Need a latin translation

[jeriendhal]

And I'd like it to be a bit more reliable than what you get out of Bablefish. Anyone care to give a shot at translating the phrase, "Let the Princess beware?"

Comments

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Hmm. According to my Cassell's, there's no single word meaning "princess"; it translates the word as "filia regis" - "daughter of (the) king". A reigning prince (as opposed to the son of the king) is simply "rex" (literally "king"), so a reigning princess could be referred to as "regina". The phrase you want, therefore, is either "caveat filia regis" or "caveat regina", depending on what kind of princess you mean. "Princeps" doesn't quite mean "prince", but you could probably get away with using it, especially if your Latin is more medieval than classical. Unfortunately I'm not sure what the feminine form of "princeps" would be.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Technically speaking "caveat filia regis" would be the more proper term (Isolde is her father's daughter, not yet ruling anything) but I'll probably go with "caveat regina" just because it plays off "caveat emptor" better (she's coming off a recent encounter with a rather greedy store owner.)

princeps, feminine

[(Anonymous)]

princeps is one of those annoying third declensions that don't feminise easily, but principina is probably close enough (it's modelled on feminising rex). Regina is "Queen" in both Classical Latin and in any later Latin (e.g. diplomatic Latin, as used until Louis XIV forced everyone to use French).

Princeps was the title used by emperors roughly from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius (the "Principate") but was a personal title and was not used for their wives. It was revived in one of the modern meanings (the Machiavelli sense, i.e. any ruler) at some time before the conversion of the Norse. The other modern meaning (a specific title granted to lesser independent rulers) came later, I think first in relation to Wales. The use of Prince as a title for a King's son is a generalisation of Prince of Wales (son of the King of England). I think the first person likely to have been referred to as a princess is Isabella, Edward II's wife (yes, the woman in Braveheart). I'll have to go and do some digging to see what Latin was used, but it's rather late for proper classical Latin.

Re: princeps, feminine

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Thanks. You obviously paid more attention in language classes than I did when you went to college. :) "Principina" is is then!

[grayhawkfh.livejournal.com]

How about "Leteth the Princesseth Bewareth!"

I don't frelling know, I don't speak Latin!