F
| Latin | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| faber est suae quisque fortunae | every man is the artisan of his own fortune | Appius Claudius Caecus. Motto of Fort Street High School in Petersham, Sydney, Australia. |
| fac fortia et patere | do brave deeds and endure | Motto of Prince Alfred College in Adelaide, Australia. |
| fac simile | make a similar thing | Origin of the word facsimile, and, through it, of fax. |
| faciam ut mei memineris | I'll make you remember me | from Plautus, Persa IV.3–24; used by Russian hooligans as tattoo inscription. |
| facile princeps | easily the first | Said of the acknowledged leader in some field, especially in the arts and humanities. |
| facio liberos ex liberis libris libraque | "I make free adults out of children by means of books and a balance." | Motto of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| facta, non verba | deeds, not words | Frequently used as motto. |
| falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus | false in one, false in all | A Roman legal principle indicating that a witness who willfully falsifies one matter is not credible on any matter. The underlying motive for attorneys to impeach opposing witnesses in court: the principle discredits the rest of their testimony if it is without corroboration. |
| feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes | I have done what I could; let those who can do better. | from Henry Baerlein's introduction to his translation of The Diwan of Abul ʿAla by Abul ʿAla Al-Maʿarri (973–1057); also in Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, act I. |
| NN fecit | NN made (this) | a formula used traditionally in the author's signature by painters, sculptors, artisans, scribes etc. Compare pinxit. |
| fecisti patriam diversis de gentibus unam | "From differing peoples you have made one native land" | Verse 63 from the poem De reditu suo by Rutilius Claudius Namatianus praising emperor Augustus. |
| felicior Augusto, melior Traiano | "be more fortunate than Augustus and better than Trajan" | A ritual acclamation delivered to late Roman emperors. |
| felix culpa | fortunate fault | from "Exsultet" of the Catholic liturgy |
| felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas | happy is he who can discover the causes of things | Virgil. "Rerum cognoscere causas" is the motto of the London School of Economics and the University of Sheffield. |
| felo de se | felon from himself | An archaic legal term for one who commits suicide, referring to early English common law punishments, such as land seizure, inflicted on those who killed themselves. |
| fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt | men generally believe what they want to | People's beliefs are shaped largely by their desires. Julius Caesar, The Gallic War 3.18 |
| festina lente | hurry slowly | An oxymoronic motto of Augustus. It encourages proceeding quickly, but with calm and caution. Equivalent to 'More haste, less speed'. Motto of The Madeira School, McLean, Virginia. |
| festinare nocet, nocet et cunctatio saepe; tempore quaeque suo qui facit, ille sapit. | it is bad to hurry, and delay is often as bad; the wise person is the one who does everything in its proper time. | Ovid |
| fiat iustitia et pereat mundus | let justice be done, though the world shall perish | Motto of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor. |
| fiat justitia ruat caelum | let justice be done should the sky fall | Attributed to Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus. |
| fiat lux | let light be made | Less literally, "let light arise" or "let there be light" (cf. lux sit). From the Latin translation of Genesis, "dixitque Deus fiat lux et facta est lux" ("and God said, 'Let light be made', and light was made."); frequently used as motto for educational institutions. |
| fiat panis | let there be bread | Motto of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) |
| fiat voluntas Dei | May God's will be done | The motto of Robert May's School |
| fiat voluntas tua | Thy will be done | The motto of Archbishop Richard Smith of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton. |
| ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris | fictions meant to please should approximate the truth | Horace Ars Poetica (338), advice presumably discounted by the magical realists |
| Fidei Defensor or | Defender of the Faith | A title given to Henry VIII of England by Pope Leo X on October 17, 1521 before Henry became a heresiarch. Still used by the British monarchs, it appears on all British coins, usually abbreviated. |
| fidem scit | He knows the faith | Sometimes mistranslated to "Keep the faith", when used in contemporary English-language writings of all kinds to convey a light-hearted wish for the reader's well-being. |
| fides qua creditur | the faith by which it is believed | the personal faith which apprehends, contrasted with fides quae creditur |
| fides quae creditur | the faith which is believed | the content of "the faith," contrasted with fides qua creditur |
| fides quaerens intellectum | faith seeking understanding | the motto of Saint Anselm, found in his Proslogion |
| fidus Achates | faithful Achates | A faithful friend. From the name of Aeneas's faithful companion in Virgil's Aeneid. |
| filae nostrae sicvt angvli incisi similitvdine templi | may our daughters be as polished as the corners' of the temple | Motto of Francis Holland School |
| finis coronat opus | the end crowns the work | the end justifies the means. |
| finis vitae sed non amoris | the end of life, but not of love | |
| flagellum dei | scourge of god | referred to Attila the Hun, when he led his armies to invade the Western Roman Empire. |
| flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo | if I cannot move heaven I will raise hell | Virgil's Aeneid, book VII.312 |
| floreat etona | may Eton flourish | Motto of Eton College |
| floreat nostra schola | may our school flourish | Common school motto |
| floruit | one flourished | Indicates the period when a historical figure whose birth and death dates are unknown was most active. |
| fluctuat nec mergitur | she wavers and is not immersed | Motto of Paris |
| fons et origo | the spring and source | "The fountainhead and beginning". The source and origin. |
| fons sapientiae, verbum Dei | the fount of knowledge is the word of God. | The motto of Bishop Blanchet High School. |
| forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit | perhaps even these things will be good to remember one day | From Virgil's Aeneid, book I, line 203. |
| fortes fortuna adiuvat | Fortune favours the bold | The motto of the 3rd Marine Regiment |
| fortes in fide | strong in faith | Frequently used as motto. |
| fortis cadere, cedere non potest | The brave may fall, but cannot yield | Motto of Fahnestock Family Arms. |
| fortis est veritas | truth is strong | Motto on the coat of arms of Oxford, England. |
| fortis et liber | strong and free | Motto of Alberta |
| fortis in arduis | strong in difficulties | Motto of Municipal Borough of Middleton from the Earl of Middleton. |
| fortiter et fideliter | bravely and faithfully | Frequently used as motto. |
| fortunae meae, multorum faber | artisan of my fate and that of several others | Motto of Gatineau. |
| fui quod es, eris quod sum | I once was what you are, you will be what I am | An Epitaph, made to remind the reader of the inevitability of death, saying "Once I was alive like you are, and you will be dead as I am now." As believed, it was carved on a gravestone of some Roman military officer. |
| fumus boni iuris | presumption of sufficient legal basis | |
| fundamenta inconcussa | unshakable foundation |
Read more about this topic: List Of Latin Phrases (full)