Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #59: More -it Verbs

The focus for today's lesson is one more set of 3rd-conjugation verbs ending in -it. Then, tomorrow, you will see how the verbs of the 4th conjugation work.

To get ready for today, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Spes alit et fallit.
Hope encourages and discourages.
spes alit et fallit.

The verb alit, "nourishes," is the root of English "alimentary" and it is also the root of "alumnus" (which is itself a Latin word).
The verb fallit, "deceives," gives us English "fallacy."

I was a bit looser with the English translate because I wanted to somehow convey the sound-play of alit and fallit in the English. Literally, it would be "Hope nourishes and deceives." The idea is that you get your hopes up, which is the alit, but things might not turn out how you want; that's the fallit.

2. Herba mala cito crescit.
Bad grass grows quickly.
herba mala cito crescit.

The noun herba, "herb, grass," gives us English "herb."

There is an Aesop's fable about why weeds grow more quickly than the crops we plant because the weeds are the natural children of the earth herself, while what we plant are just her stepchildren on whom she does not lavish the same affection.

Compare the English saying "Ill weeds grow apace."

3. Equus alienus velociter currit.
Someone-else's horse runs quickly.
equus ali-E-nus ve-LO-citer currit.

The noun equus, "horse," gives us English "equine."

The adjective alienus means "belonging to another, someone else's," and you can see the Latin word in English "alien." Because the noun equus is masculine, this adjective is also masculine in form.

You can see the root of the adverb velociter, "fast, quickly," in English "velocity."

The verb currit, "runs," is related to the noun you saw earlier: cursus. There are many English nouns from this Latin root, including "current," "undercurrent," "recurring," etc.

The idea is that we tend to envy things that others possess, while disparaging our own possessions. The other person's horse doesn't really run all that quickly; you just think that it does. Compare the English saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."

4. Semper inops quicumque cupit.
Whoever craves (is) always bereft.
semper inops qui-CUM-que cupit.

The adjective inops, "bereft, lacking, poor," is a compound: in-ops, "without-resources." You can see the op- root in English "opulent." In other words, Latin inops is the opposite of "opulent."

The pronoun quicumque, "whoever," is built on the pronoun qui, "who," that you saw earlier in this saying: Felix qui pacificus.

The verb cupit, "desires, craves," is related to the noun you have seen earlier, cupido, and of course you can see this root in the name of the god of desire, Cupid. (More about Cupid at Wikipedia.)

This saying restates an idea you saw in a previous proverb: Avarus semper eget.

5. Ignis numquam dicit: sufficit.
Fire never says: (it is) enough.
ignis numquam dicit: SUF-ficit.

The verb dicit, "says," is related to a the participle (verbal adjective) that you saw earlier: dictum, "said, something that is said."
In our hot new climate with ever more wildfires, this saying has even more metaphorical power. The fire devours whatever is in its path, never saying "enough." It is a powerful image of insatiable greed. The saying comes from the Biblical Book of Proverbs.

Here's a recap: