# List of Latin phrases (P)

This page is one of a series listing 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 ancient Greek rhetoric and literature started centuries before the beginning of Latin literature in ancient Rome.

## Lists of Latin phrases

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| Latin | Translation | Notes |
| pace | [with] peace [to] | "With all due respect to", "with due deference to", "by leave of", "no offence to", or "despite (with respect)". Used to politely acknowledge someone with whom the speaker or writer disagrees or finds irrelevant to the main argument. Ablative form of pax, "peace." |
| pace ac bello merita | Service during peace and war | Motto of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency shown on its flag |
| pace tua | 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. |
| palma non sine pulvere | no reward without effort | Also "dare to try"; motto of numerous schools. |
| palmam qui meruit ferat | He who has earned the palm, let him bear it. | Loosely, "achievement should be rewarded" (or, "let the symbol of victory go to him who has deserved it"); frequently used motto |
| panem et circenses | bread and circuses | From Juvenal, 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. |
| par sit fortuna labori | Let the success be equal to the labor. | This motto is of the families Buchanan, Lowman, and Palmer, according to Burke's Peerage & Baronetage. |
| parvus pendetur fur, magnus abire videtur | 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 (deterrence). 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. |
| parce sepulto | 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 (Horace, Ars poetica 137) – see also The Mountain in Labour |
| parum luceat | It does not shine [being darkened by shade]. | 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. See also et passim. |
| pater familias | father of the family | Or "master of the house". The eldest male in a family, who held patria potestas ("paternal power"). 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 (the text latim er is concealed in the words) |
| 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 (The Peace of the gods) instead of Ira Deorum (The Wrath of the gods). |
| 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 (approximately 1598–1621). Adapted from Pax Romana. |
| pax in terra | peace on earth | Used to exemplify the desired state of peace on earth |
| Pax Indica | 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 (especially homes, monasteries, inns). Often benedicto habitantibus (Blessings on those who abide here) 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 (11,595); 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 |
| Pax tecum | peace be with you (singular) |
| Pax tibi, Marce, 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. |
| pax vobiscum | peace [be] with you | A common farewell. The "you" is plural ("you all"), so the phrase must be used when speaking to more than one person; pax tecum is the form used when speaking to only one person. |
| peccavi | I have sinned | Telegraph message and pun from Charles Napier, British general, upon completely subjugating the Indian province of Sindh in 1842 ('I have Sindh'). This is, arguably, the most terse military despatch ever sent. The story is apocryphal. |
| pecunia non olet | money doesn't smell | According to Suetonius' De vita Caesarum, when Emperor Vespasian was challenged by his son Titus for taxing the public lavatories, the emperor held up a coin before his son and asked whether it smelled or simply said non olet ("it doesn't smell"). From this, the phrase was expanded to pecunia non olet, or rarely aes non olet ("copper doesn't smell"). |
| pecunia, si uti scis, ancilla est; si nescis, domina | if you know how to use money, money is your slave; if you don't, money is your master | Written on an old Latin tablet in downtown Verona (Italy). |
| pede poena claudo | punishment comes limping | That is, retribution comes slowly but surely. From Horace, Odes, 3, 2, 32. |
| pendent opera interrupta | the works hang interrupted | From the Aeneid of Virgil, Book IV |
| per | By, through, by means of | See specific phrases below |
| per angusta ad augusta | through difficulties to greatness | Joining sentence of the conspirators in the drama Hernani by Victor Hugo (1830). The motto of numerous educational establishments. |
| per annum (pa.) | each year | Thus, "yearly"—occurring every year |
| per ardua | through adversity | Motto of the British RAF Regiment |
| per ardua ad alta | through difficulty to heights | Through hardship, great heights are reached; frequently used motto |
| per ardua ad astra | through adversity to the stars | Motto of the Royal, Royal Australian and Royal New Zealand Air Forces, the U. S. State of Kansas and of several schools. The phrase is used by Latin Poet Virgil in the Aeneid; also used in H. Rider Haggard's novel The People of the Mist. |
| per aspera ad astra | through hardships to the stars | From Seneca the Younger; frequently used motto, sometimes as ad astra per aspera ("to the stars through hardships") |
| per capita | by heads | "Per head", i.e., "per person", a ratio by the number of persons. The singular is per caput. |
| per capsulam | through the small box | That is, "by letter" |
| per contra | through the contrary | Or "on the contrary" (cf. a contrario) |
| per crucem vincemus | through the cross we shall conquer | Motto of St John Fisher Catholic High School, Dewsbury |
| Per Crucem Crescens | through the cross, growth | Motto of Lambda Chi Alpha |
| per curiam | through the senate | Legal term meaning "by the court", as in a per curiam decision |
| per definitionem | through the definition | Thus, "by definition" |
| per diem (pd.) | by day | Thus, "per day". A specific amount of money an organization allows an individual to spend per day, typically for travel expenses. |
| per fas et nefas | through right or wrong | By fair means or foul |
| per fidem intrepidus | fearless through faith |
| per incuriam | through inadvertence or carelessness | Legal term referring to a decision that was made by a court through a clear mistake or unawareness of something, such as forgetting to take some binding precedent into account |
| per literas regias per lit. reg. per regias literas per reg. lit. etc. | by royal letters | by letters patent; of academic degrees: awarded by letters patent from the King/Queen, rather than by a University |
| per mare per terram | by sea and by land | Motto of the Royal Marines and (with small difference) of Clan Donald and the Compagnies Franches de la Marine |
| per mensem (pm.) | by month | Thus, "per month", or "monthly" |
| per multum cras, cras, crebro dilabitur aetas | what can be done today should not be delayed | |
| per os (p.o.) | through the mouth | Medical shorthand for "by mouth" |
| per pedes | by feet | Used of a certain place that can be traversed or reached by foot, or to indicate that one is travelling by foot as opposed to by a vehicle |
| per procura (p.p. or per pro) | through the agency | Also rendered per procurationem. Used to indicate that a person is signing a document on behalf of another person. Correctly placed before the name of the person signing, but often placed before the name of the person on whose behalf the document is signed, sometimes through incorrect translation of the alternative abbreviation per pro. as "for and on behalf of". |
| per quod | by reason of which | In a UK legal context: "by reason of which" (as opposed to per se which requires no reasoning). In American jurisprudence often refers to a spouse's claim for loss of consortium. |
| per rectum (pr) | through the rectum | Medical shorthand; see also per os |
| per rectum ad astra | via rectum to the stars | a modern parody of per aspera ad astra, originating and most commonly used in Russia, meaning that the path to success took you through most undesirable and objectionable places or environments; or that a found solution to a complex problem is extremely convoluted. |
| per risum multum poteris cognoscere stultum | by excessive laughter one can recognise the fool | |
| per se | through itself | Also "by itself" or "in itself". Without referring to anything else, intrinsically, taken without qualifications etc. A common example is negligence per se. See also malum in se. |
| per stirpes | through the roots | Used in wills to indicate that each "branch" of the testator's family should inherit equally. Contrasted with per capita. |
| per unitatem vis | through unity, strength | Motto of Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets |
| per veritatem vis | through truth, strength | Motto of Washington University in St. Louis |
| per volar sunata | born to soar | Frequently used motto; not from Latin but from Dante's Purgatorio, Canto XII, 95, the Italian phrase "per volar sù nata". |
| Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim | Be patient and tough; some day this pain will be useful to you. | From Ovid, Amores, Book III, Elegy XI |
| periculum in mora | danger in delay | |
| perinde ac [si] cadaver [essent] | [well-disciplined] like a corpse | Phrase written by St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Constitutiones Societatis Iesu (1954) |
| perita manus mens exculta | skilled hand, cultivated mind | Motto of RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia |
| perge sequar | advance, I follow | from Virgil's Aeneid IV 114; in Vergil's context: "proceed with your plan, I will do my part." |
| Pericula ludus | Danger is my pleasure | Motto of the Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte |
| perpetuum mobile | thing in perpetual motion | A musical term; also used to refer to hypothetical perpetual motion machines |
| Perseverantia et Fide in Deo | Perseverance and Faith in God | Motto of Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, India |
| persona non grata | person not pleasing | An unwelcome, unwanted or undesirable person. In diplomatic contexts, a person rejected by the host government. The reverse, persona grata ("pleasing person"), is less common, and refers to a diplomat acceptable to the government of the country to which he is sent. |
| Pes meus stetit in directo | My foot has stood in the right way (or in uprightness; in integrity) | Motto of the Light Armoured Cavalry Regiment Santiago No 1, Spanish Army; Psalm 26:12 |
