cui bono as a benefit to whom?

cuius est solum eius est usque ad for whoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to Heaven and down to Hell
coelum et ad inferos

de bonis asportatis carrying goods away

debellatio warring down

de bonis non administratis of goods not administered

de die in diem from day to day

de facto in fact

de futuro concerning the future

de integro concerning the whole

de jure according to law

de lege ferenda of the law as it should be

de lege lata of the law as it is

delegatus non potest delegare that which has been delegated, cannot delegate [further]

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de minimis about the smallest things
de minimis non curat lex the law does not concern itself with the smallest [things]
de mortuis nil nisi bonum of the dead, [speak] nothing unless good
de novo anew
deorum injuriae diis curae the gods take care of injuries to the gods
dictum (thing) said
doli incapax incapable of guilt
dolus specialis specific deceit
domitae naturae tame by nature
donatio mortis causa deathbed gift
dramatis personae persons of the drama
duces tecum bring with you
ei incumbit probatio qui dicit proof lies on him who asserts
ejusdem generis of the same class
eo nomine by that name
erga omnes towards all
ergo therefore
erratum having been made in error
et al. and others
et cetera and other things
et seq. and the following things
et uxor and wife
et vir and husband
ex aequo et bono of equity and [the] good
ex ante of before
ex cathedra from the chair
ex concessis from what has been conceded already
ex delicto from a transgression
ex facie on the face
ex fida bona good business norms
ex gratia by favor
ex injuria jus non oritur law does not arise from injustice
ex officio from the office
ex parte from [for] one party
ex post from after
ex post facto from a thing done afterward

ex post facto law commonly said as "after the fact”

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expressio unius est exclusio the express mention of one thing excludes all others
alterius
ex proprio motu by [one's] own motion
ex rel [arising] out of the narration [of the relator]
ex turpi causa non oritur actio from a dishonorable cause an action does not arise
exempli gratia for the sake of example
ex tunc from then
ex nunc from now on
extant existing
factum deed
facio ut facias I do, that you may do
favor contractus favor of the contract
felo de se felon of himself
ferae naturae wild animals by nature
fiat let it be done
fiat justitia et pereat mundus let there be justice, though the world perish
fiat justitia ruat caelum let justice be done though the heavens fall
fieri facias may you cause to be done
fortis attachiamentum, validior
praesumptionem strong attachment, the stronger presumption
forum non conveniens
fructus industriales disagreeable forum
fructus naturales industrial fruits
fumus boni iuris natural fruits
functus officio smoke of a good right
generalia specialibus non having performed his office
derogant
gravamen the general does not detract from the specific
guardian ad litem
habeas corpus things weighing down
hostis humani generis guardian for the case
i.e. may you have the body
ibid. enemy of the human race
idem that is
ignorantia juris non excusat in the same place
imprimatur the same
in absentia ignorance of the law does not excuse
let it be printed
in absence

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in articulo mortis at the moment of death
in camera in the chamber
in curia in court
in esse in existence
in extenso in the extended
in extremis in the extreme
in flagrante delicto in blazing offense
in forma pauperis in the manner of a pauper
in futuro in the future
in haec verba in these words
in limine at the threshold
in loco parentis in the place of a parent
in mitius in the milder
in omnibus in all
in pari delicto in equal offense
in pari materia in the same matter
in personam in person
in pleno in full
in prope persona on one's own person
in propria persona in one's own proper person
in re in the matter [of]
in rem about a thing
in situ in position
in solidum for the whole
in terrorem in order to frighten
in terrorem clause clause "in order to frighten"
in toto in total
indicia indications
infra below or under
innuendo by nodding
inter alia among others
inter arma enim silent leges for among arms, the laws fall silent
inter rusticos among rustics
inter se amongst themselves
inter vivos between the living
intra within
intra fauces terrae within the jaws of the land

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intra legem within the law
intra vires within the powers
ipse dixit he himself said it
ipsissima verba the very words
ipso facto by the fact itself
ipso jure the law itself
iudex non calculat the judge does not calculate
jura novit curia the court knows the law
jurat (he) swears
juris et de jure of law, and from law
jus law, right
jus accrescendi right of survivorship; right of accrual
jus ad bellum laws to war
jus civile civil law
jus cogens compelling law
jus commune common law
jus gentium law of nations
jus in bello law in war
jus inter gentes law between the peoples
jus naturale natural law
jus primae noctis right of the first night
jus quaesitum tertio right to third-party relief
jus sanguinis right of blood
jus soli right of soil
jus tertii law of the third
lacunae void, gap
leges humanae nascuntur,
vivunt, moriuntur the laws of man are born, live, and die
lex commissoria
lex communis forfeiture clause for nonperformance of a contract
lex lata common law
lex loci the law borne
lex posterior derogat priori the law of the place
lex retro non agit later law removes the earlier
lex scripta the law does not operate retroactively
lex specialis derogat legi written law
generali
specific law takes away from the general law

