History Main / AltumVidetur

* In the ''DresdenFiles'', sometimes Michael Carpenter starts speaking Latin when he gets the sword out. Yes, he's supposed to be Catholic and all, but really? It would be just as easy to have him say stuff like "In the name of the Father!" in English while slicing the baddies to pieces. On the other hand, [[RuleOfCool it's cool]].
** It's actually played with quite a lot in {{The Dresden Files}}. The white council of wizards speaks Latin as their official super-secret-society language -- which of course the titular Harry Dresden can't speak. It's often commented on how he had to learn Latin through a correspondence course and mangles/mistranslates the language every time he uses it. The series also features CanisLatinicus in the form of the protagonists spells.
** It has to be noted that in this universe, the whole point of using another language when casting spells is to shield the users mind from metaphysical backlash. So what you actually say doesn't matter, just what you *think* you say.

** Yeah, but Asterix fights the Romans on a regular basis, so it's not exactly gratuitous, is it?

->''"quidquid latine dictum sit, {{altum videtur}}."''[[hottip:Lat.:"Anything said in Latin seems profound".]]

* Before each meeting begins in [[TheRedGreenShow Possum Lodge]], the lodge members sit, stand, salute and state in unison, "Quando omni flunkius, moritati".[[hottip:Lat:"When all else fails, play dead."]] Then sit back down.

* Latin is a favorite language of many classical and modern choral composers. For a singer, it may seem difficult to learn the pronounciations at first but becomes incredibly easy once it is realized that most composers [[SmallReferencePools apparently only know 12 words in the entire language.]]

* In ''MahouSenseiNegima'' some of the spells are in Latin. Pretty good Latin, too.

* Before each meeting begins in [[TheRedGreenShow Possum Lodge]], the lodge members sit, stand, salute and state in unison "quando omnus flunkius, moritati".[[hottip:Lat:"When all else fails, play dead."]] Then sit back down.

[[folder:Libelli Picta De Interrete]]

[[folder:Mangae Et Picturae Animantes Iaponenses]]

* The German neo-medieval band Corvus Corax parodies this trope on one of its shirts with the words, "Omnia dicta fortiora, si dicta latina" which means, "Everything sounds more impressive when said in Latin."

[[folder:Libelli Picti De Interrete]]

[[folder:Picturae Animantes Occidentalis]]

** well not so sure this is gratuitous since it is a well known quote and the source of the book's name and running theme, from Juvenile's Satire 6 about the infidelity of women: audio quid ueteres olim moneatis amici, "pone seram, cohibe." sed quis custodiet ipsos — custodes? cauta est et ab illis incipit uxor.[[hottip:Lat.:"I hear always the admonishment of my friends: "Bolt her in, constrain her!" But who will watch the watchmen? A wife plans ahead and will start with them."]]

* ''MrBean'' has an opening theme tune consisting of a CherubicChoir intoning, "Ecce homo qui est faba."[[hottip:Lat:"Behold the man who is a bean."]] The same choir closes each episode with, "Vale homo qui est faba."[[hottip:Lat:"Farewell, man who is a bean."]]

* ''MrBean'' has an opening theme tune consisting of a CherubicChoir intoning, "Ecco homo qui est faba."[[hottip:Lat:"Behold the man who is a bean."]] The same choir closes each episode with, "Vale homo qui est faba."[[hottip:Lat:"Farewell, man who is a bean."]]

* ''MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''. As a group of Catholic monks are walking along, they repeatedly chant the phrase "Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem" and hit themselves on the head with boards. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7wc55oXWf8&NR=1 Watch it here]].
** This is made even funnier by the fact that it translates, roughly, to "Jesus, it hurts. Make it stop."
** I read that it meant, "Jesus Christ, give it a rest"
*** "Pie Jesu Domine" means "Kind Lord Jesus", so I read it as :"Sweet Jesus Christ, give it a rest!"
** [[LifeOfBrian "''Romanes eunt domus'']] People called Romanes they go the house?!"
* ''TheRunningMan''. While Richards is being led to the arena, a lawyer reads his contract to him. It includes a meaningless Latin phrase in its legalese, "Ad hoc de facto".

* In the ''DresdenFiles'', sometimes Michael Carpenter starts speaking Latin when he gets the sword out. Yes, I get that he's supposed to be Catholic and all, but really? It would be just as easy to have him say stuff like "In the name of the Father!" in English while slicing the baddies to pieces. On the other hand, [[RuleOfCool it's cool]].
** It's actually played with quite a lot in {{The Dresden Files}}. The white council of wizards speaks Latin as their official super secret society language -which of course the titular Harry Dresden can't speak. It's often commented on how he had to learn Latin through a correspondence course and mangles/mistranslates the language every time he uses it.
** The series also features CanisLatinicus in the form of the protagonists spells, but that is intentional in-universe: The words used are completely unimportant and act just as a self-conditioned focus for the caster; and using nonsense-words to cast spells prevents the caster from accidentally casting spells when talking/thinking normal language (e.g. frying something when thinking "fire").

* {{Discworld}} often has Latin sprinkled about, usually in situations where people are trying to sound pretentious. Examples include the City Watch's motto (Fabricati Diem, Pvnc) to a joke played by the Unseen University's wizards on a foreign diplomat by awarding him an honorary doctorate in "Adamus cum Flabello Dulci" (sweet fanny adams).

