Tuesday, September 29, 2009

a.d. III Kal. Oct.

Numen lumen (University of Wisconsin)
Literal translation: God (is) light

Remember that numen meant “God” or “Providence” in the motto of Colorado, nil sine Numine, “nothing without God”? If you do, it will be easy for you to remember that numen means “God” in this motto. Lumen is also an interesting word choice. It means “light,” but it refers to lamplight while lux is daylight. “Lumen” is actually an English word for a unit of measurement used for light emission. “Luminous” in English means “bright” or “shining.”

From Elizabeth Heimbach's book Latin Everywhere, Everyday

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