[Editors] how's your Latin?

[Kate James]

With the caveat that it's been an EXTREMELY long time... "re" is from the
pain-in-the-ass 5th declension feminine noun "res," which is "thing"
("republic" means "public things"). "nata" I *think* is the past of nascere,
so "having been born." So kind of, "for a thing having been born." Not too
far a leap from there to "as something that's come up," basically what you
said below.

Boy, I feel like writing a thank you note to good old Dr. Springer.


On 9/23/10 10:48 AM, "Thalia Rubio" <trubio at MIT.EDU> wrote:

> Hi all
> 
> Did anyone take Latin in school? If so, I'd love to get your help with a
> question about Latin grammar. Actually my (elderly) mom has the question and I
> told her I'd see what I could do.
> 
> She's wondering what the grammar is for this phrase: pro re nata. That's the
> Latin behind the term prn, used in the medical field to mean "as needed."
> 
> If you kind of squint and do your best guess, it looks like: "for
> (concerning?)
> born." I googled for a Latin dictionary and it said: "For an occasion as it
> arises" - which makes sense.
> 
> But does anyone know how the phrase is actually constructed, with declensions
> and all? (What does "re" mean?)
> 
> Your help will be much appreciated by both of us. I can take my answer off the
> air, as it were.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Thalia
> 
> Thalia Rubio, M.Ed.
> Lecturer, Program in Writing & Humanistic Studies
> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 12-111
> Cambridge, MA 02139
> Email: trubio at mit.edu
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