List of Latin phrases (E)

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This list covers the letter E. For the main list, see: List of Latin phrases.


E[change | change source]

Latin Translation Notes
e pluribus unum one (coming) out of many Motto of the United States of America. Used on many U.S. coins and inscribed on the U.S. Capitol building. The motto of S.L. Benfica. Less commonly written as ex pluribus unum.
e unibus pluram from one, many Mock Latin. Notably heard by Giles Goat Boy in John Barth's novel Giles Goat-Boy and the title of an essay ("E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction") by David Foster Wallace concerning U.S. meta-fiction and the interrelations with U.S. television, published in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again.
ecce panis angelorum Behold the bread of angels A phrase occasionally inscribed near the altar in Catholic churches; it makes reference to the Host; the Eucharist; the bread of Heaven; the Body of Christ. See also: Panis Angelicus.
editio princeps first edition The first printed edition of a work.
O Deus Ego Amo Te O God I Love You attributed to Saint Francis Xavier
ego non not I short for "Even if all others... I will not." Peter to Jesus Christ (in Matthew 26:33).
ego te provoco I provoke you Used as a challenge, "I dare you".
emeritus veteran Also 'worn-out'. Retired from office. Often used to denote a position held at the point of retirement, as an honor, such as professor emeritus or provost emeritus. The honoree might still be active, not fully retired.
ens causa sui existing because of oneself Or 'being one's own cause'. Traditionally, a being that owes its existence to no other being, hence God or a Supreme Being (cf. Primum Mobile).
ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem By the sword she seeks gentle peace under liberty State motto of Massachusetts, adopted in 1775.
eo nomine by that name
equo ne credite Do not trust the horse Virgil, Aeneid, II. 48–49 (Latin)
erga omnes in relation to everyone
errare humanum est To err is human From Seneca the Younger: errare humanum est, sed perseverare diabolicum; 'to err is human, but to persist (in the mistake) is diabolical.' From Hieronymus "Patrologia Latina" errare humanum est et confiteri errorem prudentis; 'to err is human and admitting the error is wise'
et al (et alii) and others Used similarly to et cetera ('and the rest'), to stand for a list of names. APA style uses et al. if the work cited was written by more than six authors; MLA style uses et al. for more than three authors.
et cetera (etc.) or (&c.) And the rest In modern usage, used to mean "and so on" or "and more".
et in Arcadia ego and in Arcadia [am] I In other words, 'I, too, am in Arcadia'. See memento mori.
et lux in tenebris lucet And light will shine in darkness See also Lux in Tenebris; motto for the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.
et tu, Brute? And you, Brutus? Also 'Even you, Brutus?' or 'You too, Brutus?' Used to indicate a betrayal by someone close. From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, based on the traditional dying words of Julius Caesar. However, these were almost certainly not Caesar's true last words; Plutarch quotes Caesar as saying, in Greek, the language of Rome's elite at the time, καὶ σὺ τέκνον; (Kaì sù téknon?), in English 'You too, (my) child?', quoting from Menander.
et vir and husband A legal term.
Etiamsi omnes, ego non Even if all others... I will not Peter to Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:33)
ex abundanti cautela from abundant caution
ex aequo from the equal 'On equal footing', i.e., 'in a tie'.
ex Africa semper aliquid novi Always something new out of Africa (literally something of new) Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, VIII/42: unde etiam vulgare Graeciae dictum semper aliquid novi Africam adferre.[1]
ex animo from the heart Thus, 'sincerely'.
ex ante from before 'Beforehand', 'before the event'. Based on prior assumptions. A forecast.
ex Deo from God
ex facie from the face Idiomatically rendered 'on the face of it'. A legal term typically used to note that a document's explicit terms are defective without further investigation.
ex hypothesi from the hypothesis Thus, 'by hypothesis'.
ex infra (e.i.) cf. ex supra 'from below' Recent academic notation for 'from below in this writing'
ex lege from the law
ex luna scientia from the moon, knowledge The motto of the Apollo 13 Moon mission, derived from ex scientia tridens, the motto of Jim Lovell's Alma Mater, the United States Naval Academy.
ex mea sententia in my opinion
ex oblivione from oblivion The title of a short story by H. P. Lovecraft.
ex parte from a part A legal term meaning 'by one party' or 'for one party'. Thus, on behalf of one side or party only.
ex pede Herculem from Hercules' foot From the measure of Hercules' foot you shall know his size; from a part, the whole.
ex post from after 'Afterward', 'after the event'. Based on knowledge of the past. Measure of past performance.
ex scientia tridens From knowledge, sea power The United States Naval Academy motto. Refers to knowledge bringing men power over the sea comparable to that of the trident-bearing Greek god Poseidon.
ex scientia vera From knowledge, truth The motto of the College of Graduate Studies at Middle Tennessee State University.
ex situ Out of the site opposite of in situ
ex supra (e.s.) cf. ex infra 'from above' Recent academic notation for 'from above in this writing'.
ex tempore from [this moment of] time 'This instant', 'right away' or 'immediately'. Also written extempore.
ex tenebris lux from darkness, light Motto of the city of Geneva (Switzerland).
ex vi termini from the force of the term Thus, 'by definition'.
ex vulgus scientia From the crowd, knowledge used to describe social computing, The Wisdom of Crowds
excusatio non petita accusatio manifesta an excuse that has not been sought [is] an obvious accusation More loosely, 'he who excuses himself, accuses himself'—an unprovoked excuse is a sign of guilt. In French, qui s'excuse, s'accuse.
exeat may he/she leave A formal leave of absence.
exempli gratia(e.g.) or British (eg) for the sake of example Usually shortened in English to 'for example' (see citation signal). Often confused with id est (i.e.).[2]
experientia docet experience teaches This term has been used in dermatopathology to express that there is no substitute for experience in dealing with all the numerous variations that may occur with skin conditions.[4] The term has also been used in gastroenterology.[5]
experimentum crucis experiment of the cross Or 'crucial experiment'. A decisive test of a scientific theory.
experto crede Trust the expert Literally, "Believe one who has had experience". An author's aside to the reader.
extra territorium jus dicenti impune non paretur He who administers justice outside of his territory is disobeyed with impunity Refers to extraterritorial jurisdiction. Often cited in Law of the sea cases on the high seas.

Notes[change source]

  1. Pliny the Elder: the Natural History, Liber VIII
  2. Exempli gratia (e.g.) and id est (i.e.) are commonly confused and misused in colloquial English. The former, exempli gratia, means "for example" and is used before giving examples of something ("I have lots of favorite colors, e.g., blue, green and pink"). The latter, id est, means "that is", and is used before clarifying the meaning of something, when elaborating, specifying, or explaining rather than when giving examples ("I have lots of favorite colors; i.e., I can't decide on just one"). In British style, the stops may be omitted: "I have lots of favourite colours, e.g. blue, green and pink". "I have lots of favourite colours; ie I can't decide on just one".
  3. American style guides tend to recommend that "e.g." and "i.e." should generally be followed by a comma, just as "for example" and "that is" would be; UK style tends to omit the comma. See:, "Commas", webpage: Ref-g58. Google: Search "comma after i.e." for other opinions.

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