List of Latin phrases (F)

This page lists English translations of notable Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases, as Greek rhetoric and literature reached its peak centuries before the rise of ancient Rome.

This list covers the letter F. See List of Latin phrases for the main list.

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 et spera	do and hope	motto of Clan Matheson
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 eos in gentem unum	I will make them into one nation	appeared on British coinage following the Union of the Crowns
faciam quodlibet quod necesse est	I'll do whatever it takes
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
facilius est multa facere quam diu	It is easier to do many things, than one thing consecutively	Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria 1/12:7
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
factum fieri infectum non potest	It is impossible for a deed to be undone	Terence, Phormio 5/8:45
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.
familia supra omnia	family over everything	frequently used as a family motto
fas est et ab hoste doceri	It is lawful to be taught even by an enemy	Ovid, Metamorphoses 4:428
feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes	I have done what I could; let those who can do better.	Slight variant ("quod potui feci") found in James Boswell's An Account of Corsica, there described as "a simple beautiful inscription on the front of Palazzo Tolomei at Siena". Later, found in 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 1. Also in Alfonso Moreno Espinosa, Compendio de Historia Universal, 5. ed. (Cádiz 1888).
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"	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 ascertain the causes of things	Virgil. "Rerum cognoscere causas" is the motto of the London School of Economics, University of Sheffield, and the University of Guelph.
felo de se	felon from himself	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, Berkhamsted School, Berkhamsted, England
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 there be light	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	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 (Fid Def) or (fd)	Defender of the Faith	A title given to Henry VIII of England by Pope Leo X on 17 October 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
filiae 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. Motto of St. Mary's Catholic High School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Coat of arms of Seychelles, and of the Amin Investment Bank
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 reach 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 (fl.)	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.	motto of Bishop Blanchet High School
fons vitae caritas	love is the fountain of life	motto of Chisipite Senior School
formosam resonare doces Amaryllida silvas	teach the woods to re-echo "fair Amaryllis"	From Virgil's Eclogues 1:5
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 fortuna juvat	Fortune favours the bold	The motto of the Jutland Dragoon Regiment (Denmark)
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 and the Palmetto Guard of Charleston, South Carolina
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
fortiter in re, suaviter in modo	resolute in execution, gentle in manner	frequently used as motto
fortunae meae, multorum faber	artisan of my fate and that of several others	motto of Gatineau
fraus omnia vitiat	fraud vitiates everything	legal maxim: the occurrence or taint of fraud in a (legal) transaction invalidates it entirely
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 officers.
fumus boni iuris	presumption of sufficient legal basis
fundamenta inconcussa	unshakable foundation