# Latin phrase for 'before my time'

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 4, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862 "2014-03-04T21:12:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862/1 "2014-03-04T21:12:34Z")

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A thought just hit me: The English phrase ‘terra incognita’ coming from Latin means ‘unknown territory.’ What would a phrase be for ‘before my time?’ Not necessarly ‘before I was born,’ but more in the sense of ‘before my earliest memory’ or. . . ‘unknown time.’

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**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862/2 "2014-03-04T22:04:03Z")

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my earliest memory: prima memoriae

before my time: ante diem

before my memory: in memoriam in conspectu meo

unknown time: tunc nescitur

(being no Latin scholar, I take no responsibility for the correctness of these translations which I acquired from “google translate”. 🙂 )

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862/3 "2014-03-04T22:27:31Z")

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I think “my earliest memory” would be _prima memoria mea_: “prima memoriae” would be “belonging/pertaining to the first memory” but doesn’t specify whose.

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**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862/4 "2014-03-04T22:32:59Z")

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I found “ante me est nemini” as well.

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**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862/5 "2014-03-05T15:49:39Z")

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‘ante meam memoriam’ is what you want, especially given you want before the earliest memory.

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**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862/6 "2014-03-05T16:26:49Z")

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Or are you asking for something equivalent to “in the olden days,” meaning “before I was even born”?

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862/7 "2014-03-05T16:30:46Z")

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[QUOTE=The OP]  
. . . Not necessarly ‘before I was born,’ but more in the sense of ‘before my earliest memory’ or. . . ‘unknown time.’  
[/QUOTE]  
So, any time predating my earliest memory, whether or not I was alive at the time.

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862/8 "2014-03-05T16:41:14Z")

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What **Vaevictis** said, then. Very appropriate username/subject combo.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-for-before-my-time/682862/9 "2014-03-05T16:54:20Z")

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Thanks, all.