View source for List of Latin phrases (M)

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{{latin intro}}<onlyinclude>
{| class="wikitable"
!Latin!!Translation!!Notes
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|''{{Anchor|Macte animo!}}Macte animo! Generose puer sic itur ad astra''||Young, cheer up! This is the way to the skies.||Motto of [[Brazilian Air Force Academy|Academia da Força Aérea]] (Air Force Academy) of the Brazilian Air Force
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|''{{anchor|macte virtute sic itur ad astra}}[[wikt:mactus|macte]] [[wikt:virtus|virtute]] [[wikt:sic#Latin|sic]] [[wikt:itur|itur]] [[wikt:ad#Latin|ad]] [[wikt:astra#Latin|astra]]''||those who excel, thus reach the stars||or "excellence is the way to the stars"; frequent motto; from [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'' [[:la:s:Aeneis/Liber IX#640|IX.641]] ([[s:Aeneid (Dryden)/Book IX|English]], [[John Dryden|Dryden]])
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|''{{Anchor|magister dixit}}magister dixit''||the teacher has said it||Canonical medieval reference to [[Aristotle]], precluding further discussion
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|''{{Anchor|magister meus Christus}}magister meus Christus''||Christ is my teacher||common Catholic edict and motto of a Catholic private school, [[Andrean High School]] in Merrillville, Indiana
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|''[[Magna Carta]]''||Great Charter||Set of documents from 1215 between [[Pope Innocent III]], [[John, King of England|King John of England]], and English [[baron]]s.
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|''[[magna cum laude]]''||with great praise||Common [[Latin honors|Latin honor]], above ''cum laude'' and below ''summa cum laude''
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|''{{visible anchor|magna di curant, parva neglegunt}}''||The gods care about great matters, but they neglect small ones||[[Cicero]], ''[[De Natura Deorum]]'' '''2''':167
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|''{{visible anchor|magna est vis consuetudinis}}''||great is the power of habit||
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|''{{visible anchor|Magna Europa est patria nostra}}''||Greater Europe is Our Fatherland||Political motto of pan-Europeanists
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|''{{visible anchor|magno cum gaudio}}''||with great joy||
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|[[magnum opus (disambiguation)|''magnum opus'']]||great work||Said of someone's [[masterpiece]]
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|''{{visible anchor|magnum vectigal est parsimonia}}''||Economy is a great revenue||[[Cicero]], ''Paradoxa'' '''6'''/3:49. Sometimes translated into English as "thrift (or frugality) is a great revenue (or income)", edited from its original [[Dependent clause|subordinate clause]]: "O di immortales! non intellegunt homines, quam ''magnum vectigal sit parsimonia''." ({{langx|en|O immortal gods! Men do not understand what a great revenue is thrift.}})
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|''{{visible anchor|maior e longinquo reverentia}}''||greater reverence from afar||When viewed from a distance, everything is beautiful. [[Tacitus]], ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annales]]'' [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 1#47|1.47]]
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|''{{visible anchor|maior singulis minor universis}}''||&nbsp;||(the prince, king, pope) is more tan the individual, but less than their totality<ref>{{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Magnus|chapter=20. Political Thought|title=The Cambridge Companion to Roman Law|editor=David Johnston|editor-link=David Eric Lothian Johnston|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2015|pages=423–451|series=Cambridge Companions to the Ancient World|doi=10.1017/CCO9781139034401.026 }}</ref>
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|''{{visible anchor|maiora premunt}}''||greater things are pressing||Used to indicate that it is the moment to address more important, urgent, issues.
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|''{{visible anchor|mala fide}}''||in bad faith||Said of an act done with knowledge of its illegality, or with intention to defraud or mislead someone. Opposite of ''bona fide''.
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|''{{visible anchor|mala ipsa nova}}''||Bad News Itself||Motto of the inactive [[495th Fighter Squadron]], [[US Air Force]]
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|''{{visible anchor|mala tempora currunt}}''||bad times are upon us||Also used ironically, e.g.: New teachers know all tricks used by pupils to copy from classmates? Oh, mala tempora currunt!.
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|''[[male captus bene detentus]]''||wrongly captured, properly detained||An illegal arrest will not prejudice the subsequent detention/trial.
