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Glossary entry

Latin term or phrase:

Placetne, Magistra? Placet.

English translation:

Do you approve/Do you like it, magistra? I do approve/I do like it.

Added to glossary by JaneTranslates
Mar 2, 2007 04:58
17 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Latin term

"Placetne, Magistra?" "Placet."

Latin to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
Last two lines of an English detective novel ca. 1935. It's a marriage proposal and acceptance. The characters are both "highbrowed" Oxford scholars.

I never studied Latin, and haven't gotten any real help from Latin/English dictionaries. In addition to knowing the exact meaning, I would love to know how to pronounce the words!

My guess:

"Does it please you, Teacher/My Lady/Judge?"

"It pleases me."
Proposed translations (English)
3 +4 Do you approve/Do you like it, magistra? I do approve/I do like it.

Discussion

JaneTranslates (asker) Mar 4, 2007:
To Olga and Stephen: Thank you so much, Olga and Stephen, for your lucid explanations and for your kindness in answering my "extra" question. And again, Brigitte, for your answer.

Proposed translations

+4
2 hrs
Latin term (edited): Placetne, magistra? Placet.
Selected

Do you approve/Do you like it, magistra? I do approve/I do like it.

"Magistra" is the female version of the academic title "Magister", which is roughly a master's degree. Given the context, it makes sense that Lord Peter Wimsey uses this title.

PLEASE: DO NOT use inverted commas when asking questions. It means we have to retype the source term with our answers and for the glossary.
Note from asker:
Thank you. I had a bet with myself that someone would recognize the context! Sorry about the quotation marks; I didn't realize that would be a problem. Could you be so kind as to tell me how it's pronounced? Are the c and the g hard or soft? Thanks again. I'll be officially grading the answer when the 24 hours are up.
Peer comment(s):
agree Valentini Mellas
5 hrs
Thank you, Valentini. Have a nice weekend!
agree Rebecca Garber
10 hrs
Thank you, Rebecca. Have a nice weekend!
agree Olga Cartlidge : Prounounced as "plaketne maghistra", with the stress falling on "et" and "is". G is like G in Gatwick. C as K (in the classical Roman tradition). The "e" at the end of plaketne is like E in "ten". Magistra / placet : " A" like in "Art" but shorter.
1 day 17 hrs
Thank you, Olga. I see that you learned Latin the same way as I did - not as Church Latin. Have a nice Sunday.
agree Stephen C. Farrand : Lord Peter and his Harriet would certainly have used traditional English pronunciation, which one hears only from lawyers today. Something like plasetknee, mahgistrah? plaset. Soft g.
1 day 17 hrs
Thank you, Stephen. I fully agree with you - in General, the pronunciation typical for Church Latin seems to take over. Have a nice Sunday.
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3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you. I still don't know how to pronounce it, though."
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