Some Questions (vocab and translation)
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Some Questions (vocab and translation)
I'm working my way through Wheelock's, and I just have a few questions about the meaning of certain words.
1) What's the difference between 'otium' and 'pax'? Wheelock's gives 'peace' as a definition for both. I'm guessing 'pax' is peace as an opposite to 'bellum', but what does 'otium' mean'?
2) I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this sentence from Wheelock's.
Officia sapientiamque oculis animi possumus videre.
We can see the duty and wisdom.... I don't get how 'oculis animi' fits into this.
Thanks
1) What's the difference between 'otium' and 'pax'? Wheelock's gives 'peace' as a definition for both. I'm guessing 'pax' is peace as an opposite to 'bellum', but what does 'otium' mean'?
2) I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this sentence from Wheelock's.
Officia sapientiamque oculis animi possumus videre.
We can see the duty and wisdom.... I don't get how 'oculis animi' fits into this.
Thanks
Re: Some Questions (vocab and translation)
Otium does mean "peace", but its main sense is "rest", "relaxation", "ease", "lull" (The Oxford Latin Desk Dictonary). As an example, negotium (from nec otium) means "work" or "business".Sigma wrote:I'm working my way through Wheelock's, and I just have a few questions about the meaning of certain words.
1) What's the difference between 'otium' and 'pax'? Wheelock's gives 'peace' as a definition for both. I'm guessing 'pax' is peace as an opposite to 'bellum', but what does 'otium' mean'?
Do you have a Latin dictionary? You'll need one if you want an idea of the deeper meanings of words.
Oculis is an ablative of means:2) I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this sentence from Wheelock's.
Officia sapientiamque oculis animi possumus videre.
We can see the duty and wisdom.... I don't get how 'oculis animi' fits into this.
Thanks
We can see the duties and wisdom with our spirit's eyes.
Last edited by Hu on Tue Aug 15, 2006 12:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Some Questions (vocab and translation)
That makes sense more sense.Hu wrote:Otium means "relaxation" more than "peace". As an example, negotium (from nec otium) means "work" or "business".
Ahhh. That was harsh, because that sentence was in chapter 7, and the ablative of means isn't even mentioned until chapter 14. Thanks!Hu wrote:Oculis is an ablative of means. It means "with eyes" or "by eyes":
We can see the duties and wisdom with our spirit's eyes.
Re: Some Questions (vocab and translation)
I wasn't sure whether you'd had the ablative of means yet, but it's easy to get confused by it at first, so I assumed you had.Hu wrote:Ahhh. That was harsh, because that sentence was in chapter 7, and the ablative of means isn't even mentioned until chapter 14. Thanks!
You're welcome.
Edit: Delete unecessary quote.
Last edited by Hu on Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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No, the deffinition it gives is "leisure, peace". I was just wondering how the "peace" part of the definition fit.Lucus Eques wrote:Wheelock translates "otium" as "peace"? As it's only definition? That's absurd. What a dreadful book. The core meaning is "leisure."
Another quick question, but this one is from the Sententiae Antiquae readings:
Nihil sine magno labore vita mortalibus dat.
Without great labour, life gives nothing to mortals? If "nihil" is the object, it seems odd that it would be the first word in the phrase, espescially since it doesn't decline.
Nihil is the main idea of the sentence, so it comes first. Variations from normal word order usually communicate emphasis.Sigma wrote:Nihil sine magno labore vita mortalibus dat.
Without great labour, life gives nothing to mortals? If "nihil" is the object, it seems odd that it would be the first word in the phrase, espescially since it doesn't decline.
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A few more questions. Perhaps I should have put this thread in the Wheelock's forum. Ah well, it works here too.
1) I'm having trouble understanding this sentence:
Sextus Lucretiam, uxorem Collatini, rapuit, et femina bona, propter magnum amorem virtutis, se necavit.
Because of his great love of virtue, Sextus raped Lucretia, wife of Collatinus and a good woman, and she killed herself.
??
2) What exactly does 'agere' mean? Wheelock defines it as "to drive, lead, do, act; pass, spend". That isn't very helpful.
1) I'm having trouble understanding this sentence:
Sextus Lucretiam, uxorem Collatini, rapuit, et femina bona, propter magnum amorem virtutis, se necavit.
Because of his great love of virtue, Sextus raped Lucretia, wife of Collatinus and a good woman, and she killed herself.
??
2) What exactly does 'agere' mean? Wheelock defines it as "to drive, lead, do, act; pass, spend". That isn't very helpful.
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Keep propter magnum amorem virtutis after the et. "because of her great love for virtue" Does that help?Sigma wrote:Sextus Lucretiam, uxorem Collatini, rapuit, et femina bona, propter magnum amorem virtutis, se necavit.
Because of his great love of virtue, Sextus raped Lucretia, wife of Collatinus and a good woman, and she killed herself.
This verb does indeed have many meanings. I tend to think of it as a "wild-card" verb that can mean whatever makes the most sense in context. The meanings listed in Wheelock are a good starting point. Maybe someone else can offer you a better, more helpful explanation.Sigma wrote:2) What exactly does 'agere' mean? Wheelock defines it as "to drive, lead, do, act; pass, spend". That isn't very helpful.
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You've got all the right pieces, but you're confusing the word order unnecessarily. et is joining two separate sentences and serves as a clause boundary here.
You're right that femina bona refers to Lucretia, but it cannot be in apposition, because the case is wrong (it would need to be accusative).
Try taking propter magnum amorem virtutis with femina bona instead of Sextus, and I think you'll find it makes sense.
You're right that femina bona refers to Lucretia, but it cannot be in apposition, because the case is wrong (it would need to be accusative).
Try taking propter magnum amorem virtutis with femina bona instead of Sextus, and I think you'll find it makes sense.
IPHIGENIE: Kann uns zum Vaterland die Fremde werden?
ARKAS: Und dir ist fremd das Vaterland geworden.
IPHIGENIE: Das ist's, warum mein blutend Herz nicht heilt.
(Goethe, Iphigenie auf Tauris)
ARKAS: Und dir ist fremd das Vaterland geworden.
IPHIGENIE: Das ist's, warum mein blutend Herz nicht heilt.
(Goethe, Iphigenie auf Tauris)
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