List of Latin phrases (F)

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.

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 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.
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.
falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus||false in one thing, false in everything||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.
feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes||I have done what I could; those who can will do better.||from Henry Baerlein's introduction to his translation of The Diwan of Abu'l-Ala by Abu al-Ala al-Maarri (973–1057); also in Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, act I.
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.
felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas||happy is he who can discover the causes of things||Virgil. "Rerum cognoscere causas" is the motto of the University of Sheffield.
felo de se	felon from himself	An 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.
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 light be made	Less literally, "let light arise" or "let there be light" (cf. lux sit). 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||The motto of Archbishop Richard Smith of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton.
Fidei Defensor (Fid Def) or (fd)	Defender of the Faith	A title given to Henry VIII of England by Pope Leo X on October 17, 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. The humor comes from the phrase's similarity in pronunciation to the words "Feed 'em shit".
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.
finis coronat opus||The end crowns the work||The end justifies the means.
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, Achaeronta movebo||If I cannot move heaven I will raise hell||Virgil's Aeneid, book 7
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.||The motto of Bishop Blanchet High School.
fortes fortuna adiuvat	Fortune favours the bold	The motto of the 3rd Marine Regiment
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.
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.
fortunae meae, multorum faber||artisan of my fate and that of several others||Motto of Gatineau.
fundamenta inconcussa||Unshakable Foundation||