Latin Words in English Today

A Roman tablet, written in original Latin.

They say Latin's a "dead language," but is it really dead? No, because, in a way, it's not dead. It's very much alive. We use Latin everyday, without even knowing it! The roots in many of our words come from Latin, and we still use certain Latin phrases.

Latin is part of our everyday lives, even if we don't know it. Take the word canis for example. In Latin, canis means dog. The more "mature" name for dog, in English, is "canine." See the connection?

Another example is vulneratus, which means wounded. In English, there's a simple clue: in what condition is someone able to be wounded? "Vulnerable." Exactly.

Scientists and doctors use Latin literally all the time. Scientific names such as Turdus migratorius (American Robin) and Acinonyx jubatus (Cheetah) are used to describe animals, and other living things, by their characteristics and type. What are these names written in? Latin.

We also use phrases from Latin, such as et cetera (etc.), nota bene (N.B.), and exempli gratia (e.g.) are all used in English today, especially in more professional settings. In school, children are taught these things, and there are still even Latin classes. (They say Latin also makes it easier to define words on the SAT!)

So you see, the "dead language" is not actually dead. It lives on in science and in our language. They say it's dead because we don't say things like "gratias tibi ago" in place of "thank you," but that isn't what a dead language is. A "dead language" is when it ceases to exist, and the Latin language will live on forever.