3 Common Latin Expressions

3 Common Latin Expressions 3 Common Latin Expressions 3 Common Latin Expressions By Maeve Maddox Not too many generations ago, any child privileged enough to attend school beyond the age of seven or so studied Latin. A vestige of what was once a universal educational practice can be found in the use of these three Latin terms used by English speakers: mea culpa in memoriam R.I.P. Ive seen mea culpa misspelled as mia culpa, and in memoriam misspelled as in memorium. As for R.I.P. seen in cartoon drawings of tombstones and on Halloween-related decorations, many speakers are unaware that the initials R.I.P. stand for a Latin phrase. mea culpa [mÄ Ã‰â„¢ koolpÉ™]:my fault. The expression is part of a prayer of repentance, but it is often used in a secular context to mean its my fault. I know a classics professor who likes to translate it as my bad! If you feel really guilty, you can say, Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea MAXima culpa! The misspelling mia probably results from saying /mee-uh/ instead of /may-uh/. The Latin word culpa, crime, fault, blame, is at the root of several English words: culpable, culpability, culprit, exculpate, and exculpatory. in memoriam: in memory of. Tennyson named his long poem to the memory of his friend Hallam In Memoriam. English words from Latin memor, mindful, remembering, include: memory, memorable, immemorable (not worth remembering), immemorial (ancient beyond memory), memorize, commemorate, and commemoration. R.I.P., the initial letters of the Latin phrase Requiescat in pace: may he/she rest in peace. As it happens, the English translation Rest in peace gives the same initial letters of the Latin original. Latin requies, rest, repose, gives us the word requiem, Capitalized, a Requiem is a Mass for the repose of the soul of the dead. A generalized sense of requiem is any formal tribute to a departed soul. English words that derive from the same Latin source as requiem are quiet, quiescent, quiescence, and inquiet. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and Toes40 Synonyms for â€Å"Different†Prepositions to Die With

Presidential Cabinet and Its Purpose

Presidential Cabinet and Its Purpose A presidential cabinet is a group of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government. Members of the presidential cabinet are nominated by the commander in chief and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  White House records describe the role of presidential cabinet members as being to advise the president on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each members respective office. There are 23 members of the presidential cabinet, including the vice president of the United States. How the First Cabinet Was Created Authority for the creation of a presidential cabinet is granted in  Article II Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution  gives the president the authority to seek external advisors. It states that the president can require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices. Congress, in turn, determines the number and scope of executive Departments. Who Can Serve on the Presidential Cabinet? A member of the presidential cabinet cannot be a member of Congress or a sitting governor. Article I Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution  states   ... No person holding any office under the United States, shall be a member of either house during his continuance in office. Sitting governors, U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives must resign before being sworn in as a member of the presidential cabinet. How Members Are Chosen The president nominates cabinet officers. The nominees are then presented to the U.S. Senate for confirmation or rejection on a simple majority vote. If approved, the presidential cabinet nominees are sworn in and begin their duties. Who Gets to Sit on the Presidential Cabinet? With the exception of the vice president and attorney general, all cabinet heads are called secretary. The modern cabinet includes the vice president and the heads of 15 executive departments. In addition, seven other individuals have cabinet rank. Those seven others with cabinet rank are the: White House chief of staffEnvironmental Protection Agency administratorOffice of Management Budget directorU.S. Trade Representative ambassadorU.S. Mission to the United Nations ambassadorCouncil of Economic Advisers chairmanSmall Business Administration administrator The secretary of State is the highest-ranking member of the presidential cabinet. The secretary of State is also fourth in the line of succession to the presidency behind the vice president, the speaker of the House and Senate president pro tempore. Cabinet officers serve as the heads of the following executive agencies of the government: AgricultureCommerceDefenseEducationEnergyInteriorJusticeLaborHealth and Human ServicesHomeland SecurityHousing and Urban DevelopmentStateTransportationTreasuryVeterans Affairs History of The Cabinet The presidential cabinet dates to the first American president, George Washington. He appointed a Cabinet of four people: Secretary of State  Thomas Jefferson; Secretary of the Treasury  Alexander Hamilton; Secretary of War  Henry Knox; and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. Those four cabinet positions remain the most important to the president to this day. Line of Succession The presidential cabinet is an important part of the presidential line of succession, the process that determines who will serve as president upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office of a sitting president or a president-elect. The presidential line of succession is spelled out in the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. Because of this, it is common practice not to have the entire cabinet in one location at the same time, even for ceremonial occasions such as  the State of the Union Address. Typically, one member of the presidential cabinet serves as the designated survivor, and they are held at a secure, undisclosed location, ready to take over if the president, vice president and the rest of the cabinet are killed. Here is the  line of succession to the presidency: Vice PresidentSpeaker of the House of RepresentativesPresident Pro Tempore of the SenateSecretary of StateSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of DefenseAttorney GeneralSecretary of the InteriorSecretary of AgricultureSecretary of CommerceSecretary of LaborSecretary of Health and Human ServicesSecretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentSecretary of TransportationSecretary of EnergySecretary of EducationSecretary of Veterans AffairsSecretary of Homeland Security