Latin Legal Terms

The definition list below gives Latin to English translations for the most commonly used latin law terms.

A

Ab extra

Definition: From outside

Ab inito

Definition: From The beginning

Accessorius sequitur

Definition: One who is an accessory to the crime cannot be guilty of a more serious crime than the principal offender

Actus reus

Definition: A guilty deed or act

Ad hoc

Definition: For this purpose

Ad infinitum

Definition: For ever, without limit, To infinity

Alibi

Definition: At another place, Elsewhere

Aliunde

Definition: From elsewhere, or, from a different source

Amicus curiae

Definition: A friend of the court

Ante

Definition: Before

B

Bona Fide

Definition: Sincere, In good faith

Bona vacantia

Definition: Goods without an owner

C

Cadit quaestio

Definition: The matter admits of no further argument

Certiorari

Definition: Originally a writ from a High Court to a lower Court

Ceteris peribus

Definition: Other things being equal

Consensu

Definition: Unanimously or, by general consent

Consensus ad idem

Definition: Agreement as to the same things

Contra

Definition: To the contrary

Contra bonos mores

Definition: Contrary to good morals

Coram non judice

Definition: Before one who is not a judge

Corpus

Definition: Body

Corpus delicti

Definition: The body of the offence

Custos morum

Definition: A guardian of morals

D

De bonis asportatis

Definition: Of goods carried away

De die in diem

Definition: From day to day

De facto

Definition: In fact

De futuro

Definition: In the future

De integro

Definition: As regards the whole

De jure

Definition: Rightful, by right

De novo

Definition: Starting afresh

Doli incapax

Definition: Incapable of crime

Dominium

Definition: Ownership

Dubitante

Definition: Doubting the correctness of the decision

E

Ei incumbit probatio qui

Definition: The onus of proving a fact rests upon the man

Et cetera

Definition: Other things of that type

Ex cathedra

Definition: With official authority

Ex concessis

Definition: In view of what has already been accepted

Ex facie

Definition: On the fact of it

Ex gratia

Definition: Out of kindness, voluntary

Ex parte

Definition: Proceeding brought by one person in the absence of another

Ex post facto

Definition: By reason of a subsequent act

F

Faciendum

Definition: Something which is to be done

Factum

Definition: An act or deed

Fructus naturales

Definition: Vegetation which grows naturally without cultivation

I

Idem

Definition: The same person or thing

Id est (i.e)

