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
[edit | edit source]| 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
[edit | edit source]| 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
[edit | edit source]| Practice and learn the words and phrases in this lesson | |
|---|---|
| Step one | First learn the words using this lesson: |
| Step two | Next try learning and writing the sentencing using this: |
| 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) | |