List of Latin phrases (P)

This page lists English translations of notable Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases, as Greek rhetoric and literature reached its peak centuries before the rise of ancient Rome.

This list covers the letter P. See List of Latin phrases for the main list.

P

Latin	Translation	Notes
pace	Ablative form of peace	"With all due respect to", "with due deference to", "by leave of", "no offence to", or "despite (with respect)". Used to politely acknowledge someone with whom the speaker or writer disagrees.
pace tua	with your peace	Thus, "with your permission".
Pacem in terris	Peace on Earth
pacta sunt servanda	agreements must be kept	Also "contracts must be honoured". Indicates the binding power of treaties.
palma non sine pulvere	no reward without effort	Also "dare to try"; motto of numerous schools.
palmam qui meruit ferat	He who has earned the palm, let him bear it.	Loosely, "achievement should be rewarded" (or, "let the symbol of victory go to him who has deserved it"). Attached to the arms of Lord Nelson in 1797. Later attached to the arms of Upper Canada College and its motto. Also motto of the University of Southern California, Nelson, NZ, The Lincoln Academy of Illinois & Bay View High School, Milwaukee, WI
panem et circenses	bread and circuses	From Juvenal, Satire X, line 81. Originally described all that was needed for emperors to placate the Roman mob. Today used to describe any entertainment used to distract public attention from more important matters.
para bellum	prepare for war	From "Si vis pacem para bellum": if you want peace, prepare for war—if a country is ready for war, its enemies are less likely to attack. Usually used to support a policy of peace through strength (deterrence). In antiquity, however, the Romans viewed peace as the aftermath of successful conquest through war, so in this sense the proverb identifies war as the means through which peace will be achieved.
parare Domino plebem perfectam	to prepare for God a perfect people	motto of the St. Jean Baptiste High School
parce sepulto	forgive the interred	it is ungenerous to hold resentment toward the dead. Quote from the Aeneid, III 13-68.
parens patriae	parent of the nation	A public policy requiring courts to protect the best interests of any child involved in a lawsuit. See also Pater Patriae.
pari passu	with equal step	Thus, "moving together", "simultaneously", etc.
parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus	The mountains are in labour, a ridiculous mouse will be born.	said of works that promise much at the outset but yield little in the end (Horace, Ars poetica 137) – see also The Mountain in Labour
parum luceat	It does not shine [being darkened by shade].	Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, 1/6:34 – see also lucus a nonlucendo
parva sub ingenti	the small under the huge	Implies that the weak are under the protection of the strong, rather than that they are inferior. Motto of Prince Edward Island.
parvis imbutus tentabis grandia tutus	When you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great things.	Motto of Barnard Castle School, sometimes translated as "Once you have accomplished small things, you may attempt great ones safely".
passim	here and there, everywhere	Less literally, "throughout" or "frequently". Said of a word, fact or notion that occurs several times in a cited text. Also used in proofreading, where it refers to a change that is to be repeated everywhere needed.
pater familias	father of the family	Or "master of the house". The eldest male in a family, who held patria potestas ("paternal power"). In Roman law, a father had enormous power over his children, wife, and slaves, though these rights dwindled over time. Derived from the phrase pater familias, an Old Latin expression preserving the archaic -as ending for the genitive case.
Pater Omnipotens	Father Almighty	A more direct translation would be "omnipotent father".
Pater Patriae	father of the nation	Also rendered with the gender-neutral parens patriae ("parent of the nation").
pater peccavi	father, I have sinned	The traditional beginning of a Roman Catholic confession.
pauca sed bona	few, but good	Similar to "quality over quantity"; though there may be few of something, at least they are of good quality.
pauca sed matura	few, but ripe	Said to be one of Carl Gauss's favorite quotations. Used in The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
paulatim ergo certe	slowly therefore surely	Former motto of Latymer Upper School in London. The text latim er is concealed in the words.
pax aeterna	eternal peace	A common epitaph.
Pax Americana	American Peace	A euphemism for the United States of America and its sphere of influence. Adapted from Pax Romana.
