in flagrante delicto

 

in flagrante delicto (not comparable)

1. In the act of committing a misdeed.
1. 
   
2. While performing sexual activity. 

Borrowed from Medieval Latin in flagrante delicto (literally “while the crime is blazing”), from in + flāgrō (“burn”) + dēlictō, form of dēlictum (“crime, misdeed”).

 

arbiter elegantiarum

 

arbiter elegantiarum

An authority on manners or etiquette.

nugatory

 nugatory (comparative more nugatory, superlative most nugatory)

1. Trivial, trifling or of little importance.
1. Ineffective, invalid or futile.
2. (law) Having no force, inoperative, ineffectual.
3. (computing) Removable from a computer program with safety, but harmless if retained.

Borrowed from Latin nūgātōrius

O tempora! O mores!

 Latin for "Oh the times! Oh the habits!"

In the Roman Senate Cicero said this to decry the times he lived in.

Sui generis

 Sui generis (/ˌsuːi ˈdʒɛnərɪs/ SOO-ee JEN-ər-iss, Latin: [ˈsʊ.iː ˈɡɛnɛrɪs]) is a Latin phrase that means "of its/his/her/their own kind, in a class by itself", therefore "unique".

 The grand canyon, an example of sui generis

mare nostrum

 Latin for 'our sea', used by Romans to describe the Mediterranean Sea.

Jus legationis

Jus legationis is a Legal Latin term meaning the capacity to send and receive consuls and diplomats.

stercus taurinum

bull manure

latin

Non compos mentis

Non compos mentis is a term meaning "not of sound mind". Non compos mentis derives from the Latin non meaning "not", compos meaning "having (command of)", and mentis (genitive singular of mens), meaning "mind". It is the direct opposite of Compos mentis (of a composed mind).

Vulgate

The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations. By the 13th century this revision had come to be called the versio vulgata, that is, the "commonly used translation", and ultimately it became the definitive and officially promulgated Latin version of the Bible in the Roman Catholic Church. Its widespread adoption led to the eclipse of earlier Latin translations, which are collectively referred to as the Vetus Latina.

Congener

Congener (from Latin congener "of the same race or kind," from com- "together" + gener-, stem of genus "kind") has several different meanings depending on the field in which it is used. Colloquially, it is used to mean a person or thing like another, in character or action.

In biology, congeners are organisms within the same genus. A related term -- referring to members of the same species -- is conspecific.

In chemistry, congeners are related chemicals, e.g., elements in the same group of the periodic table, or derivatives thereof.

In the alcoholic beverages industry, congeners, also known as fusel oils, are substances produced during fermentation

cunctation

cunctation (uncountable)

(obsolete) Delay, hesitation, procrastination.

De gustibus non est disputandum

This is a Latin maxim meaning "In matters of taste, there can be no disputes" (literally, "There must not be debate concerning tastes.")

The implication is that everyone's personal preferences are merely subjective opinions that cannot be "right" or "wrong", so they should never be argued about as if they were.

This phrase is famously misquoted in Act I of Anton Chekhov's play The Seagull. The character Shamrayev conflates it with the phrase de mortuis nil nisi bonum (in the alternate form: de mortuis, aut bene aut nihil – "of the dead, either [speak] good or [say] nothing"), resulting in "de gustibus aut bene, aut nihil", "Let nothing be said of taste but what is good".

simpliciter

simpliciter (comparative simplicius, superlative simplicissimē)

1. simply, plainly, straightforwardly, directly, utterly

Respondeat superior

Respondeat superior (Latin: "let the master answer"; plural: respondeant superiores) is a legal doctrine which states that, in many circumstances, an employer is responsible for the actions of employees performed within the course of their employment. This rule is also called the "Master-Servant Rule", recognized in both common law and civil law jurisdictions.

In a broader scope, respondeat superior is based upon the concept of vicarious liability.

Amanuensis

Amanuensis is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour. The term is derived from a Latin expression which may be literally translated as "manual labourer".

Gravamen

Gravamen (from Lat. gravare, to weigh down; gravis, heavy), a complaint or grievance, the ground of a legal action, and particularly the more serious part of a charge against an accused person. In legal terms, the essential element of a lawsuit.

In English the term is used chiefly in legal submissions and judicial opinions. The word is commonly misspelled gravaman.

bicameralism

In the government, bicameralism (Latin bi, two + camera, chamber) is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses. Bicameralism is an essential and defining feature of the classical notion of mixed government. Bicameral legislatures tend to require a concurrent majority to pass legislation.

plenipotentiary

The word plenipotentiary (from the Latin, plenus + potens, full + power) has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative (e.g., ambassador). As an adjective, plenipotentiary refers to that which confers "full powers."

Mutatis mutandis

Mutatis mutandis is a Latin phrase meaning "by changing those things which need to be changed" or more simply "the necessary changes having been made".

The phrase carries the connotation that the reader should pay attention to the corresponding differences between the current statement and a previous one, although they are analogous. This term is used frequently in economics, philosophy and in law, to parameterize a statement with a new term, or note the application of an implied, mutually understood set of changes. The phrase is also used in the study of counter-factuals, wherein the requisite change in the factual basis of the past is made and the resulting causalities are followed.