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|''{{visible anchor|malo mori quam foedari}}''||Death rather than dishonour||Motto of the inactive [[34th Battalion (Australia)]], the [[Drimnagh Castle Secondary School]]
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|''{{visible anchor|Malo periculosam libertatem quam quietam servitutem}}''||I prefer dangerous liberty to peaceful slavery||Attributed to the Count Palatine of Posen before the [[Sejm|Polish Diet]], cited in ''[[The Social Contract]]'' by [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]]
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|''{{visible anchor|malum discordiae}}''||apple of discord||Alludes to the apple of [[Eris (mythology)|Eris]] in the [[Judgement of Paris]], the mythological cause of the [[Trojan War]].
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|''[[malum in se]]''||wrong in itself||A legal term meaning that something is prohibited because it is inherently wrong (cf. ''malum prohibitum''); for example, murder. 
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|''[[malum prohibitum]]''||wrong due to being prohibited||A legal term meaning that something is only wrong because it is against the law (cf. ''malum in se''); for example, violating a speed limit. 
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|''[[mandamus]]''||we command||A [[judicial remedy]] ordering a lower court, government entity, or public authority to do something (or refrain from doing something) as required by law.
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|''{{Anchor|malum quo communius eo peius}}malum quo communius eo peius''||the more common an evil is, the worse it is||
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|''{{Anchor|manibus date lilia plenis}}manibus date lilia plenis''||give lilies with full hands||A phrase from [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'', [[s:la:Aeneis/Liber VI#880|VI.883]], mourning the death of [[Marcus Claudius Marcellus (Julio-Claudian dynasty)|Marcellus]], [[Augustus]]' nephew. Quoted by [[Dante Alighieri|Dante]] as he leaves Virgil in [[Purgatorio|Purgatory]], [[s:The Divine Comedy/Purgatorio/Canto XXX|XXX.21]], echoed by [[Walt Whitman]] in ''[[Leaves of Grass]]'' [[s:Leaves of Grass/Book III#6|III, 6]].
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|''{{Anchor|manu forte}}manu forte''||literally translated means 'with a strong hand', often quoted as 'by strength of hand'||Motto of the Clan McKay
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|''{{Anchor|manu militari}}manu militari''||with a military hand||Using armed forces in order to achieve a goal
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|''[[manu propria]] <small>(m.p.)</small>''||with one's own hand||With the implication of "signed by one's hand". Its abbreviated form is sometimes used at the end of typewritten or printed documents or official notices, directly following the name of the person(s) who "signed" the document exactly in those cases where there isn't an actual handwritten [[signature]].
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|''{{Anchor|manus manum lavat}}manus manum lavat''||one hand washes the other||famous quote from ''[[The Pumpkinification of Claudius]]'', ascribed to [[Seneca the Younger]].<ref name="Harbottle" /> It implies that one situation helps the other.
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|''{{Anchor|manus multae cor unum}}manus multae cor unum''||many hands, one heart||Motto of the [[Alpha Delta Phi]] fraternity.
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|''{{Anchor|manus nigra}}manus nigra''||black hand||
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|''{{Anchor|marcet sine adversario virtus}}marcet sine adversario virtus''||valor becomes feeble without an opponent||[[Seneca the Younger]], ''[[De Providentia]]'' '''2''':4. Also, translated into English as "[their] strength and courage droop without an antagonist" ("Of Providence" (1900) by Seneca, translated by Aubrey Stewart),<ref>{{cite book |last=Seneca |first=Lucius Annaeus |authorlink=Seneca the Younger |others=Translated by Aubrey Stewart |year=1900 |title=Minor Dialogs: Together with the Dialog On Clemency |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Of_Providence |location=London |publisher=[[George Bell & Sons]] |oclc=811117949 }}</ref> "without an adversary, prowess shrivels" (''Moral Essays'' (1928) by Seneca, translated by John W, Basore)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Seneca |first1=Lucius Annaeus |author1link=Seneca the Younger |others=Translated by John W. Basore |year=1928 |title=Moral Essays |url=https://archive.org/stream/moralessayswithe01seneuoft/moralessayswithe01seneuoft_djvu.txt |location=London, New York |publisher=[[Heinemann (publisher)|William Heinemann]], [[G. P. Putnam's Sons]] |oclc=685728 }}</ref> and "prowess withers without opposition".
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|''{{Anchor|mare clausum}}mare clausum''||closed sea||In law, a sea under the jurisdiction of one nation and closed to all others.