Definition: That is

In camera

Definition: In private

In delicto

Definition: At fault

Indicia

Definition: Marks, signs

In esse

Definition: In existence

In extenso

Definition: At full length

In futoro

Definition: In the future

In limine

Definition: At the outset, on the threshold

In loco parentis

Definition: In place of the parent

In omnibus

Definition: In every respect

In pleno

Definition: In full

In situ

Definition: In its place

Inter alia

Definition: Amongst other things

Interium

Definition: Temporary, in the meanwhile

In terrorem

Definition: As a warning or deterrent

Ipsissima verba

Definition: The very words of a speaker

Ipso facto

Definition: By that very fact

J

Jus

Definition: A right that is recognised in law

Jus naturale

Definition: Natural justice

L

Locus in quo

Definition: Scene of the event

M

Magnum opus

Definition: A great work of literature

Mala fides

Definition: Bad faith

Mens rea

Definition: Guilty state of mind

N

Nemo dat quod non habet

Definition: On one can give a better title than he has

Nexus

Definition: Connection

Nisi

Definition: Unless

Non compus mentis

Definition: Not of sound mind and understanding

Non constat

Definition: It is not certain

Non est factum

Definition: It is not his deed

Non sequitur

Definition: An inconsistent statement, it does not follow

O

Onus probandi

Definition: Burden of proof

Orse

Definition: Otherwise

P

Par delictum

Definition: Equal fault

Pari passu

Definition: On an equal footing

Per curiam

Definition: In the opinion of the court

Per minas

Definition: By means of menaces or threats

Per quod

Definition: By reason of which

Post mortem

Definition: After death

Prima facie

Definition: On the face of it

Prima impressionis

Definition: On first impression

Pro hac vice

Definition: For this occasion

Pro rata

Definition: In proportion

Pro tanto

Definition: So far, to that extent

Pro tempore

Definition: For the time being

Publici juris

Definition: Of public right

Q

Quaere

Definition: Consider whether it is correct

Quaeitur

Definition: The question is raised

Quantum

Definition: How much, an amount

Quid pro quo

Definition: Consideration. something for something

R

Re

Definition: In the matter of

Res

Definition: Matter, affair, thing, circumstance

Res Gestae

Definition: The thing done

Res nulis

Definition: Nobody's property

S

Sciens

Definition: Knowingly

Secus

Definition: The legal position is different, it is otherwise

Se defendendo

Definition: In self defence

Stet

Definition: Do not delete, let it stand

Sub modo

Definition: Within limits

Sub nomine

Definition: Under the name of

Sub silentio

Definition: In silence

Suggestio falsi

Definition: The suggestion of something which is untrue

Sui generis

Definition: Unique

Suppressio veri

Definition: The suppression of the truth

T

Talis qualis

Definition: Such as it is

U

Uberrima fides

Definition: Good faith

Uno flatu

Definition: At the same moment, with one breath

V

Verbatim

Definition: Word by word, exactly

Vice versa

Definition: The other way around

Vide

Definition: See

Volens

Definition: Willing

Latin Word/Phrase	Literal Translation	Definition	Sample Sentence
a priori	from the former	Supposed to be true without proof; occurring or being known beforehand.	We know a priori that matter exists; the question is–how did it come into being?
ad hoc	to this	Improvised on the spot or for a specific, immediate purpose.	The committee was formed ad hoc to address increasing crime in the neighborhood.
ad hominem	to/at the man	A logical fallacy in which the person rather than his argument is attacked.	Ad hominem attack ads are all too common during campaign season.
ad infinitum	to infinity	Going on forever.	Because pi is an irrational number, the digits after the decimal continue ad infinitum.
ad nauseam	to the point of disgust	Alternative to ad infinitum; repeating until it makes one sick.	Tom complained ad nauseam about his new job.
alibi	elsewhere	A legal defense where a defendant seeks to show that he was elsewhere when the crime was committed.	The defendant had clear motive, but his alibi was airtight, so the jury declared him not guilty.
alma mater	nourishing mother	The school or university from which one graduates.	Dad returns to his alma mater every few years for his class reunion.
alter ego	another I	Another self; secret identity.	Spiderman’s famous alter ego is wimpy news photographer Peter Parker.
antebellum	before the war	Usually refers to the period before the American Civil War.	Even in northern states racism was common during the antebellumperiod.
aurora borealis	northern lights	A natural light display visible in the night time sky in Arctic regions; the same phenomena in the south is known as the aurora australis.	Even after twenty years of living in northern Alaska, Carol never ceased to be astonished by the sudden beauty of the aurora borealis.
Ave Maria	Hail, Mary	Catholic prayer to Mary, the mother of Jesus.	My devout sister prays the Ave Maria every night before bed.
bona fide	good faith	Coming from sincere intentions; genuine, true.	The painting is a bona fide Renoir.
caveat emptor	let the buyer beware	The purchaser is responsible for evaluating the quality and utility of the goods he purchases.	The sign over the entrance of the used car dealership – caveat emptor – did not give me confidence.
coram deo	in the presence of god	The theological idea that we live ever in the presence of, under the authority of, and to the honor and glory of God.	We are never really alone, because all of life is lived coram deo.
corpus	body	Contents; or collection of works by an author or artist; a particular collection of artistic works.	The corpus of William Shakespeare includes dramatic tragedies, comedies, and histories.
cum laude	with honor	A title applied to academic graduates who attain to a level of excellence. Students can also graduate magna cum laude (with great honor) or summa cum laude(with highest honor).	Sarah is naturally smart, but it was her dedication to academic study that caused her to graduate summa cum laude.
curriculum vitae	course of life	A comprehensive resume listing educational and employment history and qualifications for job seekers.	It’s a good idea to present your prospective employer with a copy of your curriculum vitae at the start of a job interview.
de facto	in fact	Actually; in reality.	The intention of the new law is good, but de facto, it just doesn’t work.
de jure	by law	According to law; by right.	De jure, adultery is illegal in many states, but the laws are never enforced.
deus ex machina	God from the machine	An unexpected, artificial, or improbable resolution to a plot situation in a work of fiction.	The action movie was entertaining, but the ending was an unconvincing deus ex machina.
emeritus	having served one’s time	An adjective used to denote a retired professor, president, bishop, or other professional; post-retirement status.	Today’s speaker is Dr. Ruth Fisher, professor emeritus at Stanford University.
ex libris	from the books	A phrase often stamped or printed on books to denote ownership; “from the library of.”	I am happy to lend my books, but I stamp them “ex libris Tony Danza” so I can get them back.
ex nihilo	out of nothing	Usually refers to divine creation and the idea that God made the world out of nothing, with no preexisting tools or materials.	All men are by nature creative, but only God creates ex nihilo.
ex post facto	from a thing done afterward	Usually  used in a legal context, ex post facto refers to a law that is retroactive, that applies to actions taken prior to the existence of the law.	The new law will not apply to previous violators because it cannot be applied ex post facto.
habeas corpus	have the body	A writ ordering a person to appear before a judge, or the right to obtain such a writ as protection against imprisonment without trial.	Terrorism suspects often have no right to habeas corpus and can be held indefinitely without trial.
homo sapien	wise man	Human; the scientific name for the human species.	There is some question about whether or not the fossilized skeleton is homo sapien.
in loco parentis	in place of a parent	In legal terms, assuming the authority and responsibilities of a parent.	While at school, your teachers serve in loco parentis.
in medias res	in the middle of things	A literary technique where the telling of the story begins in the middle rather than at the beginning.	Epic poems often begin in medias res and explain the earlier parts of the story via dialogue.
in toto	in total	Completely; totally, all together.	Even though lots of things went wrong, in toto, the event was a success.
in vitro	in glass	Refers to studies done on organisms isolated from their normal biological surroundings; commonly called test tube studies or experiments.
ipso facto	by the fact itself	As a direct consequence or effect of the action in question; in and of itself.	Steve was swerving and driving too slow; ipso facto, he was pulled over and tested for driving under the influence.
magnum opus	great work	The largest, best, or greatest achievement of an artist.	His ninth symphony is considered Beethoven’s magnum opus.
mea culpa	my fault	My mistake; my fault; an admission of guilt or responsibility.	The football player made a televised  mea culpaafter his disgraceful public behavior.
non sequiter	it does not follow	A logical fallacy where the conclusion does not reasonably follow from the premise; or, in literature, an irrelevant, often humorous response to a comment.	Overall, your argument is convincing, but your point about public education was a non-sequiter.
Pax Romana	roman peace	A period in history, during the dominance of the Roman empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, when relative peace reigned and little expansion of the Empire took place.	Christianity spread rapidly during the Pax Romana.
per capita	by heads	Per person; a ratio by the number of persons.	Each year, Americans eat about 135 pounds of sugar per capita.
per diem	per day	A daily allowance for expenses.	On my trip to Philadelphia, the company gave me a $100 per diem.
per se	through itself	In itself; by itself; without reference to anything else.	Eating salt isn’t bad per se, but consuming too much carries various health risks.
persona non grata	not-pleasing person	An unwelcome, unwanted, or undesirable person.	After I broke Aunt Wilma’s antique vase, I was persona non-grata at the Thomas home.
postmortem	after death	After death.	Officials determined the death was accidental after a postmortemexamination.
prima facie	at first sight	Often refers to evidence in a trial that suggests but does not prove guilt.	Even though the prima facie evidence was strong, the defendant’s innocence became clear as the trial wore on.
pro bono	for good	Work undertaken voluntarily without compensation.	The lawyer was so moved by the plight of the workers, he defended their case pro bono.
pro rata	for the rate	Proportionately or proportional.	Extra nights at the hotel are charged pro rata of the weekly rental.
quid pro quo	what for what	This for that; a thing for a thing; a favor exchanged for favor.	After I picked him up at the airport, Larry took me to lunch as a quid pro quo.
quorum	of whom	The number of members whose presence is required.	Only ten board members showed up, leaving them two short of a quorum.
re	by the thing	In the matter of; referring to; regarding.	Is this phone call re the recent estate auction?
rigor mortis	stiffness of death	The rigidity that sets in on corpses about three to four hours after death.	The police had a hard time removing the briefcase from the victim’s grasp, rigor mortis having set in.
