The Roman Empire was very large and covered many countries where they spoke different languages. Latin was the language used by the rulers and it became a common language for the empire.
Examples of Latin words are:
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Today no one speaks Latin, but many languages such as English, French and Italian contain many words which originate from Latin.
For example: |
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Pen Pen comes from the Latin word penna, which means quill or feather, which people used before fountain pens were invented.
Salary Roman soldiers were paid with salt, from which the word salary is taken.
Camera The original cameras, about 200 years ago, were rooms with a small hole in one wall, which allowed an image to be projected, upside down, onto the opposite wall. These were called camera obscura, the Latin words meaning “dark chamber”.
Gladiator The Latin word for sword is gladius, and a gladiator is a swordsman. |
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| Test your knowledge of latin words in use today. | |||||||||||||
The Latin alphabet contained only 22 letters. There were no letters W, Y, U (V was used in it‘s place) or J (I was used).
Some names that have lasted from Roman times are:
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Latin
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