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|''Mare Ditat, Rosa Decorat'' ||The sea enriches, the rose adorns||Motto of [[Montrose, Angus]] and {{HMS|Montrose|F236|6}}
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|''{{Anchor|mare liberum}}mare liberum''||free sea||In law, a sea open to international shipping navigation.
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|''{{Anchor|mare nostrum}}mare nostrum''||our sea||A nickname given to the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] during the height of the [[Roman Empire]], as it encompassed the entire coastal basin.
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|[[Mater Dei (disambiguation)|''Mater Dei'']]||Mother of God||A name given to describe [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]], who gave birth to [[Jesus]], who is also called the [[Son of God]].
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|''{{Anchor|mater familias}}mater familias''||the mother of the family||The female head of a family. See ''[[pater familias]]''.
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|''[[mater lectionis]]''||mother of reading||a consonant used to represent a vowel in writing systems that lack separate vowel characters, such as [[Hebrew alphabet|Hebrew]] and [[Arabic script|Arabic]] script. Translation of {{langx|he|אֵם קְרִיאָה}} {{Transliteration|he|ʾem kəriʾa}}. 
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|''[[Mater semper certa est]]''||the mother is always certain||A Roman law principle that the mother of a child is always known, as opposed to the father who may not be known. This principle had the power of ''praesumptio iuris et de iure'' (literally "presumption of law and by law"), meaning that no counter-evidence can be made against this principle. 
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|''[[materia medica]]''||medical matter||Branch of medical science concerned with the study of drugs used in the treatment of disease. Also, the drugs themselves.
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|''{{Anchor|maxima debetur puero reverentia}}maxima debetur puero reverentia''||greatest deference is owed to the child||from [[Juvenal]]'s ''[[Satires (Juvenal)|Satires]]'' [[s:la:Saturae (Iuvenalis)/Liber V/Satura XIV|XIV:47]]
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|''{{Anchor|me vexat pede}}me vexat pede''||it annoys me at the foot||Less literally, "my foot itches". Refers to a trivial situation or person that is being a bother, possibly in the sense of wishing to kick that thing away or, such as the commonly used expressions, a "pebble in one's shoe" or "nipping at one's heels".
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|''[[mea culpa]]''||through my fault||Used in Christian prayers and confession to denote the inherently flawed nature of mankind; can also be extended to ''mea maxima culpa'' (through my greatest fault).
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|''{{Anchor|mea navis aëricumbens anguillis abundat}}mea navis aëricumbens anguillis abundat''||My hovercraft is full of eels||A relatively common recent Latinization inspired by the [[Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook]] sketch by [[Monty Python]].
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|''[[media vita in morte sumus]]''||In the midst of our lives we die||A well-known sequence, falsely attributed to [[Notker the Stammerer|Notker]] during the Middle Ages. It was translated by [[Thomas Cranmer|Cranmer]] and became a part of the [[requiem|burial service]] in the [[funeral]] rites of the [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]''.
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|''{{visible anchor|Mediolanum captum est}}''||Milan has been captured||Used erroneously as ''Mediolanum Capta Est'' by the black metal band [[Mayhem (band)|Mayhem]] as an album title. [[Mediolanum]] was an ancient city in present-day [[Milan]], Italy.
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|''{{visible anchor|melius abundare quam deficere}}''||Better too much than not enough||Also used in [[Ellipsis (linguistics)|elliptical]] form as ''melius abundare''.
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|''{{visible anchor|meliora}}''||better things||Carrying the connotation of "always better". Motto of the [[University of Rochester]].
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|''{{visible anchor|meliorare legem meliorare vitam est}}''||To improve the law is to improve life.||Motto of the Salem/[[Roanoke County, Virginia]] Bar Association. 
