View source for List of Latin phrases (Q)

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{{Latin intro}}
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!Latin!!Translation!!Notes
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| ''{{anchor|qua definitione}}qua definitione'' ||by virtue of definition|| Thus: "by definition"; variant of [[List of Latin phrases: P#per definitionem|per definitionem]]; sometimes used in German-speaking countries. Occasionally misrendered as "qua definitionem".
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|''{{anchor|qua patet orbis}}qua patet orbis''||as far as the world extends||Motto of the Royal [[Netherlands Marine Corps]]
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|''{{anchor|quae non posuisti, ne tollas}}quae non posuisti, ne tollas''||do not take away what you did not put in place||[[Plato]], ''[[Laws (dialogue)|Laws]]''
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|''{{anchor|quae non prosunt singula multa iuvant}}quae non prosunt singula multa iuvant''||what alone is not useful helps when accumulated||[[Ovid]], ''[[Remedia amoris]]''
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|''{{anchor|quaecumque sunt vera}}quaecumque sunt vera''||whatsoever is true||frequently used as motto; taken from [[Epistle to the Philippians|Philippians]] [[s:la:Biblia Sacra Vulgata (Stuttgartensia)/ad Philippenses#Caput 4|4:8]] of the Bible
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|''{{anchor|quaecumque vera doce me}}quaecumque vera doce me''||teach me whatsoever is true||motto of [[St. Joseph's College, Edmonton]] at the [[University of Alberta]]
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|''{{anchor|quaere}}quaere''||to seek||Or "you might ask..." Used to suggest doubt or to ask one to consider whether something is correct. Often introduces rhetorical or tangential questions.
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|''{{anchor|quaerite primum regnum Dei}}quaerite primum regnum Dei''||seek ye first the kingdom of God||Also ''quaerite primo regnum dei''; frequently used as motto (e.g. [[Newfoundland and Labrador]])
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|''{{anchor|qualis artifex pereo}}qualis artifex pereo''||As what kind of artist do I perish?||Or "What a craftsman dies in me!" Attributed to [[Nero]] in [[Suetonius]]' ''[[The Twelve Caesars|De vita Caesarum]]''
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|''{{anchor|Qualitas potentia nostra}}Qualitas potentia nostra''||Quality is our might||motto of [[Finnish Air Force]]
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|''{{anchor|quam bene non quantum}}quam bene non quantum''||how well, not how much||motto of [[Mount Royal University]], Calgary, Canada
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|''{{anchor|quam bene vivas referre, non quam diu|quam bene vivas refert, non quam diu}}quam bene vivas referre'' (or ''refert'')'', non quam diu''||it is how well you live that matters, not how long||[[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]], ''[[Epistulae morales ad Lucilium]]'' [[s:la:Epistulae morales ad Lucilium/Liber XVII - XVIII|CI (101)]]
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|''quamdiu (se) bene gesserit''||as long as he shall have behaved well <small>(legal Latin)</small>||{{Anchor|quamdiu bene gesserit|quamdiu se bene gesserit|quamdiu se bene gesserint}}I.e., "[while on] good behavior." So for example the [[Act of Settlement 1701]] stipulated that judges' commissions are valid ''quamdiu se bene gesserint'' (during good behaviour). (Notice the different singular, "gesserit", and plural, "gesserint", forms.) It was from this phrase that [[Frank Herbert]] extracted the name for the [[Bene Gesserit]] sisterhood in the ''[[Dune (franchise)|Dune]]'' novels.
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|''{{anchor|quantocius quantotius}}[[Wikt:quantocius|quantocius]] quantotius''||the sooner, the better||or, as quickly as possible
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|''{{anchor|quantum libet}}quantum libet <small>(q.l.)</small>''||as much as pleases||[[Medical prescription#Abbreviations|medical shorthand]] for "as much as you wish"
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|''{{anchor|quantum sufficit}}quantum sufficit <small>(qs)</small>''||as much as is enough||[[Medical prescription#Abbreviations|medical shorthand]] for "as much as needed" or "as much as will suffice"
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|''{{anchor|quaque hora}}quaque hora <small>(qh)</small>''||every hour||[[Medical prescription#Abbreviations|medical shorthand]]; also ''quaque die'' <small>(qd)</small>, "every day", ''quaque mane'' <small>(qm)</small>, "every morning", and ''quaque nocte'' <small>(qn)</small>, "every night"
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|''{{anchor|quare clausum fregit}}quare clausum fregit''||wherefore he broke the close||An action of trespass; thus called, by reason the writ demands the person summoned to answer to ''wherefore he broke the close'' ''(quare clausum fregit)'', i.e. why he committed such a trespass.
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|''{{anchor|quater in die}}quater in die <small>(qid)</small>''||four times a day||[[Medical prescription#Abbreviations|medical shorthand]]
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|''{{visible anchor|quem deus vult perdere, dementat prius}}''||[[Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad]]||
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|''{{anchor|quem di diligunt adulescens moritur}}quem di diligunt adulescens moritur''||he whom the gods love dies young||Other translations of ''diligunt'' include "prize especially" or "esteem". From [[Plautus]], ''[[Bacchides (play)|Bacchides]]'', IV, 7, 18. In this comic play, a sarcastic servant says this to his aging master. The rest of the sentence reads: ''dum valet sentit sapit'' ("while he is healthy, perceptive and wise").
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|''{{anchor|questio quid iuris}}questio quid iuris''||I ask what law?||from the Summoner's section of [[Geoffrey Chaucer|Chaucer]]'s General Prologue to ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'', line 648
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|''{{anchor|qui audet adipiscitur}}qui audet adipiscitur''||[[Who Dares Wins]]||The motto of the SAS, of the British Army
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|''{{anchor|qui bene cantat bis orat}}qui bene cantat bis orat''||he who sings well praises twice||from St. [[Augustine of Hippo]]'s commentary on Psalm 73, verse 1: ''Qui enim cantat laudem, non solum laudat, sed etiam hilariter laudat'' ("He who sings praises, not only praises, but praises joyfully")
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|''{{anchor|qui bono}}qui bono''||who with good||common misspelling of the Latin phrase ''[[cui bono]]'' ("who benefits?")
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|''{{anchor|qui docet in doctrina}}qui docet in doctrina''||he that teacheth, on teaching||Motto of the [[University of Chester]]. A less literal translation is "Let those who teach, teach" or "Let the teacher teach".
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|''{{visible anchor|qui gladio ferit gladio perit}}''||He who strikes a sword dies by the sword||Or "[[live by the sword, die by the sword]]"; derived from Jesus's words in the garden of [[Gethsemane]] in the [[Gospel of Matthew]] 26:52, {{lang|la|Omnes enim, qui acceperint gladium, gladio peribunt}} (for all who take up the sword shall perish by the sword).
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| ''{{anchor|qui habet aures audiendi audiat}}qui habet aures audiendi audiat'' || he who has ears to hear, let him hear || "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear"; [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Mark|chapter=4|verse=9}}
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|''{{anchor|qui me tangit, vocem meam audit}}qui me tangit, vocem meam audit''|| who touches me, hears my voice||common inscription on bells
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|''{{anchor|qui tacet consentire videtur}}[[Silence procedure|qui tacet consentire videtur]]''||he who is silent is taken to agree||Thus, silence gives consent. Sometimes accompanied by the proviso "''ubi loqui debuit ac potuit''", that is, "when he ought to have spoken and was able to". Pope Boniface VII in ''Decretale di Bonifacio VIII, Libro V, Tit. 12, reg. 43'' AD 1294
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|''{{anchor|qui prior est tempore potior est jure}}qui prior est tempore potior est jure''||Who is first in point of time is stronger in right||As set forth in the "Property Law" casebook written by Jesse Dukeminier, which is generally used to teach first year law students.
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|''{{anchor|qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac parte sequitur}}qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac parte sequitur''||he who brings an action for the king as well as for himself||Generally known as 'qui tam,' it is the technical legal term for the unique mechanism in the federal False Claims Act that allows persons and entities with evidence of fraud against federal programs or contracts to sue the wrongdoer on behalf of the Government.
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|''{{anchor|qui totum vult totum perdit}}qui totum vult totum perdit''||he who wants everything loses everything||Attributed to [[Publilius Syrus]]
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|''{{anchor|qui transtulit sustinet}}qui transtulit sustinet''||he who transplanted still sustains||Or "he who brought us across still supports us", meaning [[God]]. [[List of U.S. state and territory mottos|State motto]] of [[Connecticut]]. Originally written as ''sustinet qui transtulit'' in 1639.