Pax Britannica	British Peace	A euphemism for the British Empire. Adapted from Pax Romana.
Pax Christi	Peace of Christ	Used as a wish before the Holy Communion in the Catholic Mass, also the name of the peace movement Pax Christi.
pax Dei	peace of God	Used in the Peace and Truce of God movement in 10th-century France.
Pax Deorum	Peace of the gods	Like the vast majority of inhabitants of the ancient world, the Romans practiced pagan rituals, believing it important to achieve a state of Pax Deorum (The Peace of the gods) instead of Ira Deorum (The Wrath of the gods).
Pax Domine	peace, lord	lord or master; used as a form of address when speaking to clergy or educated professionals.
pax et bonum	peace and the good	Motto of St. Francis of Assisi and, consequently, of his monastery in Assisi; understood by Catholics to mean 'Peace and Goodness be with you,' as is similar in the Mass; translated in Italian as pace e bene.
pax et justitia	peace and justice	Motto of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
pax et lux	peace and light	Motto of Tufts University and various schools. Also written as "Pax et Lvx".
Pax Europaea	European peace	euphemism for Europe after World War II
Pax Hispanica	Spanish Peace	Euphemism for the Spanish Empire; specifically can mean the twenty-three years of supreme Spanish dominance in Europe (approximately 1598–1621). Adapted from Pax Romana.
pax in terra	peace on earth	Used to exemplify the desired state of peace on earth.
Pax intrantibus, salus exeuntibus	Peace to those who enter, health to those who depart.	Used as an inscription over the entrance of buildings (especially homes, monasteries, inns). Often benedicto habitantibus (Blessings on those who abide here) is added.
pax matrum, ergo pax familiarum	peace of mothers, therefore peace of families	If the mother is peaceful, then the family is peaceful. The inverse of the Southern United States saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."
Pax Mongolica	Mongolian Peace	period of peace and prosperity in Asia during the Mongol Empire
pax optima rerum	peace is the greatest good	Silius Italicus, Punica (11,595); motto of the university of Kiel
Pax Romana	Roman Peace	period of relative prosperity and lack of conflict in the early Roman Empire
Pax Sinica	Chinese Peace	period of peace in East Asia during times of strong Chinese hegemony
pax tecum	peace be with you (singular)
Pax tibi, Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum.	Peace to you, Mark, my Evangelist. Here will rest your body.	Legend states that when the evangelist went to the lagoon where Venice would later be founded, an angel came and said so. The first part is depicted as the note in the book shown opened by the lion of St Mark's Basilica, Venice; registered trademark of the Assicurazioni Generali, Trieste.
pax vobiscum	peace [be] with you	A common farewell. The "you" is plural ("you all"), so the phrase must be used when speaking to more than one person; pax tecum is the form used when speaking to only one person.
peccavi	I have sinned	Telegraph message and pun from Charles Napier, British general, upon completely subjugating the Indian province of Sindh in 1842. This is, arguably, the most terse military despatch ever sent. The story is apocryphal.
pecunia non olet	money doesn't smell	According to Suetonius' De vita Caesarum, when Emperor Vespasian was challenged by his son Titus for taxing the public lavatories, the emperor held up a coin before his son and asked whether it smelled or simply said non olet ("it doesn't smell"). From this, the phrase was expanded to pecunia non olet, or rarely aes non olet ("copper doesn't smell").
pecunia, si uti scis, ancilla est; si nescis, domina	if you know how to use money, money is your slave; if you don't, money is your master	Written on an old Latin tablet in downtown Verona (Italy).
pede poena claudo	punishment comes limping	That is, retribution comes slowly but surely. From Horace, Odes, 3, 2, 32.
pendent opera interrupta	the work hangs interrupted	From the Aeneid of Virgil, Book IV.
per	By, through, by means of	See specific phrases below.
per angusta ad augusta	through difficulties to greatness	Joining sentence of the conspirators in the drama Hernani by Victor Hugo (1830). The motto of numerous educational establishments.
per annum (pa.)	each year	Thus, "yearly"—occurring every year.
