100 Essential Foreign Words & Phrases
Foreign Word
Meaning in English
Ab initio
From the beginning
Ad hoc
For this special purpose
Ad infinitum
To infinity / Forever
Ad interim
In the meantime
Ad nauseam
To a sickening degree
Ad valorem
According to value
Aide-de-camp
A military officer acting as an assistant
Alma Mater
The school or college one attended
Alter ego
Other self / Very close friend
Amende honorable
Public apology
Anno Domini (A.D.)
In the year of our Lord
Annus mirabilis
Year of miracles
A posteriori
Based on reasoning from facts
A priori
Based on theoretical deduction
Au revoir
Goodbye / Until we meet again
Beau monde
The fashionable world
Bona fide
In good faith / Genuine
Carte blanche
Full discretionary power
Casus belli
Reason for a war
Caveat emptor
Let the buyer beware
Circa
Approximately (used with dates)
Corpus delicti
The facts of a crime
Coup d'รฉtat
Violent change of government
De facto
In reality / Existing in fact
De jure
By right / Legal right
De novo
Starting again / Anew
Dรฉtente
Easing of strained relations
En bloc
All together / As a whole
En masse
In a group / All together
En route
On the way
Errata
List of errors in a book
Ex officio
By virtue of holding an office
Ex parte
One-sided
Ex post facto
Retroactively
Ex tempore
Without preparation
Fait accompli
A thing already done
Faux pas
A social blunder / mistake
Habeas Corpus
Produce the body (before a court)
Id est (i.e.)
That is to say
Impromptu
Without preparation
In camera
In secret / Private room
In extremis
At the point of death
In loco parentis
In the place of a parent
In memoriam
In memory of
In toto
Entirely / Totally
Inter alia
Among other things
Ipso facto
By the very fact itself
Laissez faire
Policy of non-interference
Lingua franca
A common language
Magnum opus
A great work of art / literature
Mala fide
In bad faith / Dishonest
Modus operandi
Method of operation
Modus vivendi
Way of living
Mutatis mutandis
With necessary changes
Noblesse oblige
Privilege entails responsibility
Nom de plume
A pen name
Nota bene (N.B.)
Note well / Observe
Onus
Responsibility / Burden
Par excellence
Above all / Pre-eminent
Pari passu
With equal pace
Per annum
Annually / Every year
Per capita
For each person
Per diem
Daily allowance
Per se
By itself / In itself
Persona grata
Acceptable person
Post mortem
Examination after death
Post scriptum (P.S.)
Written after
Prima facie
At first sight / Based on first impression
Pro rata
In proportion
Pro tempore
For the time being / Temporarily
Quid pro quo
Something for something / Equal exchange
Quorum
Minimum number needed for a meeting
Raison d'etre
Reason for existence
Rรฉsumรฉ
Summary of qualifications
Sans
Without
Sine die
Without a fixed date
Sine qua non
An essential condition
Status quo
Existing state of affairs
Sub judice
Under judicial consideration (in court)
Sub rosa
Secretly / Confidentially
Sui generis
Unique / Of its own kind
Tabula rasa
A clean slate / Empty mind
Tรชte-ร -tรชte
A private conversation between two
Terra firma
Solid ground
Terra incognita
Unexplored territory
Ultra vires
Beyond one's legal power
Veni, Vidi, Vici
I came, I saw, I conquered
Verbatim
Word for word
Versus (vs.)
Against
Via
By way of
Vice versa
Conversely / Position reversed
Vis-ร -vis
Face to face / In relation to
Viva voce
Oral examination
Vox populi
Voice of the people
A bon chat bon rat
Tit for tat
Ad libitum
As one pleases
Beau geste
A noble gesture
In situ
In its original place
Par excellence
By way of excellence
Pro bono
For the public good (free)