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Moving words: which languages have the closest word order to Ancient Greek?
There’s an art to translation. It involves moving concepts from one language into another while trying to refit the same thought into a different set of grammar rules. In this study I’d like to look at one obvious part of the translation process: word order change. In studying this, I don’t mean to suggest that…
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Another Latin word for kill
While I was translating some unseen Latin passages with my high school tutoring student, lo and behold, we came across another word for kill which I hadn’t yet collected! This word is: cōnficiō, cōnficere, cōnfēcī, cōnfectum (con [with] + facere [make]) to make, effect, complete, accomplish; to wear out, consume, destroy; thus, to put an…
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How to beg for mercy in Latin
What do you do when you have committed a sacrilege, when the Emperor has overheard your snide remark,[1] when you handed in your essay late, or you forgot to attend a meeting with your superior? You may have offended a higher power, who would rightly chastise you for your misdeeds. You must now avail yourself…
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Far too many Latin words for kill
How many words does Latin have for kill? One of the quirky, somewhat morbid attractions of Latin is that it has many, many words for kill. If you’ve ever studied Latin, you’ll probably remember interficere and necāre, two very classic verbs for kill. But it seems that the more literature you read, the more creative…
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A word in Latin
fritillus, -ī m dice box. Example sentence: Marcus shook the dice box again. “Argh!” he said. “The lowest roll possible!” Marcus iterum fritillum iecit. “Heu!” inquit. “Canis!”
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A word in Latin
pūnītor, -ōris m avenger. Example sentence: “Have you seen the new Avengers movie?” “No, I haven’t even seen the first one.” “vidistine pelilculam cinematographicam novam ‘Punitores’?” “immo, peliculam cinematographicam primam etiam non vidi.”
Found in Antiquity 