per ardua	through adversity	Motto of the British RAF Regiment.
per ardua ad alta	through difficulty to heights	Through hardship, great heights are reached. Motto of University of Birmingham, Methodist Ladies' College, Perth. Also the motto of Clan Hannay.
per ardua ad astra	through adversity to the stars	Motto of the air force of several nations (including the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom) and of several schools. The phrase is used by Latin Poet Virgil in the Aeneid; also used in H. Rider Haggard's novel The People of the Mist.
per aspera ad astra	through hardships to the stars	From Seneca the Younger. Motto of NASA and the South African Air Force. A common variant, ad astra per aspera ("to the stars through hardships"), is the state motto of Kansas. Ad Astra ("To the Stars") is the title of a magazine published by the National Space Society. De Profundis Ad Astra ("From the depths to the stars.") is the motto of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society.
per capita	by heads	"Per head", i.e., "per person", a ratio by the number of persons. The singular is per caput.
per capsulam	through the small box	That is, "by letter"
per contra	through the contrary	Or "on the contrary" (cf. a contrario)
per crucem vincemus	through the cross we shall conquer	Motto of St John Fisher Catholic High School, Dewsbury
Per Crucem Crescens	through the cross, growth	Motto of Lambda Chi Alpha
per curiam	through the senate	Legal term meaning "by the court", as in a per curiam decision
per definitionem	through the definition	Thus, "by definition"
per diem (pd.)	by day	Thus, "per day". A specific amount of money an organization allows an individual to spend per day, typically for travel expenses.
per fas et nefas	through right or wrong	By fair means or foul
per fidem intrepidus	fearless through faith
per mare per terram	by sea and by land	Motto of the Royal Marines and (with small difference) of Clan Donald and the Compagnies Franches de la Marine.
per mensem (pm.)	by month	Thus, "per month", or "monthly".
per os (p.o.)	through the mouth	Medical shorthand for "by mouth".
per pedes	by feet	Used of a certain place can be traversed or reached by foot, or to indicate that one is travelling by foot as opposed to by a vehicle.
per procura (p.p.) or (per pro)	through the agency	Also rendered per procurationem. Used to indicate that a person is signing a document on behalf of another person. Correctly placed before the name of the person signing, but often placed before the name of the person on whose behalf the document is signed, sometimes through incorrect translation of the alternative abbreviation per pro. as "for and on behalf of".
per quod	by reason of which	In a UK legal context: "by reason of which" (as opposed to per se which requires no reasoning). In American jurisprudence often refers to a spouse's claim for loss of consortium.
per rectum (pr)	through the rectum	Medical shorthand. See also per os.
per rectum ad astra	via rectum to the stars	a modern parody of per aspera ad astra, originating and most commonly used in Russia, meaning that the path to success took you through most undesirable and objectionable places or environments; or that a found solution to a complex problem is extremely convoluted.
per risum multum poteris cognoscere stultum	by excessive laughter one can recognise the fool
per se	through itself	Also "by itself" or "in itself". Without referring to anything else, intrinsically, taken without qualifications etc. A common example is negligence per se. See also malum in se.
per stirpes	through the roots	Used in wills to indicate that each "branch" of the testator's family should inherit equally. Contrasted with per capita.
per unitatem vis	through unity, strength	Motto of Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets.
per veritatem vis	through truth, strength	Motto of Washington University in St. Louis.
per volar sunata[sic]	born to soar	Motto of St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School and St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School. The phrase is not from Latin but from Dante's Purgatorio, Canto XII, 95, the Italian phrase "per volar sù nata".
Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim	Be patient and tough; some day this pain will be useful to you.	From Ovid, Amores, Book III, Elegy XI
periculum in mora	danger in delay
perinde ac [si] cadaver [essent]	[well-disciplined] like a corpse	Phrase written by St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Constitutiones Societatis Iesu (1954)
perita manus mens exculta	skilled hand, cultivated mind	Motto of RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.
perge sequar	advance, I follow	from Virgil's Aeneid IV 114; in Vergil's context: "proceed with your plan, I will do my part."
Pericula ludus	Danger is my pleasure	Motto of the Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte
perpetuum mobile	thing in perpetual motion	A musical term. Also used to refer to hypothetical perpetual motion machines.
Perseverantia et Fide in Deo	Perseverance and Faith in God	Motto of Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, India
persona non grata	person not pleasing	An unwelcome, unwanted or undesirable person. In diplomatic contexts, a person rejected by the host government. The reverse, persona grata ("pleasing person"), is less common, and refers to a diplomat acceptable to the government of the country to which he is sent.
petitio principii	request of the beginning	Begging the question, a logical fallacy in which a proposition to be proved is implicitly or explicitly assumed in one of the premises.
pia desideria	pious longings	Or "dutiful desires".
pia fraus	pious fraud	Or "dutiful deceit". Expression from Ovid. Used to describe deception which serves Church purposes.
pia mater	pious mother	Or "tender mother". Translated into Latin from Arabic. The delicate innermost of the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
Pietate et doctrina tuta libertas	Freedom is made safe through character and learning	Motto of Dickinson College.
pinxit	one painted	Thus, "he painted this" or "she painted this". Formerly used on works of art, next to the artist's name.
piscem natare doces	[you] teach a fish to swim	Latin proverb, attributed by Erasmus in his Adagia to Greek origin (Diogenianus, Ἰχθὺν νηχέσθαι διδάσκεις); corollary Chinese idiom (班門弄斧)
placet	it pleases	expression of assent.
pluralis majestatis	plural of majesty	The first-person plural pronoun when used by an important personage to refer to himself or herself; also known as the "royal we".
pluralis modestiae	plural of modesty
plus minusve (p.m.v.)	more or less	Frequently found on Roman funerary inscriptions to denote that the age of a decedent is approximate.
plus ultra	further beyond	The national motto of Spain and a number of other institutions. Motto of the Colombian National Armada.
pollice compresso favor iudicabatur	goodwill decided by compressed thumb	Life was spared with a thumb tucked inside a closed fist, simulating a sheathed weapon. Conversely, a thumb up meant to unsheath your sword.
pollice verso	with a turned thumb	Used by Roman crowds to pass judgment on a defeated gladiator. The type of gesture used is uncertain. Also the name of a famous painting depicting gladiators by Jean-Léon Gérôme.
Polonia Restituta	Rebirth of Poland
pons asinorum	bridge of asses	Any obstacle that stupid people find hard to cross. Originally used of Euclid's Fifth Proposition in geometry.
Pontifex Maximus	Greatest High Priest	Or "Supreme Pontiff". Originally an office in the Roman Republic, later a title held by Roman Emperors, and later a traditional epithet of the pope. The pontifices were the most important priestly college of the religion in ancient Rome; their name is usually thought to derive from pons facere ("to make a bridge"), which in turn is usually linked to their religious authority over the bridges of Rome, especially the Pons Sublicius.
posse comitatus	force of the county	Thus, to be able to be made into part of a retinue or force. In common law, a sheriff's right to compel people to assist law enforcement in unusual situations.
possunt quia posse videntur	They can because they think they can	Inscription on the back of Putney medals, awarded to boat race winning Oxford blues. From Virgil's Aeneid Book V line 231.
post aut propter	after it or by means of it	Causality between two phenomena is not established (cf. post hoc, ergo propter hoc).
post cibum (p.c.)	after food	Medical shorthand for "after meals" (cf. ante cibum).
post coitum	After sex	After sexual intercourse.
post coitum omne animal triste est sive gallus et mulier	After sexual intercourse every animal is sad, except the cock (rooster) and the woman	Or: triste est omne animal post coitum, praeter mulierem gallumque. Attributed to Galen of Pergamum.
post hoc ergo propter hoc	after this, therefore because of this	A logical fallacy where one assumes that one thing happening after another thing means that the first thing caused the second.
post festum	after the feast	Too late, or after the fact.
post meridiem (p.m.)	after midday	The period from noon to midnight (cf. ante meridiem).
post mortem (pm)	after death	Usually rendered postmortem. Not to be confused with post meridiem.
Post mortem auctoris (p.m.a.)	after the author's death	The phrase is used in legal terminology in the context of intellectual property rights, especially copyright, which commonly lasts until a certain number of years after the author's death.
post nubila phoebus	after the clouds, the sun	Motto of the University of Zulia, Venezuela.
post prandial	after “late breakfast”	Refers to the time after any meal. Usually rendered postprandial.
post scriptum (p.s.)	after what has been written	A postscript. Used to mark additions to a letter, after the signature. Can be extended to post post scriptum (p.p.s.), etc.
post tenebras lux, or post tenebras spero lucem	after darkness, [I hope for] light	Motto of the Protestant Reformation inscribed on the Reformation Wall in Geneva from Vulgata, Job 17:12. Former motto of Chile; motto of Robert College of Istanbul.
postera crescam laude	we grow in the esteem of future generations	Motto of the University of Melbourne.
potest solum unum	There can be only one	Highlander.
praemia virtutis honores	honours are the rewards of virtue
praemonitus praemunitus	forewarned is forearmed
praesis ut prosis ne ut imperes	Lead in order to serve, not in order to rule.	Motto of Lancaster Royal Grammar School.
praeter legem	after the law	Legal terminology, international law
Praga Caput Regni	Prague, Head of the Kingdom	Motto of Prague from Middle Ages
Praga Caput Rei publicae	Prague, Head of the Republic	Motto of Prague from 1991
Praga mater urbium	Prague, Mother of Cities	Motto of Prague from 1927
Praga totius Bohemiae domina	Prague, the mistress of the whole of Bohemia	Former motto of Prague
Pretium Laborum Non Vile	No mean reward for labour	Motto of the Order of the Golden Fleece
pretiumque et causa laboris	The prize and the cause of our labour	Motto of Burnley Football Club; from Ovid's Metamorphoses, 4.739 (Latin)/English): "The Tale of Perseus and Andromeda": resoluta catenis incedit virgo, pretiumque et causa laboris. ("freed of her chains the virgin approaches, cause and reward of the enterprise.")
prima facie	at first sight	Used to designate evidence in a trial which is suggestive, but not conclusive, of something (e.g., a person's guilt).
prima luce	at dawn	Literally "at first light".
primas sum: primatum nil a me alienum puto	I am a primate; nothing about primates is outside of my bailiwick	A sentence by the American anthropologist Earnest Hooton and the slogan of primatologists and lovers of the primates.
primum mobile	first moving thing	Or "first thing able to be moved". See primum movens.
primum movens	prime mover	Or "first moving one". A common theological term, such as in the cosmological argument, based on the assumption that God was the first entity to "move" or "cause" anything. Aristotle was one of the first philosophers to discuss the "uncaused cause", a hypothetical originator—and violator—of causality.
primum non nocere	first, to not harm	A medical precept. Often falsely attributed to the Hippocratic Oath, though its true source is probably a paraphrase from Hippocrates' Epidemics, where he wrote, "Declare the past, diagnose the present, foretell the future; practice these acts. As to diseases, make a habit of two things: to help, or at least to do no harm."
primus inter pares	first among equals	Position of the Ecumenical Patriarch in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and a title of the Roman Emperors (cf. princeps).
principia probant non probantur	principles prove; they are not proved	Fundamental principles require no proof; they are assumed a priori.
principiis obsta (et respice finem)	resist the beginnings (and consider the end)	Ovid, Remedia Amoris, 91
principium individuationis	Individuation	psychological term: the self-formation of the personality into a coherent whole
prior tempore potior iure	earlier in time, stronger in law	A legal principle that older laws take precedent over newer ones. Another name for this principle is lex posterior.
pro aris et focis	For God and country	The motto of the Royal Queensland Regiment, and many other regiments.
pro bono publico	for the public good	Often abbreviated pro bono. Work undertaken voluntarily at no expense, such as public services. Often used of a lawyer's work that is not charged for.
