The phrase Dog Latin refers to the creation of a phrase or jargon in imitation of Latin, often by directly translating English words into Latin without conjugation or declension.
One well-known use of dog Latin is in the temporary naming of undiscovered (or not yet officially named) chemical elements. For example, the name given to element 118 is "ununoctium", the IUPAC systematic element name, from the Latin words for "one one eight".
Other applications of Dog Latin mix correct Latin with English words for humorous effect or attempt to update Latin by providing equivalents for twentieth century items. Examples include the description of a kitchen in legal Latin recorded in the 1898 edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:
camera necessaria pro usus cookare; cum saucepannis, stewpannis, scullero, dressero, coalholo, stovis, smoak-jacko; pro roastandum, boilandum, fryandum, et plum-pudding-mixandum…
Writers and filmmakers also often employ dog Latin (or dog Greek) when in need of names for characters, places or objects. The names of spells employed by JK Rowling in the Harry Potter books are a well-publicised example, such as 'Petrificus Totalus'.
Dog Latin, despite the similar name, is not related to Pig Latin.
See also: Hiberno-Latin, Latatian, macaronic Latin, New Latin