Legal Latin
This was a cheat sheet I created for training staff at the law office I worked for. We employed typists and other clerical staff who did not have extensive familiarity with legal Latin terminology. By including this sheet with other training materials, it made it easier for typists to understand what the attorneys were saying in dictation. Our typists typed from dictation the old-fashioned way, using a foot pedal and headphones to hear the attorneys speaking.
Legal Terminology Definitions Latin Terms
Any Latin legal term in a letter or pleading should be italicized.
I have italicized how they should be written for visual reference.
| Latin Legal Term | Definition |
| a fortiori | With stronger reason |
| a priori | From the cause to the effect |
| ab initio | From the beginning |
| actiones in personam | Personal actions |
| ad curiam | Before a court; to court |
| ad damnum clause | To the damage; clause in a complaint stating monetary loss |
| ad faciendum | To do |
| ad hoc | For this purpose or occasion |
| ad litem | For this suit or litigation |
| ad rem | To the thing at hand |
| ad valorem | According to the value |
| adversus | Against |
| aggregatio menium | Contractual meeting of the minds |
| alias dictus | An assumed name |
| alibi* | In another place, elsewhere |
| aliunde | From another place, from without (as in evidence outside the document) |
| alter ego** | The other self |
| amicus curiae | “friend of the court” |
| brief animo | With intention, disposition, design or will |
| animus | Mind or intention |
| ante litem motam | before the suit or before litigation is filed |
| arguendo | In the course of an argument |
| assumpsit | He undertook or promised |
| bona fide | Good faith |
| capias | Take, arrest |
| captia | Persons, or heads |
| causa mortis | By reason of death |
| caveat*** | Beware, a warning |
| caveat emptor | “Let the buyer beware” |
| certiorari | “send the pleadings up” indicating a discretionary review process |
| cestui | Beneficiaries |
| cestui que trust | Beneficiaries of a trust |
| circa | In the area of, about or concerning |
| compos mentis | Of sound mind |
| consortium | The conjugal fellowship of husband and wife |
| contra | Against |
| coram nobis | Before us ourselves |
| corpus | Body |
| corpus delicti | Body of the offense |
| cum testamento annexo | “With the will annexed” |
| datum | Information or the thing given |
| de facto | In fact, in deed or actually |
| de jure | Of right, lawful |
| de novo | Anew or afresh |
| de son tort | Of his own wrong |
| dies non | Not a day |
| duces tecum | bring with you |
| dum bene se gesserit | While he shall conduct himself, during good behavior |
| e converso | Conversely or on the other hand |
| en banc | All judges present on the bench to hear a case |
| eo instanti | Upon the instant |
| erratum | Error |
| et alii | And others |
| et sequential (you’ll see this as et seq.) | And as follows |
| et ux | And wife |
| et vir | And husband |
| ex delicto | Arising from a tort |
| ex gratia | As a matter of favor |
| ex officio | From office, by virtue of his office |
| ex parte | By or for one party only |
| ex post facto | After the fact |
| facto | In fact, in or by the law |
| felonice | Feloniously |
| fiat | Let it be done; a short order that a thing be done |
| fieri | To be made up, to become |
| fieri facias | Writ directing a sheriff to reduce a judgment debtor’s property to money |
| flagrante delicto | In the very act of committing the crime |
| forum non conveniens | Power to decline jurisdiction over a case and have it tried elsewhere |
| gravis | Serious, of importance |
| habeas corpus | Writ commanded to the custodian of a person to produce the body |
| now habendum clause | The part of a deed beginning “to have and to hold” and defining ownership |
| Honorarium | Fee, gift or compensation from gratitude |
| Idem | The same as above (id.) |
| idem sonans | To have the same sound, as in names sounding alike but spelled differently |
| in curia | In court |
| in esse | In being, existence |
| in forma pauperis | Permission given to a poor person to sue without liability for court costs |
| infra | Beneath; below |
| in limine | At the beginning; At the threshold |
| in loco parentis | In place of the parent |
| in pari delicto | In equal fault |
| in personam | Personally, or against the person |
| in praesenti | At once; now |
| in re | In the matter |
| in rem | A proceeding against a thing |
| in specie | In the same or in similar form |
| instanter | Immediately |
| inter alia, inter alios | Among other things or between other persons |
| inter se | Among themselves |
| inter vivos | Between the living; or from one person to another |
| in toto | In the whole; completely |
| in transitu | In transit |
| intra | Within; inside |
| ipse dixit | He himself said (it), as an assertion made but not proved |
| ipso facto | By the fact itself |
| ita est | so it is |
| jura personarum | Right of a person, rights of persons |
| jura rerum | Rights of things |
| jure divino | By divine rights |
