Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #73: More Doubled Subject-Objects

The focus for today's lesson is more of those doubled subject-object statements. I've translated them literally below, repeating the word as in the Latin, but remember that you can also choose to translate these with the English "one/another" option: Asinus asinum fricat = "Donkey scratches donkey" or "One donkey scratches another."

Here's a review of the proverbs with this pattern that you've seen previously:

Cura curam trahit.
Gratia gratiam parit.
Pecunia pecuniam parit.
Nummus nummum parit.
Caecus caecum ducit.
Asinus asinum fricat.
Asinus asellum culpat.
Lupus lupum non edit.
Iniuria non excusat iniuriam.

Today's sayings contain almost all new vocabulary, so I haven't created a review vocabulary slideshow; instead, I made a slideshow of those doubled subject-objects.

The one familiar vocabulary item today is invenit, "finds, discovers," so here's a review-cat for that too!

Qui quaerit, invenit.

(He) who seeks finds.

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Mulus mulum scabit.
Mule scratches mule.
mulus mulum scabit.

The masculine noun mulus gives us English "mule."

The verb scabit means "scratches, scrapes," and you can see this root in English "scabies."

This is a variation on a saying you saw earlier: Asinus asinum fricat.

2. Fatuus fatuum invenit.
(A) fool finds (a) fool.
FA-tuus FA-tuum IN-venit.

The masculine adjective fatuus, "foolish," give us English "fatuous" and also "infatuate." The adjective is being used substantively, as a noun: "foolish (person), fool."

Compare the English saying "Birds of a feather flock together" or "It takes one to know one."

3. Abyssus abyssum invocat.
Abyss summons abyss.
a-BYS-sus a-BYS-sum IN-vocat.

The masculine noun abyssus gives us English "abyss." The -y- is a clue that the word is Greek in origin. For more about the meanings of this word in the Bible and in Christian tradition generally, see Wikipedia: Abyss.

The verb invocat, "calls upon, invokes, summons," is a compound in-vocat, "on-calls, calls on." This is the root of English "invoke" and "invocation."

This phrase, originally from the Biblical Book of Psalms, has been used to mean that the soul calls out for God, where the abyssus refers to the depths of the spirit, but it has also been used to mean something like "one bad thing after another," where the abyssus refers to the depths of hell.

4. Vicissim insanus insanum ridet.
Back-and-forth (one) lunatic mocks (another) lunatic.
vi-CIS-sim in-SA-nus in-SA-num ridet.

The adverb vicissim means "in turn, back-and-forth." This is the same vic- that you see in English "vice versa" (which is itself a Latin phrase).

The masculine adjective insanus gives us English "insane." It's a compound: in-sanus, "not-healthy," specifically "not-healthy in mind, insane."

The verb ridet, "laughs, mocks," which is the root of English "ridiculous."

This phrase comes from Erasmus's Moriae Encomium ("Praise of Folly").

5. Alius alium beatissimum existimat.
One (person) considers another (to be) happiest.
A-lius A-lium bea-TIS-simum ex-IS-timat.

The adjective alius means "another," and you can see this root in English "alias" and "alibi," which are actually both Latin words adopted by English.

The word beatissimum is the accusative form of the adjective beatissimus, "happiest, most blessed." It is the superlative form of the adjective beatus, "happy, blessed," and you can see that root in English "beatific."

The verb existimat, "values, reckons, considers," and it is a compound: ex-aestimat, which gives us English "estimate."

Compare the English saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."

Here's a recap: