by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: March 28, 2009   Last Updated: September 02, 2010

People tend to underestimate the importance of the Latin language because it isn't a spoken language, but that doesn't mean there aren't considerable other benefits that can be derived from the study of Latin. The derivation of many words in many languages, including most Romance languages and English is often Latin and many English words have Latin prefixes or suffixes. The study of Latin often makes it possible to dissect a word and figure out its meaning by going to the Latin roots. You can also learn how to find similar words that can be used in place of a more frequently used word.

For any aspiring writer, the study of Latin can help them get better acquainted with their own language. The inner workings of Latin can help us learn English grammar, and see it in a different light. We learn about sentence structure through the study of Latin, and because of that, our own English improves. A knowledge of Latin can improve one's spelling when they analyze the way a word is put together. And if you study Latin diligently enough, you won't have to worry about having to stop to look up the spelling of words all the time.

In many of the sciences, a knowledge of Latin is almost essential. When it comes to the study of botany, the botanical names for most plants and flowers are derived from Latin. Many of the terms that describe the processes through which plants grow are terms that come from Latin. The color white, for example is Alba. We see that in the names of flowering plants.

Anyone who wishes to study anatomy will benefit from knowing Latin because most of the anatomical terms are also derived from Latin. Medical terminology is full of words that are derived from Latin, and anyone wishing to go into any area of medicine will be at a considerable advantage if they know some Latin. Doctors use Latin all the time. The abbreviations used for prescriptions are abbreviations for Latin words. Here are some examples:

* b.i.d. is medical short hand for bis in die, meaning "twice each day."

* a.c. is short for ante cibum which means "before meals."

* c.c. is short for cum cibos which means "with food."

* h.s. is short for hora somni, literally, the hour of sleep, but we know it to mean "at bedtime."

When we get a prescription for eye glasses, the prescription will have abbreviations o.d. for oculus dexter or right eye, and o.s. for oculus sinester or left eye. If the prescription reads oculus uterque, that is referring to both eyes.

Latin is also the basis of many legal

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