![]() The plurals are alumni and alumnae, respectively.) A.D. (The ‘us’ ending is masculine, the ‘a’ ending feminine. alumnus/alumna (a-LUM-nus/nuh)Īn alum, as it is sometimes shortly said, is a former member/student of a university or college. Your alma mater is the university or college which granted your degree. Something continues ad nauseam when it goes on so long you become sick of it. “To the man.” An argument is ad hominem when it attacks the opponent personally rather than addressing his arguments. An ad hoc committee is appointed for some specific purpose, after completing which it is dissolved. accessit (ahk-SESS-it)įor the immediate purpose. (Impress your professor by putting it at the end of exam problems.) OTHER COMMON LATIN TERMS ab initio (AHB in-IT-ee-oh)įrom the beginning. “That which was to have been shown.” Abbreviated QEF, it was traditionally used to mark the end of a solution or calculation. A few students have clung to use of the traditional letters, in the hope they might be interpreted as “quite elegantly done.” quod erat faciendum (KWAWD eh-RAHT FAH-kee-END-um) “That which was to have been proved.” Traditionally placed at the end of proofs, the QED is now usually indicated by a small square. quod erat demonstrandum (KWAWD eh-RAHT dem-on-STRAHND-um) ![]() “As is impossible.” Qualifies a proposition that cannot be true. Literally, “note well.” Usually abbreviated ‘n.b.’, this is a way of saying, “take note of this.” per impossibile (pehr ihm-paws-SEE-bee-lay) See nota bene nota bene (NOH-tuh BAY-nay) ![]() Literally, “by that very fact.” Example: “Lie group representations are useful in characterizing quantum mechanical phenomena, and they are ipso facto an important part of a physicist’s mathematical training.” n.b. Literally, “that is.” Usually abbreviated ‘i.e.’ and often confused with ‘e.g.’ Example: “She won the race, i.e., she crossed the finish line first.” The decision whether to use ‘i.e.,’ or ‘e.g.’ should be based on whether “that is” or “for example” is what is wanted in the sentence. “For example.” Usually abbreviated to ‘e.g.’ and often confused with ‘i.e.’ Example: “Many real numbers cannot be expressed as a ratio of integers, e.g., the square root of two.” id est (id EST) a priori (AH-pree-OHR-ee)Ī thing is known a priori if it is evident by logic alone from what is already known. “From effect to cause.” A thing is known a posteriori if it is known from evidence or empirical reasoning. “With stronger reason.” If every multiple of two is even, then a fortiori every multiple of four is even. Literally, “to infinity,” indicates that a process or operation is to be carried out endlessly. ![]() E.g., “His next remark was a non sequitur.” TERMS USED IN MATHEMATICS ad infinitum (AHD-in-fin-ITE-um) Note that when Latin or other non-English words are used in writing, they should be italicized except where they are abbreviated as single letters. The pronunciations given are not the “correct” Latin pronunciations, but instead reflect common usage in English speaking countries. ![]() We review below the Latin terms most commonly used in mathematics, and follow with a more extensive list of such terms and phrases as one may run into more rarely or in other contexts. Phrases and terms from Latin make up a large part of this terminology, and reading mathematical texts-especially more advanced ones-is made easier if one is equipped with knowledge of these terms in advance. Mathematics is an ancient discipline, and consequently it has picked up a good deal of terminology over the years that is not commonly used in ordinary discourse. Zeno’s Paradox of the Tortoise and Achilles. ![]()
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