List of Latin phrases (N)
Latin Translation Notes
nanos gigantum humeris insidentes Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants First recorded by John of Salisbury in the twelfth century and attributed to Bernard of Chartres . Also commonly known by the letters of Isaac Newton : If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants
nascentes morimur finisque ab origine pendet When we are born we die , our end is but the pendant of our beginning
nasciturus pro iam nato habetur , quotiens de commodis eius agitur The unborn is deemed to have been born to the extent that his own inheritance is concerned Refers to a situation where an unborn child is deemed to be entitled to certain inheritance rights
natura abhorret a vacuo nature abhors vacuum Pseudo-explanation for why a liquid will climb up a tube to fill a vacuum , often given before the discovery of atmospheric pressure
natura artis magistra Nature is the teacher of art The name of the zoo in the centre of Amsterdam ; short : Artis
natura nihil frustra facit nature does nothing in vain Cf . Aristotle : οὐθὲν γάρ , ὡς φαμέν , μάτην ἡ φύσις ποιεῖ ( Politics I 2 , 1253a9 ) and Leucippus : Everything that happens does so for a reason and of necessity
natura non contristatur nature is not saddened That is , the natural world is not sentimental or compassionate . Derived by Arthur Schopenhauer from an earlier source
natura non facit saltum ita nec lex nature does not make a leap , thus neither does the law Shortened form of sicut natura nil facit per saltum ita nec lex ( just as nature does nothing by a leap , so neither does the law ) , referring to both nature and the legal system moving gradually
natura non facit saltus nature makes no leaps A famous aphorism of Carl Linnaeus stating that all organisms bear relationships on all sides , their forms changing gradually from one species to the next . From Philosophia Botanica ( 1751 )
natura valde simplex est et sibi consona Nature is exceedingly simple and harmonious with itself Sir Isaac Newton 's famous quote , defining foundation of all modern sciences . Can be found in his Unpublished Scientific Papers of Isaac Newton : A selection from the Portsmouth Collection in the University Library , Cambridge , 1978 edition
naturalia non sunt turpia What is natural is not dirty Based on Servius ' commentary on Virgil 's Georgics ( 3:96 ) : turpis non est quia per naturam venit
naturam expellas furca , tamen usque recurret You may drive out Nature with a pitchfork , yet she still will hurry back You must take the basic nature of something into account . - Horace , Epistles , Book I , epistle X , line 24
navigare necesse est , vivere non est necesse to sail is necessary ; to live is not necessary Attributed by Plutarch to Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus , who , during a severe storm , commanded sailors to bring food from Africa to Rome . Translated from Plutarch 's Greek πλεῖν ἀνάγκη , ζῆν οὐκ ἀνάγκη
ne plus ultra nothing more beyond Also nec plus ultra or non plus ultra . A descriptive phrase meaning the best or most extreme example of something . The Pillars of Hercules , for example , were literally the nec plus ultra of the ancient Mediterranean world . Holy Roman Emperor Charles V 's heraldic emblem reversed this idea , using a depiction of this phrase inscribed on the Pillars - as plus ultra , without the negation . The Boston Musical Instrument Company engraved ne plus ultra on its instruments from 1869 to 1928 to signify that none were better . Non plus ultra is the motto of the Spanish exclave Melilla
ne puero gladium do not give a sword to a boy Never give dangerous tools to someone who is untrained to use them or too immature to understand the damage they can do
ne supra crepidam sutor iudicaret a shoemaker should not judge beyond the shoe see Sutor , ne ultra crepidam
ne te quaesiveris extra do not seek outside yourself line from the Roman satirist Persius inscribed on the boulder to the right of Sir John Suckling in the painting of the aforementioned subject by Sir Anthony Van Dyck ( ca . 1638 ) and invoked by Ralph Waldo Emerson at the opening of his essay Self-Reliance ( 1841 )
Nec aspera terrent They are not terrified of the rough things They are not afraid of difficulties . Less literally Difficulties be damned . Motto for 27th Infantry Regiment ( United States ) and the Duke of Lancaster 's Regiment . Nec = not ; aspera = rough ones/things ; terrent = they terrify / do terrify / are terrifying
Nec deus intersit , nisi dignus vindice nodus ( inciderit ) That a god not intervene , unless a knot show up that be worthy of such an untangler When the miraculous power of God is necessary , let it be resorted to : when it is not necessary , let the ordinary means be used . From Horace 's Ars Poetica as a caution against deus ex machina
nec dextrorsum , nec sinistrorsum Neither to the right nor to the left Do not get distracted . Motto for Bishop Cotton Boys ' School and the Bishop Cotton Girls ' School , both located in Bangalore , India
Wikipedia list article This page lists English translations of notable Latin phrases , such as veni vidi vici and et cetera . Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases , as Greek rhetoric and literature reached its peak centuries before the rise of ancient Rome . This list covers the letter N. See List of Latin phrases for the main list .