Quick translation request

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Quick translation request

Postby Quintus Marius Primus on Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:06 pm

Have been asked, what would "Lost Lands" be in Latin? The person who asked me suggested "terra absentia" but I am not happy with the word absentia - that is medieval latin. Any classical latin suggestions?
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Postby Q Valerius on Thu Dec 01, 2005 6:27 pm

Absentia doesn't really convey "lost" from the Classical sense.

How about Terrae aviae? If its the name of something, you could even combine it to "Aviterranea"
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Re: Quick translation request

Postby Iacobulus on Thu Dec 01, 2005 8:54 pm

Quintus Marius Primus wrote:Have been asked, what would "Lost Lands" be in Latin? The person who asked me suggested "terra absentia" but I am not happy with the word absentia - that is medieval latin. Any classical latin suggestions?


First of all, "absentia, absentiae, f." is substantival, that is a noun and not an adjective. I believe the appropriate adjectival form of that word is absens, absentis, so it would be "terrae absentes" where "absens," the participial form of the verb "absum" is used as an adjective.

Furthermore, "absentia" or "absens" both are used by Cicero. In fact, if you look in the Oxford Latin or the Lewis and Short, s.v. "absens" or "absentia," Cicero is cited as having used it. This doesn't mean that it isn't used more frequently in Mediaeval Latin, but I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as non-Classical.

Alternatively, one might say "terrae ablatae" or "terrae omissae" or maybe even "terrae amissae." Recently I came across the word "repostas ... gentis" in the Aneid, which refers to "remote tribes" (repostas is sycope for repositas, from repono), so you could even say "terrae repositae." It all depends on what exactly you want "lost lands" to mean - abandoned lands, forsaken lands or simply remote or unexplored lands?

How about Terrae aviae?


Actually, I like the sound of that.
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Re: Quick translation request

Postby Q Valerius on Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:22 pm

Iacobulus wrote:Furthermore, "absentia" or "absens" both are used by Cicero. In fact, if you look in the Oxford Latin or the Lewis and Short, s.v. "absens" or "absentia," Cicero is cited as having used it. This doesn't mean that it isn't used more frequently in Mediaeval Latin, but I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as non-Classical.

Yes, Cicero uses it but with the meaning of "absent" as in "away". I wouldn't think that's an appropriate term for here.

Alternatively, one might say "terrae ablatae" or "terrae omissae" or maybe even "terrae amissae." Recently I came across the word "repostas ... gentis" in the Aneid, which refers to "remote tribes" (repostas is sycope for repositas, from repono), so you could even say "terrae repositae." It all depends on what exactly you want "lost lands" to mean - abandoned lands, forsaken lands or simply remote or unexplored lands?

Also, if you're using "lost" in the last sense, then perhaps the standard "terra incognita" would be appropriate.
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Postby Cleopatra Aelia on Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:54 pm

Isn't "terra incognita" the "unknown land"? :?:

"Unknown" has for me a different meaning than "lost", nearly the opposite because I just found it and it's still new to me, therefore it's unknown.
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Perdito

Postby Aldus Marius on Mon Dec 05, 2005 3:30 am

Heia,

The Spanish word for "lost" (as in lost luggage, lost loved ones, lost cause) is perdito. I am unsure of the Latin word behind this...peritus, periit, I think? ..At least, that's what I had one of my story-Romans say when he found out about the Fall...

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Re: Perdito

Postby Iacobulus on Mon Dec 05, 2005 4:21 am

Marius Peregrine wrote:Heia,

The Spanish word for "lost" (as in lost luggage, lost loved ones, lost cause) is perdito. I am unsure of the Latin word behind this...peritus, periit, I think? ..At least, that's what I had one of my story-Romans say when he found out about the Fall...

In fide,


Yes, you're on the right track, peritus (from pereo) does mean lost and would be appropriate for this translation, if the desired meaning is a "misplaced" land.
However the Spanish word you mention, perdito, and likewise the French perdu are derived from perditus from the verb perdo which can also mean "lost."
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Postby Primus Aurelius Timavus on Tue Dec 06, 2005 5:14 am

Just a quick correction: the Spanish word is perdido not perdito. Perdito looks like an Italian form, but the correct Italian is perso.
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Oops!

Postby Aldus Marius on Tue Dec 06, 2005 6:43 am

Gratias ago, mi Tergeste...

...for we all know Mari's Latin has gotten impossibly contaminated by Spanish, and vice versa. Some days I scarce know where one ends and the other begins...! >({|:-)

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