Latin Words and Phrases for Philosophy

The following listing includes words and phrases from Latin that are often found in philosophical texts. Some are commonly used in English writing, others are more specific to philosophy. This page is primarily intended to be a resource for students, especially undergraduates who might be encountering some of these words and phrases for the first time.

ad hoc - "to this" or "for this", and is used in the sense of improvised on the spot or designed for a specific, immediate purpose at hand.

a fortiori - "from the stronger". Often used to mean "even more so" or "even with stronger reasons". Often used to lead from a less certain proposition to a stronger one.

a posse ad esse - "from being able to being". Used to mean "from possibility to actuality".

a posteriori - "from the latter". Often used to mean "based on observation or empirical evidence".

a priori - "from the former". Often used to mean something that can be known without empirical evidence, something that can be presupposed.

ad infinitum - "to infinity"

Argumentum ad antiquitatem - Argument to antiquity.

Argumentum ad baculum - Argument to the stick (appeal to force)

Argumentum ad captandum - Argument for capturing (the gullibility of the listeners or readers).

Argumentum ad consequentiam - Argument to the consequences (appeal to good or bad consequences).

Argumentum ad crumenam - Argument to the purse (appeal to the rich)

Argumentum ad hominem - Argument against the man (person). A fallacy consisting of criticizing a person rather than that person's ideas or argument, usually on the assumption that the the idea/argument is more or less sound depending on the qualities of the person endorsing it.

Argumentum ad infinitum - Argument to infinity.

Argumentum ad ignorantiam - Argument to ignorance. A fallacy in which it is claimed that a proposition is true only because it had not been proven false (or that it is false only because it has not been proven true).

Argumentum ad lazarum - Argument to poverty (appeal to the poor)

Argumentum ad logicam - Argument to logic (or from fallacy). A fallacy which assumes that because an argument is fallacious then its conclusion must be false.

Argumentum ad metum - Argument to fear (appeal to fear).

Argumentum ad misericordiam - Argument to pity (appeal to pity)

Argumentum ad nauseam - Argument to the point of disgust/nausea. A fallacy of basing one's argument on prolonged repetition, that is, repeating something so much that people are "sick of it".

Argumentum ad novitatem - Argument to novelty. A fallacy of claiming a proposition is true only because it is new or modern.

Argumentum ad numerum - Argument to numbers (appeal to numbers).

Argumentum ad odium - Argument to spite (appeal to spite). An attempt to win favor in an argument by appealing to feelings of bitterness or spite.

Argumentum ad personam - Argument to the person. General form of Argumentum ad hominem (or ad feminam to distinguish women).

Argumentum ad populum - Argument to the people (appeal to the people or population). A fallacy of claiming a proposition is true because many or all people believe it.

Argumentum ad temperantiam - Argument to moderation. Asserts that the middle ground between two positions is correct simply because it is the middle ground.

Argumentum ad verecundiam - Argument to respect (appeal to authority).

Argumentum ex silentio - Argument from silence.

bellum omnium contra omnes - "war of all against all".

ca. - stands for "circa", and means around, about, approximately.

causa sine qua non - "the cause without which not", meaning the cause without which the thing would not exist or would not be true.

caveat - "warning". Often used in "caveat emptor", meaning "let the buyer beware".

ceteris paribus - "with all other things being equal".

cf. - stands for "confer", and means bring together or compare.

cogito ergo sum - I think, therefore I am.

cum hoc ergo propter hoc - "with this, therefore because of this". A logical fallacy where one assumes that one thing occuring in correlation to another means that it causes the other.

c.v. - stands for "curriculum vitae", which means "course of life". This is a document containing a summary or listing of relevant job experience and education, similar to a resume as used in the business world.

de dicto - about the words. De dicto means about the truth of a proposition, while de re means about the properties of the thing itself.

de facto - "in fact".

de jure - "by law", or official.

de re - "about the matter". De dicto means about the truth of a proposition, while de re means about the properties of the thing itself.

ead. - stands for "eadem", and means "the same woman". Used to avoid repeating the name of an author in a citation. See also: id.

eo ipso - by the very act.

ex nihilo - from nothing.

e.g. - stands for "exempli gratia", and means "for example".

et al. - stands for "et alii", and means "and others" or "and co-workers".

etc. - stands for "et cetera", and means "and the others" or "and the rest".

fl. - stands for "floruit", and means the period of time during which a person, school, or movement was active or "flourishing".

ibid. - stands for "ibidem", and means "in the same book or place". Used in citations.

id. - stands for "idem", and means "the same man". Used to avoid repeating the name of an author in a citation. See also: ead.

ignoratio elenchi - ignorance of the issue. The logical fallacy of irrevelant conclusion: making an argument that, while possibily valid, doesn't prove or support the proposition it claims to.

inter alia - "among other things".

ipso facto - "by the fact itself" (or "by that very fact").

ipso jure - "by operation of law".

i.e. - stands for "id est", and means "that is" or "in other words".

locus classicus - a classic place. Usually means a quotation from a classical text used as an example.

Modus ponens - "method of placing", meaning "method of affirming". A logical rule of inference of the form "If P then Q, P, therefore Q".

Modus tollens - "method of removing", meaning "method of denying". A logical rule of inference of the form "If P then Q, not-Q, therefore not-P".

mutatis mutandis - "with the appropriate changes made".

n.b. - stands for "nota bene", and means "note well".

non sequitur - "it does not follow", as in a conclusion that does not follow from an argument.

op. cit. - stands for "opere citato", and means "in the work that was cited". Used in place of repeating the citation of the most recently referenced work in a text.

petitio principii - "request of the beginning". The "begging the question" fallacy in which a proposition to be proved is implicitly or explicitly assumed in one of the premises.

post hoc ergo propter hoc - "after this, therefore because of this". A logical fallacy where one assumes that one thing happening after another thing means that the first thing caused the second.

prima facie - "at first sight". Used to designate something that is suggestive, but not conclusive.

qua - "in the capacity of"

quod erat demonstrandum (QED) - means "which was to be demonstrated". Used to indicate the end of a proof.

reductio ad absurdum - "leading back to the absurd".

reductio ad infinitum - "leading back to the infinite".

sine qua non - "without which not". An essential part of the whole.

status quo - the current state or condition.

sui generis - "of its own kind". In a class of its own.

summum bonum - "the highest good".

tabula rasa - "scraped tablet", and usually meaning "blank slate". Used by some to describe the mind at birth, before acquiring any knowledge.

tu quoque - "you too." The logical fallacy of defending one's position merely by pointing out the same weakness in one's opponent.

Additional Resources:

• Wikipedia List of Latin Phrases - provides a master list in alphabetical order of hundreds of latin phrases. Also provides various other lists, related lists.
• Wikipedia list of latin philosophical phrases
• Latin phrases on philosophy
• Philosophy Latin phrases
• Melmoth's Latin Phrasebook