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liberum veto free veto
lingua franca the Frankish language
lis alibi pendens lawsuit elsewhere pending
lis pendens suit pending
locus place
locus delicti place of the crime
locus in quo the place in which
locus poenitentiae place of repentance
locus standi place of standing
mala fide (in) bad faith
maleficia propositis evil acts are distinguished from (evil) purposes/crimes are
distinguuntur distinguished by evil intent
malum in se wrong in itself
malum prohibitum prohibited wrong
mandamus we command
mare clausum closed sea
mare liberum open sea
mens rea guilty mind
modus operandi manner of operation
mora accipiendi delay of creditor
mora solvendi delay of debtor
mortis causa in contemplation of death
mos pro lege custom for law
motion in limine motion at the start
mutatis mutandis having changed [the things that] needed to be changed
ne exeat let him not exit [the republic]
ne bis in idem not twice in the same
negotiorum gestio management of estate
nemo auditur propriam
turpitudinem allegans no one can be heard, who invokes his own guilt
nemo dat quod non habet
nemo debet esse iudex in no one gives what he does not have
propria
nemo judex in sua causa no one shall be a judge in his own case
nihil dicit
nisi no one shall be a judge in his own case
nisi prius he says nothing
unless
unless first

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nolle prosequi not to prosecute

nolo contendere I do not wish to dispute

non adimpleti contractus of a noncompleted contract

non compos mentis not in possession of [one's] mind

non constat it is not certain

non est factum it is not [my] deed

non est inventus he is not found

non faciat malum, ut inde veniat not to do evil that good may come
bonum

non liquet it is not clear

non obstante verdicto notwithstanding the verdict

novus actus interveniens a new action coming between

noscitur a sociis it is known by friends

nota bene note well

nudum pactum naked promise

nulla bona no goods

nulla poena sine lege no penalty without a law

nullum crimen, nulla poena sine no crime, no punishment without a previous penal law
praevia lege poenali

nunc pro tunc now for then

obiter dictum a thing said in passing burden of proof

onus probandi burden of proof

pacta sunt servanda agreements must be kept

par delictum equal fault

parens patriae parent of the nation

pari passu on equal footing

pater familias father of the family

pendente lite while the litigation is pending

per capita by head

per contra by that against

per curiam through the court

per incuriam by their neglect

per minas through threats

per proxima amici by or through the next friend

per quod by which

per se by itself

per stirpes by branch

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periculum in mora danger in delay

persona non grata unwelcome person

posse comitatus power of the county

post mortem after death

post mortem auctoris after the author's death

praetor peregrinus magistrate of foreigners

prima facie at first face

prior tempore potior iure earlier in time, stronger in law

prius quam exaudias ne iudices before you hear, do not judge

probatio vincit praesumptionem proof overcomes presumption

pro bono for good

pro bono publico for the public good

pro forma as a matter of form

pro hac vice for this turn

pro per abbreviation of propria persona, meaning "one's own person"

pro rata from the rate

pro se for himself

pro tanto for so much

pro tem abbreviation of pro tempore, meaning "for the time being"

pro tempore for the time being

propria persona proper person

prout patet per recordum as appears in the record

qua which; as

quareitur it is sought

quaere query

quantum how much

quantum meruit as much as it deserves; as much as she or he has earned

quantum valebant as much as they were worth

quasi as if

qui facit per alium facit per se who acts through another, acts himself

qui tam abbreviation of qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac
parte sequitur, meaning "who pursues in this action as much for the
king as himself"

quid pro quo this for that

quo ante as before

quo warranto by what warrant?

quoad hoc as to this

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quod est necessarium est licitum what is necessary is lawful

ratio decidendi reason for the decision

ratio scripta written reason

rationae soli by reason of the soil

rebus sic stantibus things thus standing

reddendo singula singulis referring solely to the last

res thing, matter, issue, affair

res communis common to all

res gestae things done

res ipsa loquitur the thing speaks for itself

res judicata a matter judged

res nullius nobody's thing

res publica public affair

res publica christiana Christian public affair

respondeat superior let the master answer

restitutio in integrum total reinstatement

rex non potest peccare the king can do no wrong

salus populi suprema lex esto the good of the people shall be the supreme law

scandalum magnatum scandal of the magnates

scienter knowingly

scire facias let them know

scire feci I have made known

se defendendo self-defense

seriatim in series

sic utere tuo ut alienum non use your property so as not to injure that of your neighbors
laedas

sine die without day

sine qua non without which, nothing

situs the place

solutio indebiti performance of something not due

stare decisis to stand by [things] decided

status quo the state in which
status quo ante
statu quo

stratum a covering, from neuter past participle of sternere, to spread

sua sponte of its own accord

sub judice under the judge

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sub modo subject to modification
sub nomine under the name
sub silentio under silence
subpoena under penalty
subpoena ad testificandum under penalty to be witnessed
subpoena duces tecum bring with you under penalty
suggestio falsi false suggestion
sui generis of its own kind/genus
sui juris of his own right
suo motu of its own motion
supersedeas refrain from
suppressio veri suppression of the truth
supra above
tantum et tale thus and such
terra nullius no one's land
trial de novo trial anew
trinoda necessitas three-knotted need
uberrima fides most abundant faith
ultra posse nemo obligatur no one is obligated (to do) more than he can
ultra vires beyond the powers
universitas personarum totality of people
universitas rerum totality of things
uno flatu in one breath
uti possidetis as you possess
uxor wife
vel non or not
veto I forbid
vice versa the other way around
vide see
videlicet contraction of videre licet, meaning "it is permitted to see"
vinculum juris the chains of the law
vis major greater or superior force
viz. abbreviation of videlicet
volenti non fit injuria injury is not done to the willing
vigilantibus non dormientibus
aequitas subvenit equity aids the vigilant, not the sleeping

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