Latin Proverbs, Mottoes, Phrases, and Words: Group E

He [or she] struck [this].

A printer or engraver's mark, "made by" [followed by the person's name], used to identify the person who executed, or completed, the work.

1. To clear from guilt.
2. To pronounce not guilty of criminal charges.

The prefix ex- means "out of" or "away from" and from the Latin noun culpa, meaning "blame"; so, exculpate means "to clear from guilt". A legal term used in the sense of "excuse" or "justification".

1. Clearing someone of guilt or blame.
2. Clearing or tending to clear someone from an alleged legal fault or guilt; excusing.
3. Applied to evidence which may justify or excuse an accused defendant's actions and which will tend to show the defendant is not guilty or has no criminal intent.
4. Etymology: from Middle Latin exculpatus, past particple of exculpare, from Latin ex culpa, from ex-, "from" + culpa, "blame".

Something exculpatory frees a person from accusations; in other words, exculpatory evidence helps to prove that an accused individual is not guilty.

Out of court.

By disuse are privileges lost.

A legal maxim, also freely translated as: "Use it or lose it."

For the sake of example.

Meaning, "for instance" or "for example"; only when giving an example to illustrate a point. Always precede this Latin abbreviation with a comma or a semicolon. It is used correctly to introduce an example, incorrectly to mean "that is" which is id est = i.e.

"I have the laboratory equipment, e.g., [not i.e.] beakers, thermometers, and test tubes; that we need." Do not end a list that starts with e.g. with etc. In other words, make sure all of the "examples" are listed.

Better one thorn plucked than all remain.

They go out.

This is a common stage direction that characters leave the stage.

All go out.

All leave the state.

Out of goodness.

Referring to a payment made as a favor, not as an obligation.

From the books.

Phrase used before the owner's name on bookplates.

Of one's own free will; without compulsion or restraint.

A legal term also meaning "of his own accord; voluntarily" and "without prompting or request". Equivalent terms are sua sponte or exproprio motu.

According to custom.

Nothing comes from nothing.

This Latin phrase is applied broadly and may suggest that a dull mind can not be expected to produce great thoughts. The first-century Roman poet, Lucretius, wrote in De Rerum Natura about the creation of the world in which he said, Nil posse creari de nilo, "Nothing can be created out of nothing."

Another version is also given as Ex nihilo nihil fit suggesting that every effect must have a cause or that the world, for example, could not have been made from nothing.

By virtue of an office; by virtue of one's office.

Officers of an institution often serve on many of the organizations' committees, not because they have special qualifications that are needed on the committees, but because they hold certain offices in the organization. A chief executive officer of a corporation may be a member ex officio of all the important committees of that company.