** In the Preface of the Author, Part I, [[{{TakeThat}} Cervantes attacks ]] [[{{DidNotDoTheResearch}} authors that want to impress their readers with their knowledge without the appropriate research]]. Cervantes denounces [[{{AltumVidetur}} the inclusion of Latin sentences that seem to be profound ]] [[{{ShownTheirWork}} (and so impress the readers)]], but [[{{ViewersAreMorons}} in reality, ]] [[{{SmallReferencePools}} those Latin sentences were very common and any author of his time could find them with very little effort]]. In a word, [[{{LampshadeHanging}} he '''defines''' this trope]] in [[{{OlderThanSteam}} the seventeenth century]]. And then, Cervantes proceeds to [[{{HypocriticalHumor}} include some sentences in Latin in both parts of Don Quixote.]].
-->"[[{{ShownTheirWork}} As to references in the margin to the books and authors from whom you take the aphorisms and sayings you put into your story]], it is only contriving to [[{{SmallReferencePools}} fit in nicely any sentences or scraps of Latin you may happen to have by heart, or at any rate that will not give you much trouble to look up]]; so as, when you speak of freedom and captivity, to insert [[{{AltumVidetur}} ''Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro;]]'' and then refer in the margin to Horace, [[{{BeamMeUpScotty}}or whoever said it]]...'''[[{{ViewersAreMorons}} With these and such like bits of Latin they will take you for a grammarian at all events]], and that now-a-days is no small honour and profit."'''

* In ''{{Lost}}'' there's "Ille qui nos omnes servabit" which is the answer to the coded phrase "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" It apparently means "He who will save us all"
* Nicely subverted in an ''XFiles'' episode where a recording(!) of Jesus' prayer when he resurrected Lazarus translates to [[TheBeatles "I am the apeman, I am the walrus, doob doobie do, Paul is dead!"]]
** ...except that it was in Aramaic instead of Latin.

* The ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.”
* And [[DuelingShows since you can't mention Deep Space Nine on the internet without someone bringing up]] BabylonFive: there was an episode of the latter show titled ''Sic Transit Vir'' (A Latin pun on a character's name, no less)

* In ''MahouSenseiNegima'' the spells are all in Latin. Pretty good Latin, too.
** Or Ancient Greek, or Sanskrit. Really, it just depends on who's casting the spells, but it all seems rather well done.

-->'''Negi''': "Veniant Spiritus Aeriales Fulgurientes! Cum Fulguratione Flet Tempestas Austrina! ''Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens!''"

* The word "Primarch" from {{Warhammer 40000}} is an example of Latin/Greek mixture: "primus" ("first") is a Latin word root, whereas "archon" ("ruler") is Greek (''άρχον ''). Still W40k offers a great deal of proper GratuitousLatin.
** Though according to WordOfGod this is simply a TranslationConvention meant to evoke the way "High Gothic" would sound to the common folk of .M41.

* Subverted in ''{{FATAL}}'', which was kind enough to provide a translation for its pretentious Latin. Usually, this was some kind of crude sexual doggerel.
** The Latin is also often wrong. Very, very sad that I know this. On the other hand, at least one part seems to be quoting (or paraphrasing) the crude sexual doggerel of Catullus (a real Roman poet) - see Catullus 16 on TheOtherWiki for info on that (NSFW text there though).

* [[TwoWordsObviousTrope Three words:]] [[SuperSmashBros Audi]] [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome Famam]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Bd8pq-utw Illius]], the theme song for SuperSmashBros Brawl.

** Though in this case, it's just as much to remind the audience of the TranslationConvention.
* ''FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' - "''Alta oron sondus kameela''". Ritz thought they were in Latin. In fact they ''do'' have meanings in Latin. ''Alta'' means "alter", ''oron'' means "to speak", while sondus means "sound". Not sure what does ''kameela'' means, though.
** Huh-whuh? "Alta" means "high things" (or possibly "deep things" or "high woman" or "deep woman")."Orare" is "to speak," or rather, "to mouth, to orate, to pray" ― "dicere" or "loqui" are more common for "speak." "Sound" is "sonum" K does not appear in Latin words, except in those taken directly from Greek, and double E is not used.
*** just a case of Latin in your Greek and Greek in your Latin -on is a correct noun ending for Greek alta could mean other but as in other eye, other hand -requiring two like objects- and soundus is simply nonsense.

* All this time and no mention of one of the more famous examples from recent memory, [[FinalFantasyVII One-Winged Angel?]]

** All of them from ''Carmina Burana'', [[strike: fiscus mirabilis verba latini]] which is a good source of this sort of thing.

* A subversive [[http://techhouse.brown.edu/cgi-bin/fluble/vault.pl?date=20000118 example]] from ''{{Fluble}}'' (Mind you, Death's Latin is incorrect: ''hystrix'' is not a word in Latin):
** ''Hystrix'' is a genus of old world porcupines. Sounds like a Greek derivation?
-->'''Death:''' As the Romans say, "Caveat hystrix!"
-->'''Fluble:''' "Caveat hystrix"? That means, "Let the hedgehog beware." Why would the Romans want the hedgehog to beware?

-->'''Sheldon:''' Hang on! ''(searches in the book)'' Voilà! The snowy tree cricket, AKA ''Oecanthus fultoni'', which is Latin for "I will suck nothing." I'm joking, of course, because the Latin for that is "Nihil exsorbebo."

-->'''Sheldon:''' Hang on! ''(searches in the book)'' Voil?The snowy tree cricket, AKA ''Oecanthus fultoni'', which is Latin for "I will suck nothing." I'm joking, of course, because the Latin for that is "Nihil exsorbebo."

* [[TwoWordsObviousTrope Three words:]] [[SuperSmashBros Audi]] [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome Famam]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Bd8pq-utw Illius.]]

*In VentureBros, 21 tries to be intimidating by yelling "Semper Fidelis, Tyrannosaurus!" upon which he is informed he just said "Always faithful, terrible lizard", which he still thinks is pretty cool.

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