| petitio principii | request of the beginning | Begging the question, a logical fallacy in which a proposition to be proved is implicitly or explicitly assumed in one of the premises |
| pia desideria | pious longings | Or "dutiful desires" |
| pia fraus | pious fraud | Or "dutiful deceit". Expression from Ovid; used to describe deception which serves Church purposes |
| pia mater | pious mother | Or "tender mother". The delicate innermost of the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. |
| Pietate et doctrina tuta libertas | Freedom is made safe through character and learning | Motto of Dickinson College |
| pinxit | one painted | Thus, "he painted this" or "she painted this". Formerly used on works of art, next to the artist's name. |
| piscem natare doces | [you] teach a fish to swim | Latin proverb, attributed by Erasmus in his Adagia to Greek origin (Diogenianus, Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις); corollary Chinese idiom (班門弄斧) |
| placet | it pleases | expression of assent |
| plaudite, cives | applaud, citizens | Said by ancient comic actors to solicit the audience's applause |
| plene scriptum | fully written | |
| plenus venter non studet libenter | A full belly does not like studying | I.e., it is difficult to concentrate on mental tasks after a heavy meal. The following variant is also attested: plenus si venter renuit studere libenter (the belly, when full, refuses to study willingly). |
| plenus venter facile de ieiuniis disputat | A full belly readily discusses fasting. | Hieronymus, Epistulæ 58,2 |
| plurale tantum pl. pluralia tantum | plural only | nouns that only occur in the plural form |
| pluralis majestatis | plural of majesty | The first-person plural pronoun when used by an important personage to refer to himself or herself; also known as the "royal we" |
| pluralis modestiae | plural of modesty | |
| plus minusve (p.m.v.) | more or less | Frequently found on Roman funerary inscriptions to denote that the age of a decedent is approximate |
| plus ultra | further beyond | National motto of Spain and a number of other institutions |
| pollice compresso favor iudicabatur | goodwill decided by compressed thumb | Life was spared with a thumb tucked inside a closed fist, simulating a sheathed weapon. Conversely, a thumb up meant to unsheath your sword. |
| pollice verso | with a turned thumb | Used by Roman crowds to pass judgment on a defeated gladiator. The type of gesture used is uncertain. Also the name of a famous painting depicting gladiators by Jean-Léon Gérôme. |
| Polonia Restituta | Rebirth of Poland | |
| pons asinorum | bridge of asses | Any obstacle that stupid people find hard to cross. Originally used of Euclid's Fifth Proposition in geometry. |
| pontifex maximus | greatest high priest | Or "supreme pontiff". Originally an office in the Roman Republic, later a title held by Roman emperors, and later a traditional epithet of the pope. The pontifices were the most important priestly college of the religion in ancient Rome; their name is usually thought to derive from pons facere ("to make a bridge"), which in turn is usually linked to their religious authority over the bridges of Rome, especially the Pons Sublicius. |
| posse comitatus | force of the county | Thus, to be able to be made into part of a retinue or force. In common law, a sheriff's right to compel people to assist law enforcement in unusual situations. |
| possunt quia posse videntur | They can because they think they can | Inscription on the back of Putney medals, awarded to boat race winning Oxford blues. From Virgil's Aeneid Book V line 231. |
| post aut propter | after it or by means of it | Causality between two phenomena is not established (cf. post hoc, ergo propter hoc) |
| post cibum (p.c.) | after food | Medical shorthand for "after meals" (cf. ante cibum) |
| post coitum | After sex | After sexual intercourse |
| post coitum omne animal triste est sive gallus et mulier | After sexual intercourse every animal is sad, except the cock (rooster) and the woman | Or: triste est omne animal post coitum, praeter mulierem gallumque. Attributed to Galen of Pergamum. |
| post eventum | after the event | Refers to an action or occurrence that takes place after the event that is being discussed (similar in meaning to post factum). More specifically, it may refer to a person who is recounting an event long after it took place, implying that details of the story may have changed over time. (Some sources attribute this expression to George Eliot.) |
| post factum | after the fact | Not to be confused with ex post facto. |
| post festum | after the feast | Too late, or after the fact |
| post hoc ergo propter hoc | after this, therefore because of this | A logical fallacy where one assumes that one thing happening after another thing means that the first thing caused the second. |
| post meridiem (p.m.) | after midday | The period from noon to midnight (cf. ante meridiem) |
| post mortem (pm) | after death | Usually rendered postmortem. Not to be confused with post meridiem |
| Post mortem auctoris (p.m.a.) | after the author's death | The phrase is used in legal terminology in the context of intellectual property rights, especially copyright, which commonly lasts until a certain number of years after the author's death. |
