Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #46: Wrapping Up Week 10

So this is the final post of the final week of all-noun sayings (plus the occasional est). Starting next week, there will be verbs too. So, enjoy the nouns and all you have learned in the past weeks about the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd declensions and their nominative and genitive forms, along with the adjectives for all the genders: feminine, masculine, and neuter.

Here's a slideshow with cats to review the familiar words that repeat in today's sayings:

And here are the sayings for today:

1. Felix qui pacificus.
Happy (is he) who (is) peaceful.
felix qui pa-CI-ficus

All the words in this saying are new, but with some familiar elements.

The masculine adjective felix, "happy," is related to a noun you already know: felicitas, "happiness."

The word qui is a relative pronoun, "(he) who."

The masculine adjective pacificus, "peaceful, peace-maker" is related to the noun pax, "peace," which has as its stem pac-. This is the origin of the name of the "Pacific" Ocean in English. It is also the origin of "pacifier."

This is the motto of the Fenton family (you'll be learning more about Latin mottoes next week when we start in on the verbs).

2. Amor magister est optimus.
Love is (the) best teacher.
amor ma-GIS-ter est OP-timus

You know all the words in this saying already!

You can this saying in a letter of Pliny the Younger, which you can read in English online here. Pliny is writing about his wife, Calpurnia: "She even sings my verses and sets them to music, though she has no master to teach her but love, which is the best instructor of all."

3. Cultura animi philosophia est.
Philosophy is (the) cultivation of-(the)-soul.
cul-TU-ra A-nimi philo-SO-phia est

The noun cultura, "cultivation, care," is the origin of English "culture." Here it forms a genitive phrase with animi: cultivation OF the soul, cultura animi.

The Greek word philosophia, "philosophy" was adopted by the Romans; the "pcuh" is a clue the Greek origin of the word. Likewise we say "philosophy" in English. The Greek roots of the word mean loving-wisdom, philo-sophia.

This was a saying of the Roman politician Cicero who was also interested in the study of philosophy.

4. Scientia maximum vitae decus.
Knowledge (is) life's greatest achievement.
sci-EN-tia MAX-imum vitae decus

The only new word in this saying is the 3rd-declension noun decus, "achievement, honor, dignity." The root of the word is decor-, and it is the origin of English "decorous" and "decoration."

The noun decus is neuter, so it takes a neuter adjective: maximum. Notice how the noun phrase maximum decus wraps around the genitive vitae, "of life, life's" — maximum vitae decus.

When I Googled, I learned that this saying is the motto of Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Research.

5. Optimum medicamentum quies.
Rest (is the) best medicine.
OP-timum medica-MEN-tum quies

The new word in this saying is the neuter noun medicamentum, "medicine," which is related to a noun you already know: medicina.

Because medicamentum is neuter, it takes a neuter adjective: optimum.

You learned earlier that Bona res quies, "Rest is a good thing." Now this saying makes a bolder assertion; rest is not just good, but optimum, the best medicine of all.

Here's a recap: