Latinisms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Expressions or phrases derived from Latin used within another language ; stylistic devices involving Latin origin words applied in writing or speech ; words and forms borrowed from Latin to enrich vocabulary
2. Terms, vocabulary, or idiomatic expressions originating in Latin adopted into various languages ; the incorporation of Latin-based elements in modern language usage ; linguistic units traced back to Latin root forms appearing in contemporary speech or text
3. Latin-derived words or phrases embedded within another language for rhetorical or scholarly effect ; adoption of Latin vocabulary to convey specific meanings or stylistic emphasis ; use of classical Latin lexemes within modern linguistic contexts

Etymology: "Latinism" is built from "Latin" and the suffix "-ism", which in English forms nouns for a practice, a characteristic, or a distinctive feature of a language. A Latinism is therefore a feature of English (or another language) that reflects Latin: a word, phrase, or construction carried over from Latin. The suffix itself descends from Ancient Greek "-ismos", which made nouns from verbs ending in "-izein", and it reached English through Latin "-ismus" and French "-isme". The plural "latinisms" simply names the whole class of these borrowings, such as "ad hoc", "etc.", or "alma mater", phrases that English speakers use without thinking of their origin. Its earliest use is not recorded in the source, so the word's date of coinage is left aside here.

Synonyms: latin loanwords, latin phrases