The Vatican has a long list of new Latin terms invented to denote things in the modern world, such as umbrella descensoria (“parachute) and ludus follis ovati (literally, “oval ball inflated with wind,” otherwise known as rugby). This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Latin Terms for Modern Words”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.
I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette.
Earlier in the show, we were talking about the Pope’s Twitter feed that’s in Latin.
And we were talking about the challenge of coming up with new Latin terms for modernity.
You know, for things like email and that kind of thing.
The Vatican has compiled a whole lot of new terms.
And I was looking at several of them the other day and translating them into English.
And I wonder, Grant, if you can guess what some of these are.
Oh.
I’m not a Latin scholar at all, but let’s go.
Well, no, no, you don’t have to be.
But, for example, umbrella descensoria.
So I hear umbrella there, which means shadow something.
Descensoria means something like to fall or to sleep or something like that.
That’s pretty close.
It’s like a sleeper spy, right?
Yeah, I mean, if you were translating it,
Literally it would be something like descending umbrella,
Which would be…
Parachute.
Exactly, exactly.
So I have some more of these.
Of course, they didn’t have umbrellas in ancient Rome.
That’s a later Latin term.
But I have some other examples of these,
And I wonder if you can guess what these translations of the Latin term mean,
The new Latin term.
Okay.
Yeah, sure.
Double telescope.
Binoculars.
Exactly.
Oval-shaped playing ball inflated with wind.
American football?
No, not American.
Oh, rugby ball?
Exactly.
Oh, okay.
Exactly.
Ludus folus ovati.
Ooh, nice.
Say it again.
Ludus Fallus Ovati.
I’d like that on my pizza, please.
Investigator of the human spirit.
Ooh, investigator of the human psychotherapist.
The psychologist.
Something like that.
Yes, yes, very good.
Oh, nice.
Anyway, you did very well, Greg.
Thank you very much.
That was a great quiz.
I’ve got to get you on Chaneski’s track.
Well, we’d love to take your questions.
We like puzzles and games and goofing around.
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