| post nubila phoebus | after the clouds, the sun | Motto of the University of Zulia, Venezuela, as well as Hartford, Connecticut |
| post nubes lux | out of darkness, light | Motto of Cranfield University |
| post scriptum (p.s.) | after what has been written | A postscript. Used to mark additions to a letter, after the signature. Can be extended to post post scriptum (p.p.s.), etc. |
| post tenebras lux, or, post tenebras spero lucem | after darkness, [I hope for] light | from Vulgata, Job 17:12; frequently used motto |
| postera crescam laude | I am going to grow in the esteem of future generations | Motto of the University of Melbourne |
| praemia virtutis honores | honours are the rewards of virtue | |
| praemonitus praemunitus | forewarned is forearmed | Common catch phrase of the title character of the novel Captain Blood |
| praesis ut prosis | Lead in order to serve. | Motto of Lancaster Royal Grammar School |
| praestant interna (coronae) | what is inside is better (than the crown) | Motto emphasizing that a person excels primarily through their inner virtues rather than their physical attributes or social rank—a topos in classical rhetoric, inspired in particular by the biblical figure of David who, according to the Old Testament (1 Samuel 17), triumphed over Goliath through faith, bravery and tactical intelligence, despite a physical disadvantage. The theme is also recurrent in Greco-Roman mythology, for instance in the Labours of Hercules or Homer's Odyssey. Historically, court artists used this motto as a propaganda tool to reinforce the legitimacy of sovereigns—particularly absolute or divine right monarchs like Louis XIV—by praising their personal merits over mere hereditary claims to the crown, as in L'Automne (Autumn) by Charles Le Brun. 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. |
| praeter legem | after the law | Legal terminology, international law |
| Praga Caput Regni | Prague, Head of the Kingdom | Motto of Prague from Middle Ages |
| Praga Caput Rei publicae | Prague, Head of the Republic | Motto of Prague from 1991 |
| Praga mater urbium | Prague, Mother of Cities | Motto of Prague from 1927 |
| Praga totius Bohemiae domina | Prague, the mistress of the whole of Bohemia | Former motto of Prague |
| pretium laborum non vile | No mean reward for labour | Motto of the Order of the Golden Fleece |
| pretiumque et causa laboris | The prize and the cause of our labour | Motto of Burnley Football Club; from Ovid's Metamorphoses, 4.739 (Latin)/English): "The Tale of Perseus and Andromeda": resoluta catenis incedit virgo, pretiumque et causa laboris. ("freed of her chains the virgin approaches, cause and reward of the enterprise.") |
| prima facie | at first sight | Used to designate evidence in a trial which is suggestive, but not conclusive, of something (e.g., a person's guilt) |
| prima luce | at dawn | Literally "at first light" |
| primas sum: primatum nil a me alienum puto | I am a primate; nothing about primates is foreign to me | A sentence by the American anthropologist Earnest Hooton and the slogan of primatologists and lovers of primates. Derived from homo sum, humani a me nihil alienum puto. |
| primum mobile | first moving thing | Or "first thing able to be moved"; see primum movens |
| primum movens | prime mover | Or "first moving one". A common theological term, such as in the cosmological argument, based on the assumption that God was the first entity to "move" or "cause" anything. Aristotle was one of the first philosophers to discuss the "uncaused cause", a hypothetical originator—and violator—of causality. |
| primum non nocere | first, to not harm | A medical precept. Often falsely attributed to the Hippocratic Oath, though its true source is probably a paraphrase from Hippocrates' Epidemics, where he wrote, "Declare the past, diagnose the present, foretell the future; practice these acts. As to diseases, make a habit of two things: to help, or at least to do no harm." |
| primus inter pares | first among equals | Position of the Ecumenical Patriarch in the Eastern Orthodox Church, position of the President of the Swiss Confederation among the members of the Federal Council, and a title of the Roman Emperors (cf. princeps). |
| principia probant non probantur | principles prove; they are not proved | Fundamental principles require no proof; they are assumed a priori. |
| principiis obsta (et respice finem) | resist the beginnings (and consider the end) | Ovid, Remedia Amoris, 91 |
| principium individuationis | Individuation | psychological term: the self-formation of the personality into a coherent whole |
| prior tempore potior iure | earlier in time, stronger in law | “First in time, greater in right.”A maxim meaning that the law favors those who establish their rights earlier rather than later. This principle is often cited in private law to support the claims of prior creditors over later creditors. |
| pro aris et focis | For altars and hearths | The motto of the Royal Queensland Regiment, and many other regiments. |
| pro bono publico | for the public good | Often abbreviated pro bono. Work undertaken voluntarily at no expense, such as public services. Often used of a lawyer's work that is not charged for. |
| pro Brasilia fiant eximia | let exceptional things be made for Brazil | Motto of São Paulo state, Brazil. |
