quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur

proverb

Used to mockingly describe people who seem to use Latin phrases and quotations only to make themselves sound more important or "educated".

OriginLatin quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proverb
  1. humorousironicUsed to mockingly describe people who seem to use Latin phrases and quotations only to make themselves sound more important or "educated".

Origin

  1. Latinquidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur
  2. Englishquidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur

Borrowed from Latin quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur (literally “whatever is said in Latin seems profound”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quidquid%20Latine%20dictum%20sit%20altum%20videtur

MLA

“quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quidquid%20Latine%20dictum%20sit%20altum%20videtur. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quidquid%20Latine%20dictum%20sit%20altum%20videtur.

Source: quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.