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|''{{anchor|quia suam uxorem etiam suspicione vacare vellet}}quia suam uxorem etiam suspicione vacare vellet''||because he should wish his wife to be free even from any suspicion||Attributed to [[Julius Caesar]] by [[Plutarch]], ''Caesar'' 10. Translated loosely as "because even the wife of Caesar may not be suspected". At the feast of [[Bona Dea]], a sacred festival for females only, which was being held at the Domus Publica, the home of the [[Pontifex Maximus]], Caesar, and hosted by his second wife, [[Pompeia (wife of Julius Caesar)|Pompeia]], the notorious politician [[Publius Clodius Pulcher|Clodius]] arrived in disguise. Caught by the outraged noblewomen, Clodius fled before they could kill him on the spot for sacrilege. In the ensuing trial, allegations arose that Pompeia and Clodius were having an affair, and while Caesar asserted that this was not the case and no substantial evidence arose suggesting otherwise, he nevertheless divorced, with this quotation as explanation.
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|''{{anchor|quibuscumque viis|quibuscum viis}}quibuscum(que) viis''||(and) by whatever ways possible||Used by [[Honoré de Balzac]] in several works,<ref>[https://wordincontext.com/en/quibuscumque "quibuscumque"], Word in Context</ref> including ''[[Illusions perdues]]'' and ''[[Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes]]''.
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|''{{anchor|quid agis}}quid agis''||What are you doing?||What's happening? What's going on? What's the news? What's up?
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|''{{anchor|quid est veritas}}quid est veritas''||What is truth?||In the [[Vulgate]] translation of [[Gospel of John|John]] 18:38, [[Pontius Pilate|Pilate]]'s question to [[Jesus]] (Greek: Τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια;). A possible answer is an anagram of the phrase: ''est vir qui adest'', "it is the man who is here."
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|''{{anchor|quid novi ex Africa}}quid novi ex Africa''||What of the new out of Africa?||less literally, "What's new from Africa?"; derived from an [[Aristotle]] quotation
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|''{{anchor|quid nunc}}quid nunc''||What now?||Commonly shortened to ''quidnunc''. As a noun, a ''quidnunc'' is a busybody or a gossip. [[Patrick Campbell, 3rd Baron Glenavy|Patrick Campbell]] worked for ''[[The Irish Times]]'' under the [[pseudonym]] "Quidnunc".
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|''[[quid pro quo]]''||what for what||Commonly used in English, it is also translated as "this for that" or "a thing for a thing". Signifies a favor exchanged for a favor. The traditional Latin expression for this meaning was ''[[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#do ut des|do ut des]]'' ("I give, so that you may give").
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|''{{Anchor|quid rides}}Quid rides?<br>Mutato nomine de te fabula narratur.''||Why do you laugh? Change but the name, and the story is told of yourself.||[[Horace]], [[Satires (Horace)|''Satires'']], I. 1. 69.
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|''{{anchor|quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur}}quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur''||whatever has been said in Latin seems deep||Or "anything said in Latin sounds profound". A recent ironic Latin phrase to poke fun at people who seem to use Latin phrases and quotations only to make themselves sound more important or "educated". Similar to the less common ''omnia dicta fortiora si dicta Latina''.
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|''{{anchor|quidquid non agnoscit glossa, non agnoscit curia}}Quidquid non agnoscit glossa, non agnoscit curia''||Whatever the ''[[Glossa ordinaria (Accursius)|Glossa]]'' does not not recognize, the court does not recognize.
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|''{{anchor|quieta non movere}}quieta non movere''||don't move settled things||
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|''{{anchor|quilibet potest renunciare juri pro se inducto}}quilibet potest renunciare juri pro se inducto''||anyone may renounce a law introduced for their own benefit||Used in classical law to differentiate law imposed by the state for the benefit of a person in general, but by the state on behalf of them, and one imposed specifically that that person ought to have a say in whether the law is implemented.
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|''[[Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?]]''||Who will guard the guards themselves?||Commonly associated with [[Plato]] who in the ''[[The Republic (Plato)|Republic]]'' poses this question; and from [[Juvenal]]'s ''[[Satire VI|On Women]]'', referring to the practice of having [[eunuch]]s guard women and beginning with the word ''sed'' ("but"). Usually translated less literally, as "Who watches the watchmen (or modern, 'watchers')?" This translation is a common [[Epigraph (literature)|epigraph]], such as of the [[Tower Commission]] and [[Alan Moore]]'s ''[[Watchmen]]'' comic book series.
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|''{{anchor|quis leget haec}}quis leget haec?''||Who will read this?||
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|''{{anchor|quis quid ubi quibus auxiliis cur quomodo quando}}quis, quid, ubi, quibus auxiliis, cur, quomodo, quando?''||Who, what, where, by what means, why, how, when?||Compare the [[Five Ws]]. From [[Thomas Aquinas]]'s ''[[Summa Theologica]]'', but ancient authors provide other similar lists.
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|''[[quis separabit?]]''||Who will separate us?||motto of [[Northern Ireland]] and of the [[Order of St Patrick]]
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|''{{anchor|quis ut Deus}}quis ut Deus''||Who [is] as God?||Usually translated "Who is like unto God?" Questions who would have the audacity to compare himself to a Supreme Being. It is a translation of the Hebrew name 'Michael' = Mi cha El Who like God מי/כ/ אל  {{langx|he|מִיכָאֵל}} (right to left). 
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|''{{anchor|quo errat demonstrator}}quo errat demonstrator''||where the prover errs||A pun on "[[Q.E.D.|quod erat demonstrandum]]"
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|''{{anchor|quo fata ferunt}}quo fata ferunt''||where the fates bear us to||motto of [[Bermuda]]
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|''{{anchor|quo non ascendam}}quo non ascendam'' ||to what heights can I not rise?||motto of [[Army Burn Hall College]]
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|''{{visible anchor|quod verum tutum}}'' ||what is true is right||motto of [[Spier's School]]
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|''{{visible anchor|Quo Vadimus?}}''||Where are we going?||Title of the [[List of Sports Night episodes|series finale]] of [[Aaron Sorkin]]'s TV [[dramedy]] ''[[Sports Night]]''
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|''[[quo vadis?]]''||Where are you going?||According to [[Vulgate]] translation of [[Gospel of John|John]] 13:36, [[Saint Peter]] asked [[Jesus]] ''Domine, quo vadis?'' ("Lord, where are you going?"). The [[Authorized King James Version|King James Version]] has the translation "Lord, whither goest thou?"
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|''[[Quo warranto]]'' ||by what warrant?||[[Medieval Latin]] title for a [[prerogative writ]] by which a court requires some person or entity to prove the source of some authority it is exercising. Used for various purposes in different jurisdictions.
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|''{{visible anchor|quocunque jeceris stabit}}''||whithersoever you throw it, it will stand||motto of the [[Isle of Man]]
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|''{{visible anchor|quod abundat non obstat}}''||what is abundant doesn't hinder||It is no problem to have too much of something.
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|''{{visible anchor|quod cito fit, cito perit}}''||what is done quickly, perishes quickly||Things done in a hurry are more likely to fail and fail quicker than those done with care.
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|''{{visible anchor|quod erat demonstrandum}}'' <small>(''[[Q.E.D.]]'')</small>||what was to be demonstrated||The abbreviation is often written at the bottom of a [[mathematical proof]]. Sometimes translated loosely into English as "The Five Ws", <small>W.W.W.W.W.</small>, which stands for "Which Was What We Wanted".
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|''{{visible anchor|quod erat faciendum}}'' <small>(''Q.E.F.'')</small>||which was to be done||Or "which was to be constructed". Used in translations of Euclid's ''[[Euclid's Elements|Elements]]'' when there was nothing to prove, but there was something being constructed, for example a triangle with the same size as a given line.
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|''{{visible anchor|quod est}}'' <small>(''q.e.'')</small>||which is||
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|''{{visible anchor|quod est necessarium est licitum}}''||what is necessary is lawful||
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|''{{visible anchor|quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur}}''||what is asserted without reason may be denied without reason||If no grounds have been given for an assertion, then there are no grounds needed to reject it.
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|''[[quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi]]''||what is permitted to [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] is not permitted to an ox||If an important person does something, it does not necessarily mean that everyone can do it (cf. [[double standard]]). ''Iovi'' (also commonly rendered ''Jovi'') is the [[dative case|dative]] form of ''Iuppiter'' ("Jupiter" or "Jove"), the chief god of the Romans.
