Latin/Occupation Lesson 3

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Today’s lesson is our third on the topic of occupations. Choosing vocabulary gets a bit complicated: here are some of the words that might be used to mean “boss/manager/supervisor/employer”:
 * prīnceps, praeses, praepositus/a, prōcūrātor, cūrātor, moderātor / moderātrix, conductor.

Some of these have specific associations: prīnceps was used by Augustus to mean “first citizen” but also was used for the nobles and chiefs of various tribes. Praeses is used in modern Latin to refer to the office of President of a country (or corporation). I prefer prīnceps for the executive, the “big boss” or elite level, and either prōcūrātor or praepositus for more typical business usage; i.e., the manager just a level or two above you. Also note that officium can mean a physical office, or the duty it symbolizes.

Another tricky one is doctor which does not necessarily mean a medical doctor; it is a generic term for an educated person, one who has been taught and is capable of teaching at an advanced level, or could be used to mean a scientist or engineer as well. Of course we still use it in English in multiple senses. Minister meaning waiter can also be used in a more general sense, along with its synonyms servus and famulus. This is just a little of the flexibility that can enrich Latin vocabulary, and also make it very confusing.