Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SUB DIO & SUB JOVE FRIGIDO
Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.
pronounce
SUB DIO:
Say it "sub DEE oh."
To hear it, click here.
pronounce
SUB JOVE FRIGIDO:
Say it "SUB jo vee FRIDGE uh doe."
To hear it, click here.
That's the relaxed, American way of saying it, and the one that I recommend. Other pronunciations are also correct.
connect these terms to others:
Me: "I think I'll keep this intro pretty short."
Also me: "I think I'll use this intro to point out how these terms relate to SO many others."
You guys know what you signed up for. :)
In our term sub dio, Latin for "below the open sky," that dio, meaning "open sky," is a form of dīus, meaning "bright as day."
So that explains why sub dio looks a little bit like these other terms:
diary (literally a "daily" account);
diurnal ("daily, active during the day");
carpe diem ("seize the day");
dial (which originally meant "an instrument showing the hour of the day");
m___dian (literally "midday" but meaning "the highest point, the most developed point, or the most perfect point");
s_n_ die (literally "without day" but meaning "without a date of expiration: for the time being, and maybe even forever");
and q__t_dian (literally "how many for today?" but meaning "daily, everyday, normal").
Could you recall those last three above? And below, two more?
In our term sub jove frigido, Latin for "below the cold Jupiter," that jove means "Jove, or Jupiter: the planet, named for the mythological god known for eating and having fun, among other things."
That explains why sub jove frigido looks a bit like the word jov___, meaning "in a good mood and having a great time with people."
And that frigido, of course, means "cold," which is why it looks a bit like frigid, refrigerate, and fri____, meaning "a quick, sudden shiver of strong emotion." As in, "It gives me a little fri____ of joy to discover how words interrelate, which is why I'm often incapable of keeping these intros short."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definitions:
The phrase "sub dio" is Latin for "under the open sky," or less literally, "in the open air." Something sub dio happens outdoors. And to do something sub dio is to do it outdoors, in the open air.
Closely related, and worth learning at the same time, is the phrase "sub jove frigido," which is Latin for "under the cold (planet) Jupiter," or less literally, "in the chilly open air." To do something sub jove frigido is to do it outdoors, in the cold air.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
They're usually adverbs: "They ate sub dio;" "They walked sub jove frigido."
Other forms:
Sometimes "sub dio" is an adjective: "We did some sub dio shopping;" "We prefer sub dio dining."
Sometimes you'll see the J capitalized: "sub Jove frigido," to show that "Jove" is a proper noun.
how to use them:
These formal terms have appeared in English print for hundreds of years, but they're still extremely rare. So, we keep them in italics to show their foreignness. And, we should probably use them only when the context makes it clear what they mean.
When you need to strike an especially formal or sophisticated tone, you might talk about people dining, shopping, walking, preaching, sleeping, studying, or attending events sub dio or sub jove frigido.
examples:
"His face and hands are still as brown as if he had lived entirely sub dio."
— John Gibson Lockhart, Peter's Letters to His Kinsfolk, 1819
"We went out and smoked our pipes round the camp-fire sub Jove frigido."
— Alfred George, Holidays at Home and Abroad, 1877
has this page helped you understand "sub dio" & "sub jove frigido"?
study them:
Explain the meaning of "sub dio" and "sub jove frigido" without saying "al fresco" or "in the fresh air."
try them out:
Talk about some activities that you find more enjoyable when you do them sub dio or sub jove frigido.
Or, if you're extremely indoorsy--like me--talk about why you dislike doing certain things sub dio or sub jove frigido.
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Everyday Etymologies!
If you're in the habit of looking up the etymologies of everyday words (wait, you aren't?), then you find, occasionally, certain ones that strike you as particularly apt, cute, strange, or poetic. I'd like to share some of those finds with you this month. In each issue, I'll give you the etymology of an everyday word, and you supply the word. We'll start easy and move into some tougher ones as the month goes on, but every answer will be an everyday kind of word, one you've been familiar with since, say, adolescence at least. To see the answer, scroll to the bottom of the issue.
Try this one today: This two-syllable, four-letter noun (and verb) is simply Latin for "I forbid."
review this word:
A. WITH WARM PASTA.
B. HIDDEN IN A HOT DESERT.
C. IN THE WARMTH OF HOME.
2. We enjoyed our meal sub dio, _____.
A. in the soft candlelight of the dining room
B. soaking in the sunlight and the salty ocean breeze
C. ducking into the stockroom to sneak in a few bites at a time
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Me: "I think I'll keep this intro pretty short."
The phrase "sub dio" is Latin for "under the open sky," or less literally, "in the open air." Something sub dio happens outdoors. And to do something sub dio is to do it outdoors, in the open air.
Part of speech:
These formal terms have appeared in English print for hundreds of years, but they're still extremely rare. So, we keep them in italics to show their foreignness. And, we should probably use them only when the context makes it clear what they mean.
"His face and hands are still as brown as if he had lived entirely sub dio."
Explain the meaning of "sub dio" and "sub jove frigido" without saying "al fresco" or "in the fresh air."
Talk about some activities that you find more enjoyable when you do them sub dio or sub jove frigido.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
|