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|''{{visible anchor|quod me nutrit me destruit}}''||what nourishes me destroys me||Cf. {{section link||quod sapit nutrit}}. Thought to have originated with Elizabethan playwright [[Christopher Marlowe]]. Generally interpreted to mean that that which motivates or drives a person can consume him or her from within. This phrase has become a popular slogan or motto for [[pro-ana]] websites, [[anorexia nervosa|anorexics]] and [[bulimia nervosa|bulimics]].{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
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|''{{visible anchor|quod natura non dat Salmantica non praestat}}''||what nature does not give, [[Salamanca]] does not provide||Refers to the Spanish [[University of Salamanca]], meaning that education cannot substitute the lack of brains.
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|''{{visible anchor|quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini}}''||What the barbarians did not do, the Barberinis did||A well-known satirical lampoon left attached to the ancient [[Talking statues of Rome|"speaking" statue]] of [[Pasquino]] on a corner of the [[Piazza Navona]] in Rome, Italy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hibbard |first=Howard|author-link=Howard Hibbard|title=Bernini |url=https://archive.org/details/bernini00hibb |url-access=registration |publisher=Penguin |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/bernini00hibb/page/78 78] |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-14-013598-5}}</ref> Through a sharp pun the writer criticizes [[Pope Urban VIII]], of the [[Barberini family]], who reused stones and decorations from ancient buildings to build new ones, thus wrecking classical constructions that even the barbarians had not touched. 
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|''{{visible anchor|quod periit, periit}}''||What is gone is gone||What has happened has happened and it cannot be changed, thus we should look forward into the future instead of being pulled by the past.
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|''{{visible anchor|quod sapit nutrit}}''||what tastes good nourishes||Ancient saying, promoted by [[Galen]];<ref>{{cite journal|last=Storm|first=Erica M.|title=Roy Porter Student Prize Essay, Gilding the Pill: The Sensuous Consumption of Patent Medicines, 1815–1841|journal=[[Social History of Medicine]]|volume=31|issue=1|date=February 2018|pages=41–60|doi=10.1093/shm/hkw133|doi-access=free}}</ref> cf. {{section link||quod me nutrit me destruit}}
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|''[[quod scripsi, scripsi]]''||What I have written I have written.||Pilate to the chief priests ({{sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=John|chapter=19|verse=22}})
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|''{{visible anchor|quod supplantandum, prius bene sciendum}}''||Whatever is to be supplanted, [must] first be understood||A caution against following a doctrine of Naive Analogy when attempting to formulate a scientific hypothesis. 
|- id="quod vide"
|''quod vide <small>(q.v.)</small>''||which see||Used after a term, phrase, or topic that should be looked up elsewhere in the current document, book, etc. For more than one term or phrase, the plural is ''quae vide'' <small>(qq.v.)</small>.
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|''{{anchor|quodcumque dixerit vobis facite}}Quodcumque dixerit vobis, facite.''||Whatever He tells you, that you shall do.||More colloquially: "Do whatever He [Jesus] tells you to do." Instructions of Mary to the servants at the [[Wedding at Cana]]. ({{sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=John|chapter=2|verse=5}}). Also the motto of [[East Catholic High School]].
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|''{{anchor|quomodo vales}}quomodo vales''||How are you?||
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|''[[quorum]]''||of whom||the number of members whose presence is required under the rules to make any given meeting constitutional
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|''{{anchor|quos amor verus tenuit tenebit}}quos amor verus tenuit tenebit''||Those whom true love has held, it will go on holding||Seneca
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|''{{anchor|quot capita, tot sensus}}quot capita tot sensus''||as many heads, so many perceptions||"There are as many opinions as there are heads" – [[Terence]]
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|''{{anchor|quot homines tot sententiae}}quot homines tot sententiae''||as many men, so many opinions||Or "there are as many opinions as there are people", "how many people, so many opinions"
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|[[Quousque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?|''quousque tandem?'']]||For how much longer?||From [[Cicero]]'s [[s:la:Oratio in Catilinam Prima in Senatu Habita|first speech]] ''[[Catiline orations|In Catilinam]]'' to the [[Roman Senate]] regarding the conspiracy of [[Catiline]]: ''Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?'' ("For how much longer, Catiline, will you abuse our patience?"). Besides being a well-known line in itself, it was often used as a text sample in printing (cf. [[lorem ipsum]]). See also ''[[O tempora, o mores!]]'' (from the same speech). 
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== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

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

{{Latin phrases}}

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