Latin in Harry Potter
Meaning "moon" in Latin, this character's first name is an apt description of her somewhat loopy personality.
Who is "Luna" ("Luna Lovegood")?
Meaning "I summon," this charm fetches items for witches and wizards.
What is "Accio"?
Known for his golden power and donkey ears, this possibly-real 7th-century Phrygian king was characterized as foolish and greedy.
Who is "Midas"?
These twin sons of Mars and Rhea Silvia were raised by a she-wolf, found by shepherds, and ultimately founded the city of Rome on the Seven Hills, fighting over which hill to use as the city center. One killed the other and founded Rome, named after himself, on the Palatine Hill.
Who are "Romulus" and "Remus"?
Originally written by Roman poet and philosopher Horace, this phrase meaning "Seize the day" in Latin reminds people to value the gift of the present, because the future is not guaranteed to anyone.
What is "Carpe diem."?
Meaning "wolf" in Latin, this Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's last name is a subtle foreshadowing for Latin students that he changes form when the moon is full.
Who is "Lupin" ("Remus Lupin")?
Meaning "I drive out weapons," this spell disarms an opponent of their wand.
What is "Expelliarmus"?
With her name as the root of the scientific term for spiders, this mortal woman was punished with an eternity of weaving after she challenged the goddess Minerva to a weaving contest and won.
Who is "Arachne"?
This Roman general and dictator led his troops across the Rubicon against the Senate of Rome, wrote a book of his genocidal conquest in Gaul, and was ultimately declared an enemy of the state and assassinated by stabbing in the Curia.
Who is "Julius Caesar"?
Coming from the Latin for "three roads," this term, used to describe information that is well-known enough that it can be found in the crossroads, or public space, refers to common-knowledge items.
What is "Trivia"?
Meaning "white" in Latin, this Hogwarts headmaster's first name alludes to the color of his copious hair and beard.
Who is "Albus" ("Albus Dumbledore")?
Meaning "I await a protector," this powerful defensive charm can drive off dementors.
What is "Exspecto patronum" (patronus)?
The leading character in the hit Broadway musical Hadestown, this musical mortal dared to follow his wife down to the Underworld after she died on their wedding day to ask Pluto and Proserpina to let her go back to the land of the living.
Who is "Orpheus"?
This was the first Roman emperor, who ruled for 41 years in the first centuries BC and AD and was such a dominant imperial power that his reign was known as the "Pax Romana" because of the stability and wealth he accrued for Roman citizens at the time.
Who is "Augustus"?
The Latin word for "I," psychology describes this as the part of the self that is most closely connected to reality and our sense of self-awareness.
What is "ego"?
Meaning "strict" or "severe" in Latin, this Potions' professor's first name is an apt description of his intense personality.
Who is "Severus" ("Severus Snape")?
Meaning "I torture" in Latin, this unforgiveable curse causes an opponent unbearable pain.
What is "Crucio" ("Cruciatus Curse")?
Also the first name of a member of the Order of the Phoenix, this ancient Greek architect and engineer created the labyrinth to protect the Cretans from the Minotaur and the wings which freed him and his son Icarus from their prison in Crete, ultimately killing his son, who dared to fly too close to the sun.
Who is "Daedalus"?
This third Roman emperor behaved famously erratically after a prolonged fever, naming his horse to the Senate and marching his army into the ocean to declare war on Neptune, taking war spoils of shells and fish after "winning" the battle.
Who is "Caligula"?
Meaning "with the position having been reversed," this Latin phrase is used in English to describe a situation in which two things or people have been put in reverse order.
What is "Vice Versa"?
The Latin motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, "Draco dormiens numquam titillandus," means this in English.
What is "Never tickle a sleeping dragon."?
Meaning "I divide into two," this useful charm is used by Harry when he splits Cedric's bag open in order to talk to him privately and by Hermione when she frees Ron from magical ropes in the Deathly Hallows.
What is "Diffindo" ("Severing Charm")?
This son of both the mortal king of Athens and divine king of the sea was raised by his mortal mother in anonymity, defeated the Minotaur, replaced his father as king of Athens, united Attica under Athenian rule, and serves as one of the archetypes of Greek heroes.
Who is "Theseus"?
This fifth Roman emperor, the last of the Julio-Claudians, was emperor during Boudicca's rebellion in Britain and the Great Fire of Rome, thought of himself as a great artist, tried to kill his mother several times, and had a massive villa built for himself in the center of Rome.
Who is "Nero"?
Meaning "nourishing mother" in Latin, this phrase is used in English to denote the school from which you have graduated.
What is "alma mater"?