| pro Deo Domo Patria | For God, home and country | Motto of the University of Mary Washington |
| pro Deo et Patria | For God and Country | Frequently used motto |
| pro domo (sua) | for (one’s own) home or house | serving the interests of a given perspective or for the benefit of a given group. |
| pro Ecclesia, pro Texana | For Church, For Texas | Motto of Baylor University, a private Christian Baptist university in Waco, Texas. |
| pro fide et patria | for faith and fatherland | Motto of the originally Irish Muldoon family and of several schools, such as the Diocesan College (Bishops) in Cape Town, South Africa, and All Hallows High School in the Bronx, New York. |
| pro forma | for form | Or "as a matter of form". Prescribing a set form or procedure, or performed in a set manner. |
| pro gloria et patria | for glory and fatherland | Motto of Prussia |
| pro hac vice | for this occasion | Request of a state court to allow an out-of-state lawyer to represent a client. |
| pro multis | for many | It is part of the Rite of Consecration of the wine in Western Christianity tradition, as part of the Mass. |
| pro parte | in part | Frequently used in taxonomy to refer to part of a group. |
| pro patria | for country | Pro Patria Medal: for operational service (minimum 55 days) in defence of the Republic South Africa or in the prevention or suppression of terrorism; issued for the Border War (counter-insurgency operations in South West Africa 1966–89) and for campaigns in Angola (1975–76 and 1987–88). Motto of The Royal Canadian Regiment, Royal South Australia Regiment, Hurlstone Agricultural High School. |
| pro patria vigilans | watchful for the country | Motto of the United States Army Signal Corps. |
| pro populo et gloria | for the people and glory | Motto of HMS Westminster |
| pro per | for self | to defend oneself in court without counsel; abbreviation of propria persona. See also: pro se. |
| pro rata | for the rate | i.e., proportionately. |
| pro re nata (PRN, prn) | for a thing that has been born | Medical shorthand for "as the occasion arises" or "as needed". Also "concerning a matter having come into being". Used to describe a meeting of a special Presbytery or Assembly called to discuss something new, and which was previously unforeseen (literally: "concerning a matter having been born"). |
| pro rege et lege | for king and the law | Found on the Leeds coat of arms. |
| pro rege, lege et grege | for king, the law and the people | Found on the coat of arms of Perth, Scotland. |
| pro se | for oneself | to defend oneself in court without counsel. Some jurisdictions prefer, "pro per". |
| pro scientia atque sapientia | for knowledge and wisdom | motto of Stuyvesant High School in New York City |
| pro scientia et patria | for science and nation | motto of the National University of La Plata |
| pro studio et labore | for study and work | |
| pro tanto | for so much | Denotes something that has only been partially fulfilled. A philosophical term indicating the acceptance of a theory or idea without fully accepting the explanation. |
| pro tanto quid retribuemus | what shall we give in return for so much | The motto of the city of Belfast; taken from the Vulgate translation of Psalm 116. |
| pro tempore | for the time (being) | Denotes a temporary current situation; abbreviated pro tem. |
| probatio pennae | testing of the pen | Medieval Latin term for breaking in a new pen |
| probis pateo | I am open for honest people | Traditionally inscribed above a city gate or above the front entrance of a dwelling or place of learning. |
| procedendo | to be proceeded with | From procedendo ad judicium, "to be proceeded with to judgment." A prerogative writ, by which a superior court requires an inferior one to rule on a matter it has neglected. |
| prodesse quam conspici | To Accomplish Rather Than To Be Conspicuous | motto of Miami University |
| prohibito | I prohibit | A prerogative writ, by which a superior court prohibits an inferior court from hearing a matter outside its jurisdiction; also called a writ of prohibition. |
| propria manu (p.m.) | "by one's own hand" |
| propter vitam vivendi perdere causas | to destroy the reasons for living for the sake of life | That is, to squander life's purpose just in order to stay alive, and live a meaningless life. From Juvenal, Satyricon VIII, verses 83–84. |
| protectio trahit subjectionem, et subjectio protectionem | Protection draws allegiance, and allegiance draws protection | Legal maxim, indicating that reciprocity of fealty with protection |
| provehito in altum | launch forward into the deep | motto of Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| proxime accessit | he came next | the runner-up |
| proximo mense (prox.) | in the following month | Used in formal correspondence to refer to the next month. Used with ult. ("last month") and inst. ("this month"). |
| pulchrum est paucorum hominum | Beauty is for the few | from Friedrich Nietzsche's 1889 book Twilight of the Idols |
| pulvis et umbra sumus | we are dust and shadow | From Horace, Carmina Book IV, 7, 16. |
| punctum saliens | leaping point | Thus, the essential or most notable point. The salient point. |
| purificatus non consumptus | purified, not consumed | |