pro Brasilia fiant eximia	let exceptional things be made for Brazil	Motto of São Paulo state, Brazil.
pro Deo et Patria	For God and Country	One of the mottos of Lyceum of the Philippines University and many other institutions.
pro domo (sua)	for (one’s own) home or house	serving the interests of a given perspective or for the benefit of a given group.
pro Ecclesia, pro Texana	For Church, For Texas	Motto of Baylor University, a private Christian Baptist university in Waco, Texas.
pro fide et patria	for faith and fatherland	Motto of the originally Irish Muldoon family and of several schools, such as the Diocesan College (Bishops) in Cape Town, South Africa, and All Hallows High School in the Bronx, New York.
pro forma	for form	Or "as a matter of form". Prescribing a set form or procedure, or performed in a set manner.
pro gloria et patria	for glory and fatherland	Motto of Prussia
pro hac vice	for this occasion	Request of a state court to allow an out-of-state lawyer to represent a client.
pro multis	for many	It is part of the Rite of Consecration of the wine in Western Christianity tradition, as part of the Mass.
pro parte	in part	Frequently used in taxonomy to refer to part of a group.
pro patria	for country	Pro Patria Medal: for operational service (minimum 55 days) in defence of the Republic South Africa or in the prevention or suppression of terrorism; issued for the Border War (counter-insurgency operations in South West Africa 1966–89) and for campaigns in Angola (1975–76 and 1987–88). Motto of The Royal Canadian Regiment, Royal South Australia Regiment, Hurlstone Agricultural High School.
pro patria vigilans	watchful for the country	Motto of the United States Army Signal Corps.
pro per	for self	to defend oneself in court without counsel; abbreviation of propria persona. See also: pro se.
pro rata	for the rate	i.e., proportionately.
pro re nata (PRN, prn)	for a thing that has been born	Medical shorthand for "as the occasion arises" or "as needed". Also "concerning a matter having come into being". Used to describe a meeting of a special Presbytery or Assembly called to discuss something new, and which was previously unforeseen (literally: "concerning a matter having been born").
pro rege et lege	for king and the law	Found on the Leeds coat of arms.
pro rege, lege et grege	for king, the law and the people	Found on the coat of arms of Perth, Scotland.
pro se	for oneself	to defend oneself in court without counsel. Some jurisdictions prefer, "pro per".
pro scientia et patria	for science and nation	motto of the National University of La Plata
pro studio et labore	for study and work
pro tanto	for so much	Denotes something that has only been partially fulfilled. A philosophical term indicating the acceptance of a theory or idea without fully accepting the explanation.
pro tempore	for the time (being)	Denotes a temporary current situation; abbreviated pro tem.
probatio pennae	testing of the pen	Medieval Latin term for breaking in a new pen
probis pateo	I am open for honest people	Traditionally inscribed above a city gate or above the front entrance of a dwelling or place of learning.
prodesse quam conspici	To Accomplish Rather Than To Be Conspicuous	motto of Miami University
propria manu (p.m.)	"by one's own hand"
propter vitam vivendi perdere causas	to destroy the reasons for living for the sake of life	That is, to squander life's purpose just in order to stay alive, and live a meaningless life. From Juvenal, Satyricon VIII, verses 83–84.
protectio trahit subjectionem, et subjectio protectionem	Protection draws allegiance, and allegiance draws protection	Legal maxim, indicating that reciprocity of fealty with protection
provehito in altum	launch forward into the deep	motto of Memorial University of Newfoundland
proxime accessit	he came next	the runner-up
proximo mense (prox.)	in the following month	Used in formal correspondence to refer to the next month. Used with ult. ("last month") and inst. ("this month").
pulchrum est paucorum hominum	Beauty is for the few	from Friedrich Nietzsche's 1889 book Twilight of the Idols
pulvis et umbra sumus	we are dust and shadow	From Horace, Carmina book IV, 7, 16.
punctum saliens	leaping point	Thus, the essential or most notable point. The salient point.
purificatus non consumptus	purified, not consumed	Motto of Washburn University, last charter school in the United States of America, located in Topeka, Kansas.