There’s a Little Bit of Latin in Almost Every European Language. Latin Abbreviations Every Language Professional Should Know
Augustus
(63 B.C.-A.D. 14) was the first emperor of Rome Source: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Augustus.aspx
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There’s a little bit of Latin in almost every European language. In Romance languages like French, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian, the presence of Latin is unsurprising because those languages developed from it. Germanic and Slavonic languages adopted words and even some grammar from the old lingua franca. In English, there are a few Latin terms that are so common we almost always abbreviate them, sometimes without even knowing what they mean. This can lead to mistakes, which can range from funny to embarrassing or even damaging, especially if they happen in professional situations. For that reason, let’s brush up on the Latin abbreviations every professional should know.
I.e. – Id est – It is
(That is)
“I.e.” is one of the most commonly used Latin
abbreviations today. It’s also one of the most commonly misused ones. It’s
short for “Id est,” which translates literally to “it is,” but is used in the
sense of “that is” when we want to explain or clarify something. Not when we
want to list examples.
E.g. – Exempli gratia
– For the sake of example (For example)
“E.g.” is very commonly confused with “i.e.” It is an
abbreviation of “exempli gratia,” which translates literally into English as
“for the sake of example,” but is commonly used instead of “for example.” Obviously,
we use it when we want to give an incomplete list of examples for something we
previously talked about. Not when we want to clarify or explain.
Etc. – Et cetera –
And the rest (And so on)
“Etc.,” which is short for “et cetera,” translates
into English as “and the rest,” or “and so on.” That is exactly how we use it,
to indicate that a list we’ve given isn’t complete and has other members which
we haven’t included. “Etc.” is always written with a period after it, even when
it’s found in the middle of a sentence. In that case, however, the period is
usually followed by a comma.
Re – In re – In the
matter of (Concerning, regarding)
“Re” is not an actual abbreviation for “in re.” Its
full form stands for “in the matter of,” and as such it is usually seen at the
top of legal documents. The short form, in which the “in” is dropped, is the
“re:” we use when we respond to emails.
M.O. – Modus operandi
– Method of operating (The usual way of doing something)
You’ve probably heard this Latin abbreviation in plenty
of crime TV shows. M.O., the abbreviation of “modus operandi,” means “method of
operating” and we use it in that sense. Although the term is most popular
because of its use in criminology, methods of operating are not limited to
criminals, nor is the use of the abbreviation “M.O.”
P.a. – Per annum –
Each Year
“P.a.,” the abbreviation for the Latin phrase “per
annum,” is most often used in financial contexts to refer to something that
happens each year. So if we were to say that a business has a profit of $10
million p.a., for example, we would be saying that its profit per year is $10
million.
A.m. and p.m. – Ante
meridiem and post meridiem – Before noon and after noon
We all know what a.m. and p.m. stand for—the former
refers to the time of day between midnight and noon, and the latter to the time
of day between noon and midnight. The Latin abbreviations for “ante meridiem”
and “post meridiem” are used when referring to time in a twelve-hour format
instead of a twenty-four-hour format. While their use is pretty
straightforward, the correct way of writing these abbreviations is not.
Depending on the style guide, it can be a.m. and p.m., AM and PM, or am and pm.
Source: grammarly.com
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