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|''{{visible anchor|meliorem lapsa locavit}}''||He has planted one better than the one fallen. ||Motto of the [[Belmont County, Ohio]], and the motto in the seal of the [[Northwest Territory]]
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|''{{visible anchor|mendacem oportet esse memorem}}''||a liar ought to have a good memory||From [[Quintilian]], ''[[Institutio Oratoria]]'', book IV, ch. 2, line 91.<ref>{{cite book|title=[[Institutio Oratoria]]|author=[[Quintilian]]|volume=Book IV|chapter=2|chapter-url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Quintilian/Institutio_Oratoria/4B*.html|access-date=31 March 2025|page=101|series=[[Loeb Classical Library]]|year=1920|translator=[[Harold Edgeworth Butler]]|via=penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer}} ([https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/quintilian/quintilian.institutio4.shtml#2 in Latin] – via [[The Latin Library]])</ref>
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|''[[memento mori]]''||remember that [you will] die||remember your mortality; medieval Latin based on "memento moriendum esse" in antiquity.<ref>{{ill|Gerald Drews|de}} (2012). ''Latein für Angeber'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=zdwmDzN3WiUC&pg=PT85 p. 85]. Basserman Verlag. {{ISBN|9783641083847}} (in German)</ref>
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|''{{Anchor|memento vivere}}memento vivere''||remember to live||
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|''{{Anchor|meminerunt omnia amantes}}meminerunt omnia amantes''||lovers remember all||
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|''{{Anchor|memores acti prudentes futuri}}memores acti prudentes futuri''||mindful of things done, aware of things to come||Thus, both remembering the past and foreseeing the future. From the [[North Hertfordshire]] District Council coat of arms. <!--Only 1 non-Wikipedia hit on Google.-->
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|''{{Anchor|Memoriae Sacrum}}Memoriae Sacrum (M.S.)''||Sacred to the memory (of ...)||A common first line on 17th-century English church monuments. The Latinized name of the deceased follows, in the genitive case. Alternatively it may be used as a heading, the inscription following being in English, for example: "''Memoriae Sacrum''. Here lies the body of ..." 
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|''{{Anchor|mens agitat molem}}mens agitat molem''||the mind moves the mass||From [[Virgil]]; motto of several educational institutions
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|''{{visible anchor|Mens conscia recti}}''||a mind aware of what is right||Motto of [[The College Preparatory School]] in Oakland, California
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|''{{Anchor|mens et manus}}mens et manus''||mind and hand||Motto of [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], [[New York Institute of Technology]], and also of the [[Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine]].
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|''[[mens rea]]''||guilty mind||Also "culprit mind". A term used in discussing the mindset of an accused criminal.
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|''[[mens sana in corpore sano]]''||a healthy mind in a healthy body||[[Satires (Juvenal)|Satire X]] of the Roman poet [[Juvenal]] ([[s:la:Saturae (Iuvenalis, Bucheler)/Liber IV/Satura X#355|10.356]]); motto of many sporting clubs, military and educational institutions
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|''{{visible anchor|metri causa}}''||for the sake of the [[Metre (poetry)|metre]]||Excusing flaws in poetry "for the sake of the metre"
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|''[[Miles Gloriosus]]''||Glorious Soldier||Or "Boastful Soldier". ''[[Miles Gloriosus (play)|Miles Gloriosus]]'' is the title of a play of [[Plautus]]. A stock character in comedy, the braggart soldier. (It is said that at [[Salamanca]], there is a wall, on which graduates inscribe their names, where [[Francisco Franco]] had a plaque installed reading "Franciscus Francus Miles Gloriosus".)
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| ''{{visible anchor|miles praesidii libertatis}}''||Soldier of the Bastion of Freedom ||A phrase on the plaque in commemoration of Prof. [[Benjamin Marius Telders]], {{Interlanguage link|Academiegebouw (Leiden)|lt=Academiegebouw Leiden|nl}} (Netherlands).
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|''{{visible anchor|mictus cruentus}}''||bloody [[urine]]||see [[hematuria]]
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|''{{visible anchor|minatur innocentibus qui parcit nocentibus}}''||he threatens the innocent who spares the guilty||
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|''{{visible anchor|minus malum toleratur ut maius tollat}}''||choose the lesser evil so a greater evil may be averted; the [[lesser of two evils principle]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bejczy|first=István|title=Tolerantia: A Medieval Concept|url=https://www.law.kuleuven.be/personal/mstorme/BejczyTolerantia.pdf|journal=[[Journal of the History of Ideas]]|volume=58|number=3|date=July 1997|pages=365–384 (370)|jstor=3653905|doi=10.2307/3653905}}</ref>
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|''{{visible anchor|mirabile dictu}}''||wonderful to tell||[[Virgil]]
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|''{{visible anchor|mirabile visu}}''||wonderful to see||A Roman phrase used to describe a wonderful event/happening.
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|''{{visible anchor|mirum videtur quod sit factum iam diu}}''||Does it seem wonderful [merely] because it was done a long time/so long ago?||[[Livius Andronicus]], ''Aiax Mastigophorus''.
