Latin/Occupation Lesson 3

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Today’s lesson is our third on the topic of occupations. Choosing vocabulary gets a bit complicated: here are some of the words that might be used to mean “boss/manager/supervisor/employer”:

prīnceps, praeses, praepositus/a, prōcūrātor, cūrātor, moderātor / moderātrix, conductor.

Some of these have specific associations: prīnceps was used by Augustus to mean “first citizen” but also was used for the nobles and chiefs of various tribes. Praeses is used in modern Latin to refer to the office of President of a country (or corporation). I prefer prīnceps for the executive, the “big boss” or elite level, and either prōcūrātor or praepositus for more typical business usage; i.e., the manager just a level or two above you. Also note that officium can mean a physical office, or the duty it symbolizes.

Another tricky one is doctor which does not necessarily mean a medical doctor; it is a generic term for an educated person, one who has been taught and is capable of teaching at an advanced level, or could be used to mean a scientist or engineer as well. Of course we still use it in English in multiple senses. Minister meaning waiter can also be used in a more general sense, along with its synonyms servus and famulus. This is just a little of the flexibility that can enrich Latin vocabulary, and also make it very confusing.

New Vocabulary

Latin	English	Audio (Classical)	Notes
minister, ministrī ministra, ae f.	waiter, attendant, server
scientificus, ī homō scientiae	scientist, man of science
aedificium, ī	building
officium, ī	office, service, duty
āmanuēnsis, āmanuēnsis (c.)	secretary, clerk
doctor, doctōris (m.)	teacher, learned man, scientist, one with an advanced degree
prīnceps, prīncipis (m.)	chief, leading man, boss
prōcūrātor, prōcūrātōris (m.) praepositus, ī	manager, supervisor, boss
societās, societātis (f.)	company, (business) organization
vigil, vigilis, vigilium (m.) (+pūblicus)	policeman

New Sentences

Latin	English	Notes
Architectus aedificium facit.	The architect makes a building.
Prīncipēs illius oppidī Rōmānōs nōn amant.	The chiefs of that town do not like the Romans.
Paula prīnceps magnae societātis est.	Paula is the executive of a large organization.
Vigil pūblicus est.	He is a policeman.
Vigilēs pūblicī caeruleum gerunt.	The police officers wear blue.
Vigilēs pūblicōs vocō!	I am calling the police!
Lūcia ministra in hāc cauponā est.	Lucia is a waitress in this restaurant.
Mārcus minister etiam est.	Marcus is also a waiter.
Officium nostrum in illō aedificiō est.	Our office is in that building.
Gāius officium suum facit.	Gaius does his duty.
Procurātor in officiō nōn est.	The boss is not in the office/ on duty.
Āmanuēnsis est.	He/she is a secretary.
Quattuor āmanuēnsēs in hōc officiō labōrant.	Four secretaries work in this office.
Doctor sum, sed nōn medicus.	I am a doctor, but not a medical doctor.
Scientificus et magister est.	He is a scientist and a teacher.
Scientificī (hominēs scientiae)(doctōrēs) multōs librōs legunt.	The scientists read many books.
membrum ex officiō	a member by virtue of one’s office
medicinae doctor	doctor of medicine	M.D.
philosophiae doctor	doctor of philosophy	Ph.D.
jūris doctor	doctor of law	J.D.

Practice

Practice and learn the words and phrases in this lesson
Step one	First learn the words using this lesson: Occupation vocabulary
Step two	Next try learning and writing the sentencing using this: Occupation Sentences
Note that the Memrise stage covers the content for all lessons in each stage. If you are skipping previous stages you may need to manually "ignore" the words in previous levels (use the 'select all' function)

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