semper fideles	always faithful	The motto of the U.S. Marine Corps; sometimes abbreviated semper fi.	My uncle, the retired Marine sergeant, has “semper fideles” tattooed on his arm.
sic	thus	Just so; used to indicate that a preceding quotation is copied exactly, despite any errors of spelling, grammar, or fact.	The student wrote “the communists were probly right about some things [sic].”
sola fide	faith alone	One of the “Five Solas” of the Protestant Reformation that summarize the theology of the reformers. The others are sola scriptura (by Scripture alone), sola gratia (by grace alone), solo Christo (Christ alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).	An important tenet of Protestantism is the idea of sola fide – that salvation is attained by faith, not works.
status quo	the situation in which	The current condition or situation; the way things are.	The protestors were unhappy about the status quo.
subpoena	under penalty	A request, usually by a court, that must be complied with on pain of punishment.	The officer issued me a subpoena to appear in court in June.
tabula rasa	scraped tablet	A blank slate; a clean slate; used figuratively to describe the human mind prior to influential experience.	The idea of original sin is at odds with the notion that babies are born with a moral tabula rasa.
terra firma	solid land	Solid ground.	After eight days at sea, I couldn’t wait to set foot on terra firma.
verbatim	word for word	Perfect transcription or quotation.	I’m sorry it offends you, but that’s what he said verbatim.
veto	I forbid	The political power to single-handedly stop or make void a law.	The bill passed by a slim margin, but the President is likely to veto it.
vice versa	the other way around	The other way around.	Tom is in love with Lorraine and vice versa.
vox populi	voice of the people	In broadcasting, an unscripted interview with ordinary members of the public.	After the controversial trial, networks broadcast numerous vox populiinterviews.
Common Abbreviations
A.D. (Anno Domini)	in the Year of the Lord	The predominantly used system for dating, indicating years since the birth of Jesus Christ. Years prior to the birth of Christ are normally indicated by BC, an English abbreviation for Before Christ.	The Battle of Hastings took place in A.D. 1066.
AM (ante meridiem)	before midday	Indicates the time from midnight to noon.	Normally, I awake at 6 AM.
e.g.(exempli gratia)	for the sake of example	For example.	My favorite movies are Westerns (e.g., High Noon, True Grit, Unforgiven)
et al. (et alii)	and others	Similar to et cetera, to stand for a list of names, particularly in APA and MLA style papers.	Defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy – David Beckham, Landon Donovan et al. – in the 2009 MLS Cup final proved possible.
etc. (et cetera)	and the rest	And so on; and more.	Sylvia purchased pots, pans, utensils, etc. for her new kitchen.
i.e. (id est)	that is	That is to say; which means; in other words.	Jim encountered Victor, (i.e, his new boss) in the elevator that morning.
ibid. (ibidem)	in the same place	Used in formal citations to refer to the last referenced source.	Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, 471. Ibid.
m.o. (modus operandi)	method of operating	Usually associated with criminals and their methods of committing crimes.	The police suspected Harry Harrison because the crime fit his m.o. perfectly.
PM (post meridiem)	after midday	The time between noon and midnight.	I will meet you for coffee at 2 PM.
p.s. (post scriptum)	after text	After writing; used to indicated addendums to otherwise completed personal letters.	Sincerely,George p.s., Don’t forget to feed the parrot.
Q.E.D. (quod erat demonstrandum)	what was to be demonstrated	Often written at the bottom of a mathematical or logical proof, indicating that the proof is complete.	“No snakes have legs. That creature has legs. Therefore, the creature is not a snake. Q.E.D.”
R.I.P. (requiescat in pace)	rest in peace	A benediction for the dead often appearing on gravestones.	Inscribed on his tombstone were the simple words, “Henry Humble, R.I.P.”
vs. or v. (versus)	towards; in the direction	Mistakenly used in English to mean “against,” particularly to indicate opposing parties in legal disputes or athletic events.	Today’s main event is Wally Wilson vs. Tony “The Tiger” Thomson.
Quotes and Sayings
carpe diem	seize the day	A phrase from a poem by Horace, now an aphorism meaning, “take advantage of life while you can.”	The closer I get to old age, the more I realize how important it is to live life with a carpe diemapproach.
Cogito ergo sum.	I think, therefore, I am	The famous philosophical proposition by René Descartes. It implies that doubting one’s own existence proves one’s existence.	Cogito ergo sum is the foundation of Cartesian thought.
Veni, vidi, vici.	I came, I saw, I conquered	A sentence attributed to Julius Caesar upon his conquest of Britain. Quoted by Plutarch.	When asked about his recent victory at the U.S. Open, Johns replied, “Veni, vidi, vici!”
e pluribus unum	out of many, one	A phrase on the Seal of the United States.	Many U.S. coins pay tribute to the melting pot history of the country with the phrase e pluribus unum.
et tu, Brute?	and you also, Brutus?	Legendarily the last words of Julius Caesar as he realizes that his friend Marcus Brutus was among his murderers.	After I joined in the teasing, my brother looked at me with a mock-tragic grin and said, “Et tu, Brute?”
sic semper tyrannis	thus always to tyrants	Sometimes attributed to Brutus as he participated in the assassination of Julius Caesar. John Wilkes Booth claimed to have shouted this phrase after shooting Abraham Lincoln. The motto of the Commonwealth of Virginia.	The historic American resistance to dictatorship is expressed in the common phrase, sic semper tyrannis.

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