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|''{{visible anchor|miscerique probat populos et foedera jungi}}''||He approves of the mingling of the peoples and their bonds of union||Latin [[Aeneid]] of [[Virgil]], Book IV, line 112, "he" referring to the great Roman god, who approved of the settlement of Romans in Africa. Old Motto of [[Trinidad and Tobago]], and used in the novel ''[[A Bend in the River]]'' by [[V. S. Naipaul]].
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|''{{visible anchor|misera est servitus ubi jus est aut incognitum aut vagum}}'' ||miserable is that state of slavery in which the law is unknown or uncertain||Quoted by [[Samuel Johnson]] in his paper for [[James Boswell]] on [[Vicious intromission]].
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|''{{visible anchor|miserabile visu}}''||terrible to see||A terrible happening or event.
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|''{{visible anchor|miseram pacem vel bello bene mutari}}''||A bad peace is even worse than war.||From [[Tacitus]]' ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annales]]'', [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 3#44|III, 44]].
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|''{{visible anchor|miserere nobis}}''||have mercy upon us||A phrase within the ''Gloria in Excelsis Deo'' and the ''Agnus Dei'', to be used at certain points in Christian religious ceremonies.
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|''[[Missio Dei]]''||the Mission of God||A theological phrase in the Christian religion.
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|''{{Anchor|missit me Dominus}}missit me Dominus''||the Lord has sent me||A phrase used by [[Jesus]].
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|''[[mittimus]]''||we send||A warrant of commitment to prison, or an instruction for a jailer to hold someone in prison.
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|''{{Anchor|mobilis in mobili}}mobilis in mobili''||"moving in a moving thing" or, poetically, "changing through the changing medium"||The motto of the [[Nautilus (Verne)|''Nautilus'']] from the 1870 Jules Verne novel ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas]]''.
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|''[[modus operandi]] <small>(M.O.)</small>''||method of operating||Usually used to describe a criminal's methods.
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|''[[modus ponens]]''||method of placing||Loosely "method of affirming", a [[Mathematical logic|logical]] [[rule of inference]] stating that from propositions ''if P then Q'' and ''P'', then one can conclude ''Q''.
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|''[[modus tollens]]''||method of removing||Loosely "method of denying", a [[Mathematical logic|logical]] [[rule of inference]] stating that from propositions ''if P then Q'' and ''not Q'', then one can conclude ''not P''.
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|''[[modus vivendi]]''||method of living or way of life||An accommodation between disagreeing parties to allow life to go on. A practical compromise.
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|''{{Anchor|Monasterium sine libris est sicut civitas sine opibus}}Monasterium sine libris est sicut civitas sine opibus''||A monastery without books is like a city without wealth||Used in the [[Umberto Eco]] novel ''[[The Name of the Rose]]''. Part of a much larger phrase: Monasterium sine libris, est sicut civitas sine opibus, castrum sine numeris, coquina sine suppellectili, mensa sine cibis, hortus sine herbis, pratum sine floribus, arbor sine foliis. Translation: A monastery without books is like a city without wealth, a fortress without soldiers, a kitchen without utensils, a table without food, a garden without plants, a meadow without flowers, a tree without leaves.
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|''{{Anchor|montani semper liberi}}montani semper liberi''||mountaineers [are] always free||[[List of U.S. state mottos|State motto]] of [[West Virginia]], adopted in 1872; part of the coat of arms for the Colombian city of [[Bucaramanga]].
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|''{{Anchor|Montis Insignia Calpe}}Montis Insignia Calpe''|| Badge of the Mons Calpe (Rock of [[Gibraltar]])||A self-referential literal identifier below the emblem
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|''{{Anchor|morbus virgineus}}morbus virgineus''||Disease of the virgins or Virgin's disease||[[Hypochromic anemia]], an iron deficiency anemia common in young women<ref>{{cite book|author=Helen King|author-link=Helen King (classicist)|title=The Disease of Virgins: Green Sickness, Chlorosis, and the Problems of Puberty|publisher=Psychology Press|year=2004|isbn=9780415226622|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8Wnuu60L_0sC&pg=PA2&lpg=PA2&dq=morbus+virgineus 1–2]}}</ref>
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|''{{Anchor|more ferarum}}more ferarum''||like beasts||used to describe any sexual act in the manner of beasts
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|''{{Anchor|more suo}}more suo''||in his/her/its/their usual way ||
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|''{{Anchor|morior invictus}}morior invictus''|| I die unvanquished<ref name="morior_invictus_eudict">{{cite web|title=morior invictus |url=http://www.eudict.com/?lang=lateng&word=morior%20invictus|publisher=eudict.com}}</ref> || sometimes also translated as "death before defeat"<ref name="morior_invictus_eudict" />
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|''{{Anchor|morituri nolumus mori}}morituri nolumus mori''||we who are about to die don't want to||From Terry Pratchett's [[The Last Hero]], an effective parody on Morituri te salutamus/salutant
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|''{{Anchor|morituri te salutant}}morituri te salutant''||those who are about to die salute you||Used once in [[Suetonius]]' ''[[The Twelve Caesars|De Vita Caesarum]]'' 5, (''Divus [[Claudius]]''), chapter 21,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/suetonius/suet.claudius.html|title=Divus Claudius|via=[[The Latin Library]]}}</ref> by the condemned prisoners manning galleys about to take part in a mock naval battle on [[Fucine Lake|Lake Fucinus]] in AD 52. Popular misconception ascribes it as a gladiator's salute. See also: [[Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant]] and [[Naumachia]].
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|''{{Anchor|mors certa, hora incerta}}mors certa, hora incerta''||death is certain, its hour is uncertain||
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|''{{Anchor|mors mihi lucrum}}mors mihi lucrum''||death to me is reward||A common epitaph, from St Paul's [[Epistle to the Philippians]], 1:21 (''Mihi enim vivere Christus est et mori lucrum'', translated in the [[King James Bible]] as: "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain")
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|''{{Anchor|mors omnibus}}mors omnibus''||death to all||Signifies anger and depression.
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|''{{Anchor|mors tua vita mea}}mors tua, vita mea''||your death, my life||From medieval Latin, it indicates that battle for survival, where your defeat is necessary for my victory, survival.
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|''{{Anchor|mors vincit omnia}}mors vincit omnia''||"death conquers all" or "death always wins"||An axiom often found on headstones.
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|''{{Anchor|morte magis metuenda senectus}}morte magis metuenda senectus''||old age should rather be feared than death||from [[Juvenal]] in his ''[[Satires (Juvenal)|Satires]]''
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|''{{Anchor|mortui vivos docent}}mortui vivos docent''|| The dead teach the living||Used to justify dissections of human cadavers in order to understand the cause of death.
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|''{{Anchor|mortuum flagellas}}mortuum flagellas''||you are flogging a dead (man)||From Gerhard Gerhards' (1466–1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection of annotated Adagia (1508). Criticising one who will not be affected in any way by the criticism.
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|''[[mos maiorum]]''||the custom of our ancestors||an unwritten code of laws and conduct, of the Romans. It institutionalized cultural traditions, societal mores, and general policies, as distinct from written laws.
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|''[[motu proprio]]''||on his own initiative||Or "by his own accord." Identifies a class of papal documents, administrative papal bulls.
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|''{{Anchor|mulgere hircum}}mulgere hircum''||to milk a male goat||From Gerhard Gerhards' (1466–1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection of annotated Adagia (1508). Attempting the impossible.
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|''{{Anchor|Mulier est hominis confusio}}mulier est hominis confusio''||woman is man's ruin||"Part of a comic definition of woman" from the Altercatio Hadriani Augusti et Secundi.<ref>Larry D. Benson, ed. ''The Riverside Chaucer''. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987. p. 939, n. 3164.</ref> Famously quoted by [[The Nun's Priest's Tale|Chauntecleer]] in [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]'s ''[[Canterbury Tales]]''.
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|''{{Anchor|multa paucis}}multa paucis''||Say much in few words||
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|''{{Anchor|multis e gentibus vires}}multis e gentibus vires''||from many peoples, strength||[[List of national mottos|Motto]] of [[Saskatchewan]]
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|''{{Anchor|multitudo sapitentium sanitas orbis}}multitudo sapientium sanitas orbis''||a multitude of the wise is the health of the world||From the Vulgate, Wisdom of Solomon 6:24. [[List of mottos|Motto]] of the [[University of Victoria]].
