List of Latin phrases (P)

Latin	Translation	Notes	-
pace	peace	"With all due respect to", "with due deference to", "by leave of", "no offence to", or "despite ". Used to politely acknowledge someone with whom the speaker or writer disagrees or finds irrelevant to the main argument. Ablative form of pax, "peace."	-
'	Service during peace and war	Motto of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency shown on its flag	-
'	with your peace	Thus, "with your permission"	-
Pacem in terris	Peace on Earth	1963 encyclical by Pope John XXIII	-
pacta sunt servanda	agreements must be kept	Also "contracts must be honoured". Indicates the binding power of treaties. One of the fundamental rules of international law.	-
'	no reward without effort	Also "dare to try"; motto of numerous schools.	-
'	He who has earned the palm, let him bear it.	Loosely, "achievement should be rewarded" ; frequently used motto	-
panem et circenses	bread and circuses	From Juvenal, Satires, book IV, satire X, line 81. Originally described all that was needed for emperors to placate the Roman mob. Today used to describe any entertainment used to distract public attention from more important matters.	-
'	Let the success be equal to the labor.	This motto is of the families Buchanan, Lowman, and Palmer, according to Burke's Peerage & Baronetage.	-
'	The petty thief is hanged, the big thief gets away.		-
para bellum	prepare for war	From "Si vis pacem para bellum": if you want peace, prepare for war—if a country is ready for war, its enemies are less likely to attack. Usually used to support a policy of peace through strength. In antiquity, however, the Romans viewed peace as the aftermath of successful conquest through war, so in this sense the proverb identifies war as the means through which peace will be achieved.	-
parare Domino plebem perfectam	to prepare for God a perfect people	motto of the St. Jean Baptiste High School	-
parati vero parati	ready aye ready	The motto of the Royal Canadian Navy.	-
'	forgive the interred	it is ungenerous to hold resentment toward the dead. Quote from the Aeneid, III 13-68.	-
parens patriae	parent of the nation	A public policy requiring courts to protect the best interests of any child involved in a lawsuit. See also Pater Patriae.	-
pari passu	with equal step	Thus, "moving together", "simultaneously", etc. Also used to abbreviate the principle that in bankruptcy creditors must all get the same proportion of their debt.	-
parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus	The mountains are in labour, a ridiculous mouse will be born.	said of works that promise much at the outset but yield little in the end – see also The Mountain in Labour	-
parum luceat	It does not shine .	Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, 1'/6:34 – see also lucus a nonlucendo	-
parva sub ingenti	the small under the huge	Implies that the weak are under the protection of the strong, rather than that they are inferior. Motto of Prince Edward Island.	-
parvis imbutus tentabis grandia tutus	When you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great things.	Motto of Barnard Castle School, sometimes translated as "Once you have accomplished small things, you may attempt great ones safely".	-
passim	here and there, everywhere	Less literally, "throughout" or "frequently". Said of a word, fact or notion that occurs several times in a cited text. Also used in proofreading, where it refers to a change that is to be repeated everywhere needed.	-
pater familias	father of the family	Or "master of the house". The eldest male in a family, who held patria potestas. In Roman law, a father had enormous power over his children, wife, and slaves, though these rights dwindled over time. Derived from the phrase pater familias, an Old Latin expression preserving the archaic -as ending for the genitive case.	-
Pater Omnipotens	Father Almighty	A more direct translation would be "omnipotent father".	-
Pater Patriae	father of the nation	A Latin honorific meaning "Father of the Country", or more literally, "Father of the Fatherland".	-
pater peccavi	Father, I have sinned	The traditional beginning of a Roman Catholic confession.	-
pauca sed bona	few, but good	Similar to "quality over quantity"; though there may be few of something, at least they are of good quality.	-
pauca sed matura	few, but ripe	Said to be one of Carl Gauss's favorite quotations. Used in The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein.	-
paulatim ergo certe	slowly therefore surely	Former motto of Latymer Upper School in London	-
paulatim sed firmiter	slowly but surely	Motto of University College School in London	-
pax aeterna	eternal peace	A common epitaph	-
Pax Americana	American Peace	A euphemism for the United States of America and its sphere of influence. Adapted from Pax Romana.	-
Pax Britannica	British Peace	A euphemism for the British Empire. Adapted from Pax Romana	-
Pax Christi	Peace of Christ	Used as a wish before the Holy Communion in the Catholic Mass, also the name of the peace movement Pax Christi	-
pax Dei	peace of God	Used in the Peace and Truce of God movement in 10th-century France	-
Pax Deorum	Peace of the gods	Like the vast majority of inhabitants of the ancient world, the Romans practiced pagan rituals, believing it important to achieve a state of Pax Deorum instead of Ira Deorum.	-
Pax, Domine	peace, lord	lord or master; used as a form of address when speaking to clergy or educated professionals	-
pax et bonum	peace and the good	Motto of St. Francis of Assisi and, consequently, of his monastery in Assisi; understood by Catholics to mean 'Peace and Goodness be with you,' as is similar in the Mass; translated in Italian as pace e bene.	-
pax et justitia	peace and justice	Motto of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	-
pax et lux	peace and light	Motto of Tufts University and various schools	-
Pax Europaea	European Peace	euphemism for Europe after World War II	-
Pax Hispanica	Spanish Peace	Euphemism for the Spanish Empire; specifically can mean the twenty-three years of supreme Spanish dominance in Europe. Adapted from Pax Romana.	-
pax in terra	peace on earth	Used to exemplify the desired state of peace on earth	-
'	Indian Peace	Term for hegemony of India in its sphere of influence; adapted from Pax Romana; also a 2012 book by Shashi Tharoor	-
Pax intrantibus, salus exeuntibus	Peace to those who enter, health to those who depart.	Used as an inscription over the entrance of buildings. Often benedicto habitantibus is added.	-
pax matrum, ergo pax familiarum	peace of mothers, therefore peace of families	If the mother is peaceful, then the family is peaceful. The inverse of the Southern United States saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."	-
Pax Mongolica	Mongolian Peace	period of peace and prosperity in Asia during the Mongol Empire	-
pax optima rerum	peace is the greatest good	Silius Italicus, Punica ; motto of the university of Kiel	-
Pax Romana	Roman Peace	period of relative prosperity and lack of conflict in the early Roman Empire	-
Pax Sinica	Chinese Peace	period of peace in East Asia during times of strong Chinese hegemony	-
'	peace be with you	-	-
, Evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum.''	Peace to you, Mark, my Evangelist. Here will rest your body.	Legend states that when the evangelist went to the lagoon where Venice would later be founded, an angel came and said this. The first part is depicted as the note in the book shown opened by the lion of St Mark's Basilica, Venice; registered trademark of the Assicurazioni Generali, Trieste.

The motto was sometimes associated with the symbol of the pomegranate whose tasty arils are hidden inside a tough epicarp topped by a persistent calyx shaped like a crown or, when viewed from above, like the six-pointed Star of David, the pomegranate being, in Judeo-Christian and Masonic iconography and ornamentation, a traditional symbol of biblical royalty.