Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #96: More Imperative Practice

The focus for today's lesson features some more imperative sayings. There are a few words that you have seen before which you can see in this slideshow (with cats), but a lot of the vocabulary today will be new words.

Vocabulary really the biggest challenge in learning a new language: there are so many words to learn! The grammar is not so hard by comparison: there is just not that much variety in the grammar, but there is so much variety in the vocabulary.

If you are curious, you've seen 800 different Latin words in the past 23 weeks. That's a lot of words, and it's hard to keep up with all of them, I know — but luckily with Latin, a lot of the words have connections to the English words you already know.

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Expande rete.
Spread (your) net.
ex-PAN-de rete.

The imperative expande gives us English "expand!" or "spread!"

The word rete is the accusative form of the 3rd-declension noun rete, which means "net." It's a neuter noun; that's why the nominative and accusative forms are the same. You can see this Latin root in the English word "retina."

The metaphor is from fishing: if you want to catch some fish, you have to spread your net. There is a somewhat sinister connotation as well; this is bad news for the fish! So the idea also applies to when you are plotting against someone: spread your net, i.e. lay your trap.

2. Perge audacter.
Proceed boldly.
perge au-DAC-ter.

You know the imperative perge from yesterday's sayings: Perge caute.

This proverb gives different advice, because the adverb audacter means "boldly." You can see this Latin root in the English word "audacious."

3. Linque metum leti.
Abandon (your) fear of-death.
linque metum leti.

The imperative linque means "leave behind! abandon!" and you can see this root in English "relinquish."

The word metum is the accusative form of metus, which means "fear." There are not English words derived from this root, but it is the origin of Spanish miedo.

The word leti is the genitive form of the noun letum, which means "death." Unlike mors, which means death in general, this word has the connotation of a violent death; letum can also mean ruin or destruction in general.

This is another one of the so-called distichs (two-liners) of Cato; you can find out more here.

4. Vade retro, Satana.
Get behind (me), Satan.
vade retro, SA-tana.

The imperative vade means "go! come!" as in the famous Latin phrase vade mecum, "come with-me!" which is used in English to mean a textbook or guidebook; it is sometimes spelled as one word in English "vademecum."

You haven't seen this verb before, but you have seen the compound form: evadit.
The adverb retro means "back, backwards," just like we use it in English, "retro."

You've seen the word Satan before, and this is what is called the vocative form, which is used when you are speaking to someone. You'll learn more about the vocative form later on.

The words are from the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus rebukes Peter, a scene that is repeated in the Gospel of Matthew. The phrase later became part of the Catholic ritual of exorcism; see Wikipedia: Get Behind Me, Satan and also Wikipedia; Vade Retro, Satana.

5. Recede longius, et ride.
Withdraw farther-off and laugh.
re-CE-de LON-gius, et ride.

The imperative recede means "recede! back away!" Like the example we saw before, English "recede" is spelled the same way but it is pronounced differently.

You haven't seen this verb before, but you have seen another verb formed from the same root: discede.

The adverb longius means "farther, farther away." It is the comparative form of the adverb longe, "far off," so longius is "farther off." You haven't seen the adverb before, but you have seen the adjective: longum (neuter) and longa (feminine).

This advice comes from the Roman philosopher in his treatise on anger, De Ira. The idea is to, metaphorically, "get some distance," as we would say in English, so that you can find the humor in a situation that is making you upset or angry.

Here's a recap: