Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #53: Back to the -at verbs

We're back to some new -at verbs for today's sayings.

To get started, here is a review of some familiar words you will be encountering. Someone suggested I include the individual proverb slides in these reviews along with the word slides and the cat slides, so I've done that starting today. I hope you will find that helpful! You can see the full-size slideshow, or watch it embedded below:

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Amor fati.
Love of-fate.
amor fati

You've seen fatum before, and this is the genitive form, fati, "of fate." This famous phrase has its own Wikipedia article: Amor fati. It refers to the idea of embracing your fate, whatever it might be, good or bad, happy or sad. The Wikipedia article reviews some ancient philosophers who explored this idea, along with modern philosophers like Nietzsche and Camus.

2. Camelus saltat.
(The) camel is-dancing.
ca-ME-lus saltat

You'll recognize camelus because that gives us the English word "camel." The Latin word comes from Greek; you can find out more at the wiktionary.

The verb saltat means "leaps, dances." Earlier, you saw the verbal noun (a.k.a. gerund) formed from this verb: saltandum, "dancing."

The idea behind this proverb is that camels are not graceful; a camel who dances would look ridiculous. So, this saying is used to make fun of someone doing something in an awkward, ridiculous way. There's even an Aesop's fable about the camel dancing.

3. Canis mordens non latrat.
(The) biting dog doesn't bark.
canis mordens non latrat

The adjective mordens means "biting," a participle from the verb mordere, "to bite." You can see this root in English "mordant" and also "remorse."

The verb latrat means "barks, howls."

The idea is you don't really need to be scared of a dog who is barking. Instead, you need to watch out for the dog who is not barking; that is the dog who might be getting ready to bite you. Applied metaphorically to the human world, the idea is that someone who talks, and even someone who makes threats, is nothing to worry about; the dangerous person is the one who doesn't say anything at all.

4. Caput imperat, non pedes.
(The) head commands, not (the) feet.
caput IM-perat, non pedes

The verb imperat means "commands, rules, governs." You can see this Latin root in English "emperor" and "imperial."
The noun pedes means "feet." It is a plural noun (you'll be learning all about plural endings later on). The singular is pes, "foot," a third declension noun whose stem is ped-, which you can see in English words like "pedestrian" and "impede."

This proverb is all about hierarchy. The human body has a head, and the head is in charge, telling the feet what to do. Metaphorically, it means that in human society likewise, somebody has to be the head, and that person is in charge, telling everybody else, i.e. the feet, what to do.

5. Terra corpus est, at mens ignis.
(The) body is earth, but (the) mind (is) fire.
terra corpus est, at mens ignis

The 3rd-declension noun corpus, "body," has the stem corpor- which you can see in English words like "corporeal" and "corporation."
The 3rd-declension noun mens, "mind," has the stem ment- which you can see in English "mental." Latin mens and English "mind" are cousins; they both come from the Indo-European root méntis.

These Latin words come from the archaic Roman poet Ennius; you can find out more about Ennius at Wikipedia. He sees the mind-body distinction, terra-mens, as being parallel to the diference between the elements of earth and fire, two of the fundamental elements of the universe in ancient philosophy.

Here's a recap: