# Latin phrase translation: This is most excellent work **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 14, 2022, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223 "2022-10-14T03:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/1 "2022-10-14T03:27:33Z")
I’d like to give a comment to a friend, in Latin, complimenting them on a recently completed project. I was thinking something like; “This is most excellent work”. Also, is there an Latin honorific equivalent to the English “Sir” ? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/2 "2022-10-14T04:04:59Z")
optime factum [?] ETA > **[List of Latin honorifics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_honorifics)** > > Latin language was lingua franca in Europe for a long time. Below is a list of Latin honorifics and their abbreviations found in various texts, not necessary Latin. > Certain honorifics may be prepended with the intensive prefix prae-, indicating very high degree, e.g., praepotens(very powerful), as well as used in superlative form, such as clarissimus, and even constructed by the combination of the two lexical devices, as in exellens (eminent, worthy) -\> praexcellens -\> praexellentissimum. > com... ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/3 "2022-10-14T10:16:12Z")
_Optimum opus_, I think. would scan better. _Hoc valde opus optimum_ Do you mean “Sir” like the knightly title, or “Sir” like the honorific in “I say good day, Sir!”? I think _Dominus_ works for the former, but seems a bit much for the latter. Maybe _Magister_, I think it fits better. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/4 "2022-10-14T11:21:46Z")
Wouldn’t it be the vocative _domine/magistre_? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/5 "2022-10-14T16:17:42Z")
Yes, if it’s being used to address the person in question, definitely. I don’t think it works like that for titles, though. So yes for my second use case, but unsure of my first. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/6 "2022-10-14T16:46:12Z")
Not so sure - the City of London motto is “Domine Dirige Nos” - does Lord in that context indicate a title of honour or simply a generic vocative? Or is it a distinction without a difference? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/7 "2022-10-14T17:08:18Z")
That’s straight vocative - In my schoolboy Latin, we always translated that as “Oh Lord” to make that clear. But, say, “Lord Kelvin calculated …” would be _Dominus Kelvin … computavit_ ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/8 "2022-10-14T17:26:22Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > That’s straight vocative So is what the OP wants to say. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/9 "2022-10-14T17:32:23Z")
They haven’t answered my question yet on how they want to use “Sir” ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/10 "2022-10-14T20:45:30Z")
If you want to use “Sir” as an address for someone who has been knighted, then I’d say the Latin word would be _eques_. In ancient Rome the word originally denoted a citizen who served in the cavalry, but because of the high social standing of those soldiers, it evolved to designate a privileged class in society. So I think it’s pretty equivalent to modern-day knighthoods as it evolved from medieval chivalry. The singular word is _eques_, the plural _equites_, and in both singular and plural the nominative is identical to the vocative. If you want to use “Sir” simply as a polite form of address for a grown-up man without indicating a knighthood, then I think _dominus_, vocative _domine_, is perfectly fine, as suggested by others. Then again, in your Lord Kelvin example, I think it would work in Latin to address Kelvin by the actual peerage that entitled him to the address as Lord. In Kelvin’s case, he was ennobled as a baron, the Latin word for which is _baro_, so I think that could be used as an address. Vocative is identical to the nominative for that word. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/11 "2022-10-31T03:29:01Z")
Sorry for delay in responding. Thanks for the suggestions. I’m thinking “Sir” as the equivalent to the English “Sir Henry”, “Sir Robert”, etc. Not a peerage, just a common variety knight. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-phrase-translation-this-is-most-excellent-work/973223/12 "2022-10-31T06:41:02Z")
Then _Dominus Henricus_ or _Dominus Robertus_ would work (be sure to use the [Latinized form](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Latin_forms_of_English_given_names) of the name if you can, it really ups the formality - did it all the time for SCA scrolls)