| jure uxoris | In his wife’s right |
| jus | Law or right |
| jus ad rem | A right to a thing |
| jus commune | The common law or common right |
| jus gentium | The law of nations or international law |
| just habendi | The right to have a thing and retain the profits |
| jus tertii | The right of a third party |
| levari facias | Cause to be levied, a writ of execution |
| lex | Law |
| lex loci | The law of the place where the cause of action arose |
| lis pendens | Litigation pending |
| locus delicti | The place of the crime |
| locus sigilli | The place for the seal |
| Mala | Bad |
| mala fides | Bad faith |
| mala in se | An act that is morally wrong |
| mala praxis | Malpractice |
| mala prohibita | An act declared as criminal by statute |
| mala animo | Acting with evil intent |
| mandamus | A writ used to compel an official to perform a required act |
| manu forti | Forcible entry |
| mens rea | Guilty mind |
| nihil dicit | He says nothing |
| nil | Nothing |
| nil debet | He owes nothing |
| nisi prius | Distinguishing the trial court from the appellate court |
| nolle prosequi | Unwilling to prosecute |
| nolo contendere | – “I will not contest it”; a criminal plea |
| non | Not |
| non assumpsit | Plea in defense; that he did not promise |
| non compos mentis | “Not of sound mind” |
| non est factum | “It is not his deed” |
| non obstante | Notwithstanding |
| non sequitur | “It does not follow” |
| nota bene | Note well; take notice |
| nudum pactum | A bare agreement lacking consideration |
| nul tort | “No wrong done” |
| nulla bona | “No good” |
| nunc pro tunc | “Now for then” |
| obiter dictum | A remark made by a court that is not central to a main issue in the case |
| onus probandi | Burden of Proof |
| opus | Work or labor |
| ore tenus | By word of mouth |
| pari delicto | In equal fault |
| pari passu | By equal progress |
| pater familias | Father of the family |
| peculium | Private property |
| pendens | “Pending” |
| pendente lite | Pending the suit, during litigation |
| per annum | Annual, by the year |
| per capita | By the head, equally shared |
| per contra | “In opposition” |
| per curiam | “By the court” |
| per diem | By the day |
| per se | Taken alone |
| per stirpes | By the roots or stock (for purposes of inheritance) |
| post | After, later |
| post-factum | After the fact |
| post-obit | Taking effect after death |
| praecipe | A Writ commanding a person to do some act or show cause to be excused from acting |
| prima facie | At first sight, on the face of it |
| pro bono | “For the good” Describes services performed free of charge |
| pro forma | “As a matter of form” Describing statements or conclusions based on assumed facts |
| pro hac vice | “For this occasion” pro rata – A distribution according to the rate or proportion |
| pro se | Appearing for oneself; personally |
| pro tanto | For so much, to that extent |
| pro tempore | For the time being, temporarily |
| prochein ami | “Next friend” |
| publici juris | Of public right |
| pur au tre vie | For or during the life of another |
| quaere | A question or query |
| quaerens | The plaintiff |
| quantum | How much, the amount |
| quare | “Wherefore” |
| quasi | As if, as if it were true |
| quid pro quo | “Something for something” |
| quo warranto | By what right or authority” |
| res | the thing, object or subject matter |
| res gestae | Things done; an excited utterance |
| res ipsa loquitur | “The thing speaks for itself” |
| res judicita | “A thing or matter adjudged” |
| respondeat superior | – “Let the master answer” |
| scienter | Knowledge |
| scilicet | “To wit; or namely” |
| scintilla | A spark |
| scire facias | Give notice |
| secundum | According to |
| se defendendo | “In self defense” |
| semper | Always |
| seriatim | Severally, separately |
| sic | Used to indicate an error in original quoted material |
| sigillum | A seal |
| sine | “Without” |
| sine die | “Without a day assigned for a future meeting” |
| sine qua non | An indispensable condition or part |
| stare decisis | the legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent |
| status quo | “Present state” |
| sua sponte | Voluntarily |
| sub nomine | Under the name of |
| sub silentio | Without notice being taken |
| sui generis | Of its own kind or class |
| sui juris | Of his own right |
| supersedeas | Superseding |
| supra | Above, cited prior in the document |
| tenere | To hold, to keep |
| termininus a quo | The starting point |
| ultra | Beyond |
| ultra vires | Without power |
| venire facias | “That you cause to come” |
| versus | Against |
| videlicet | “It is easy to see” |
| vi et armis | “By force and arms” |
| vis-a-vis | One who is face to face with another |
| vivos | Living |
| voir dire | “To speak the truth” |
*unless written in its regular English conversational form (instead of as a legal term), such as his alibi for the crime was that he was out of town.
**unless written in its regular English form
***again, unless written in its regular English form and not the legal terminiology