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Respice post te! Hominem te memento!

English translation: Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!


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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Latin term or phrase:Respice post te! Hominem te memento!
English translation:Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!
Entered by: Giusi Pasi
Options:
- Contribute to this entry
- Include in personal glossary

02:25 Jan 11, 2010
Latin to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Latin term or phrase: Respice post te! Hominem te memento!
I was hoping to confirm what this means.
vogel71
Local time: 00:31
Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!
Explanation:
respicio (imperative form here) = look behind
memento = imperative form for remember
hominem = accusative of homo/hominis (man)
Selected response from:

Giusi Pasi
Italy
Local time: 07:31
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +5Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!
Giusi Pasi
4 +1Look behind you and recall that you are a human being.Joseph J. Brazauskas


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!


Explanation:
respicio (imperative form here) = look behind
memento = imperative form for remember
hominem = accusative of homo/hominis (man)

Giusi Pasi
Italy
Local time: 07:31
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Wordeffect
6 hrs
agree  Veronika McLaren
11 hrs
agree  sibsab
11 hrs
agree  Anders Dalstrom
1 day9 hrs
neutral  Joseph J. Brazauskas: The translation's aptitude will depend upon whether a human being, regardless of sex, or only a male human being is meant.
3 days11 hrs
agree  David Kiltz: In roman triumphs, this was usually whispered into the triumphator's ear by a slave standing behind him on the chariot
4 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 days11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Look behind you and recall that you are a human being.


Explanation:
'Homo' means 'man' is the generic sense. Thus, it is sometimes used of male, sometimes of female, human beings, also sometimes disparagingly of social inferiors The English context here seems to call strictly for the male (the 'he-man') of the species.

Joseph J. Brazauskas
United States
Local time: 01:31
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 52

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  David Kiltz: You're but a 'man' i.e. not a god.
19 hrs
  -> Thank you for your perceptivess.
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Changes made by editors
Jan 30, 2010 - Changes made by Giusi Pasi:
Created KOG entryKudoZ term => KOG term


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