Latin abbreviations

As a lot of you know the Latin people occupied Great Britain for centuries. So then a lot of people spoke Latin and a lot of prest words in English come from Latin. For example, "street" comes from "strata", which means "camp". Then there are alot of English words which are Latin forms. Especially in medicine, there are a lot of them, like "pneumonia, bronchitis, thyroid, penis, appendicitis", and so on. As well as, words like "album, pendulum, addendum, auditorium", etc.

If you see the work reference page most abbreviations are in latin, like "per, in, data, cum, a.m., p.m., BRT., c., Cod., R.I.P, etc., ex, fer., gr., i.e., ind., lib., m.s.,n.b., nil, Ph.D., rubr., etc.

A long time ago I gave a lesson in a teachers' class in Hastings about it, because if you aren't Latin origin people, you can't realize how many words and abbreviations are from Latin. My English teacher was very interested in them and appreciated my lesson. I hope you will too.

M. Alessandra Agostini

Ex teacher of English in a secondary school

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Comments

Gabriel Gómez April 1, 2016 14:18

I think english people use the latin words for a more formal way of speaking, for instance, the word velocity is use on a cientific enviroment.
John March 31, 2016 11:23

That was very interesting! As an Englishman myself, I learned Latin at school; we usually talk about the Romans rather than the Latins. There is solid evidence of the Romans all over England, from Hadrian's Wall to Londinium, now known as London.
Danny Clark March 5, 2016 11:24

Dear Inspector Smith! Thanks for comfirming my opinion. I will post such a blog very soon
Expector Smith March 4, 2016 22:56

@Danny

Thanks for the reply. We'd appreciate it if you could take time to write a new blog about it. Let's keep talking about this topic - since there are so many Latin origin words in English:)
Danny Clark March 4, 2016 13:25

Hi, dear Inspector Smith! In fact, I have a list of foregn words and abbreviations but it is in the book. So, I have either to scan or to type it here. I think, it will be better to type. In this case I'll be able to add some explanations and/or examples.Sure, I agree such a list will be useful for many people. But I haven't decided if to type it here or to start my blog. What is your opinion? I see, this discussion is not very popular. I'll be happy to hear your ideas.
Expector Smith March 2, 2016 23:18

@Danny

Thanks for offering to translate and explain more - I really appreciate it. There are a lot of Latin origin words in English, so it makes sense for learners to know the ropes. Keep it up!
Danny Clark March 2, 2016 17:15

Dear Alessandra! It is a great topic but why not to explain what those abbreviations mean? I am sure that many learners have just a slight idea about them. We do use not only abbreviations but also many Latin words speaking English all the time without even thinking about their origion. So, if someome is interested, I will translate and explain. It is important especially for those who study or practice natural sciense
Expector Smith February 29, 2016 22:22

Thanks for teaching the words derived from Latin - I do appreciate it!

Words of Latin origin can be so hard for a learner to remember - they look alien, and are hard to pronounce as well.
salah gammaa February 29, 2016 16:08

Ola Alessandra Agostini, como esta senorita. Eu queiro ser seu amigo. One of those abbreviations reminded me of " per " as in that title, Per un pognu di dollari, by Sergio leone. Could I be one of your friends, Alessandra?

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