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|''{{Anchor|multum in parvo}}multum in parvo''||much in little||Conciseness. The term "[[mipmap]]" is formed using the phrase's abbreviation "MIP"; motto of [[Rutland]], a county in central England.<br /><small>Latin phrases are often ''multum in parvo'', conveying much in few words.</small>
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|''{{Anchor|mundus senescit}}mundus senescit''||the world grows old||
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|''{{Anchor|mundus vult decipi}}mundus vult decipi''||the world wants to be deceived||Ascribed to Roman satirist [[Petronius]]. Also in [[Augustine of Hippo]]'s [[City of God (book)|''De Civitate Dei contra Paganos'']] (5th century AD), [[Sebastian Franck]]'s ''Paradoxa Ducenta Octoginta'' (1542), and in [[James Branch Cabell]]'s 1921 novel ''[[Figures of Earth]]''.<ref name="Martínez">{{cite book |first=Javier |last=Martínez |title=Mundus vult decipi |publisher=Ediciones Clásicas |location=Madrid |year=2012 |page=9 |isbn=978-84-7882-738-1 }}</ref><ref name="Harbottle">{{cite book |first=Thomas Benfield |last=Harbottle |title=Dictionary of Quotations (Classical) |publisher=Macmillan|year=1906}}</ref><ref name="Burton">{{cite book |first=Robert |last=Burton |authorlink=Robert Burton|title=[[The Anatomy of Melancholy]]'', Part 3, Sect. 4. Memb. 1. Subs. 2.''|editor1=Kiessling, Nicolas K.|editor2=Faulkner, Thomas C.|editor3=Blair, Rhonda L.|publisher=Oxford University Press|volume=3 |year=1990 |page=347 }}</ref><ref name="Wyttenbach">{{cite book|title=Plutarchus, and Theophrastus, on Superstition; with Various Appendices, and a Life of Plutarchus|publisher=Julian Hibbert |location=Kentish Town |year=1828 |at=First Appendix, p. 5}} Based in part on material by [[Daniel Albert Wyttenbach]].</ref>
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|''[[mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur]]''||the world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived||Ascribed to Roman satirist [[Petronius]]. Also in [[Augustine of Hippo]]'s [[City of God (book)|''De Civitate Dei contra Paganos'']] (5th century AD) as "si mundus vult decipi, decipiatur" ("if the world will be gulled, let it be gulled"), and only the first part, "[[#mundus_vult_decipi|mundus vult decipi]]" ("the world wants to be deceived"), in [[Sebastian Franck]]'s ''Paradoxa Ducenta Octoginta'' (1542) and in [[James Branch Cabell]]'s ''[[Figures of Earth]]'' (1921).<ref name="Martínez" /><ref name="Harbottle" /><ref name="Burton" /><ref name="Wyttenbach" />
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|''{{Anchor|munit haec et altera vincit}}munit haec et altera vincit''||this one defends and the other one conquers||[[List of national mottos|Motto]] of [[Nova Scotia]].
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|''{{anchor|murus aeneus conscientia sana}}murus aeneus conscientia sana''||a wall of brass is a clear conscience|| a person with a clear conscience is as strong and impenetrable as a wall made of brass; this phrase is often seen as a family motto, particularly associated with the [[Earl of Scarbrough]] and [[Loder Baronets]] in England
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|''mutata lex non perit''||the law that does not evolve dies||Motto of [[Seneca the Younger]]
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|''[[mutatis mutandis]]''||after changing what needed to be changed||"with the appropriate changes"
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|''{{Anchor|mutato nomine de te fabula narratur}}mutato nomine de te fabula narratur''||change but the name, and the story is told of yourself||[[Horace]], [[Satires (Horace)|''Satires'']], I. 1. 69. Preceded by ''Quid rides?'' ("Why do you laugh?"; see [[List of Latin phrases (Q)#quid rides|Quid rides]]).
|}</onlyinclude> <!-- Please keep this line together with the end of the table to avoid an addition blank line in the rendered page. -->

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Further reading===
* {{cite book |isbn = 0865164223 |last = Adeleye |first = Gabriel G. |title = World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions |editor1 = Thomas J. Sienkewicz |editor2 = James T. McDonough, Jr |location = Wauconda, Illinois |publisher = Bolchazy-Carducci|year = 1999 |url-access = registration |url = https://archive.org/details/worlddictionaryo00adel|ref=none}}
* {{cite book |isbn=0415917751 |last=Stone |first=Jon R. |title=Latin for the Illiterati |location=London & New York |publisher=Routledge |year=1996 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/latinforillitera0000ston|ref=none}}

{{Latin phrases}}

[[Category:Lists of Latin phrases|M]]