De elegantiis terminorum

I

Instituta customs/institutions are good customs undertaken by counsel and reason. I speak of the institutes of good men. But Institutiones instructions/systems are those by which we are instructed and taught, such as the books of Quintilian on oratory, or those of Lactantius on divine instruction. Institutum an institution, however, is an undertaking or a good custom.

Instruo to arrange/equip and Instituo to instruct/institute are distinguished thus: I Instruo equip a soldier, a battle line, or a fleet. I Instituo instruct a student, or the mind of another. And sometimes Instruo is used in place of Instituo.

Interdico to forbid/prohibit is not said as "I forbid you the water" in the sense of a direct object construction. Rather, it is used in four other ways: I forbid you using the dative; you are forbidden; it is forbidden to you by water and fire; water and fire are forbidden to you. In this way, also, evil men are forbidden by law and by honesty.

Interrogatio questioning made indirectly becomes contemptuous, as: "What is this man?"
An Interrogatio that wishes an affirmation to be understood must be made using non not, as: "Am I not your friend?" where the implied answer is yes. And an Interrogatio that wishes a negation to be understood must be done using non or numquid perhaps/is it that, as: "Am I not dead?" or "Am I dead?" where the speaker implies the answer is no. And this num should be written with an n at the end, making an or; but num with an m makes numquid.

Ipse self/he himself is placed for ego I mostly as a distinguishing term.

Ilimarus a mountain of Thrace; Ilimara is a city located around it.

Item also, Idem the same, and Itidem likewise signify similarly.

Iter facere to make a journey is used, not itinerare. Or one may use viam ingredi to enter upon a road.

L

Labi to slip/fall, with a short first vowel, is to fall repeatedly, as when a wall falls (labat). But Labor to glide/slide, in the sense of eris, has a long first vowel. It means to go gently and gradually downward, like rivers, a snake, and a daughter a reference to natural, fluid movement. From this comes the phrase "they glide from the sky," not "they fall." Elabor to slip away/escape is the escape from danger, as: "he slipped from the hands of his enemies." Virgil, however, says: "He moved his wavering mind" original: "animumque labantem impulit".

Lacer torn/mangled is not said, but rather lacerus.

Latebrae hiding places is said of humans; latibula dens/lairs is said of wild beasts.

Lator a bearer/proposer or portitor carrier: those most elegant in letters call him a courier (tabellarium).

Laetari to rejoice is essentially outward; gaudere to rejoice, however, is inward.

Liberi children, used for sons and daughters, lacks a singular form. However, they do not preserve that elegance of numerals, such as saying binos or ternos or alteros liberos. Instead, say: "Of my three children, I have entrusted one to letters, another to the military, and the third to the mechanical arts."

Licentia license/freedom is sometimes taken in a bad sense, and is a certain unpunished power to do whatever you wish. Thus Terence says: "The worse..." The text ends abruptly here, likely referring to the degradation of character through unbridled freedom.