Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Latin term or phrase:
Parentibus optimis quibus si quid habeo acceptum refero.
English translation:
To the best parents (in the world) to whom I owe for everything I have.
Added to glossary by
SeiTT
Feb 10, 2013 14:24
11 yrs ago
Latin term
Parentibus optimis quibus si quid habeo acceptum refero.
Latin to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Dedications
Hi
I think the maximum is ten words, so I should be okay.
At the beginning of a copy of "Acts in the Apostles" in Greek, we read the following, perhaps a dedication:
Parentibus optimis quibus si quid habeo acceptum refero.
What does it mean, please? Please explain the grammar of it - I'm all at sea here.
Best wishes
Simon
I think the maximum is ten words, so I should be okay.
At the beginning of a copy of "Acts in the Apostles" in Greek, we read the following, perhaps a dedication:
Parentibus optimis quibus si quid habeo acceptum refero.
What does it mean, please? Please explain the grammar of it - I'm all at sea here.
Best wishes
Simon
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+1
19 hrs
Judit Babcsányi
Hungary
Hungary
Works in field
Hungary
Even hand written historical documents!
Native in: Hungarian 
Works in: Latin to Hungarian, Latin to German, German to Hungarian, and 6 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
To the best parents (in the world) to whom I owe for everything I have.
parentibus optimis - dativus
quibus - refers to the above, dativus in the clause with refero AND ablativus with acceptum
acceptum - past participle =having got something from somebody
refero - predicate of subordinate clause = to trace back something to somebody
si quid habeo - second subordinate clause, object to acceptum = if I have anything/everything I have
quibus - refers to the above, dativus in the clause with refero AND ablativus with acceptum
acceptum - past participle =having got something from somebody
refero - predicate of subordinate clause = to trace back something to somebody
si quid habeo - second subordinate clause, object to acceptum = if I have anything/everything I have
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Many thanks, excellent."
2 hrs
Dominic Galante
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Native in: English 
Works in: Latin to English, Greek (Ancient) to English, English to Latin, and 1 more.
To [my] most noble parents, to whom I return this [book] just as I received it [from them].
Parentibus optimis -- dative case, used for the dedication
Quibus -- dative, beginning of relative clause; object of the verb refero
Si quid habeo acceptum -- "quid acceptum" is "the thing received". It's not exactly good Latin to use the verb habeo as an auxiliary verb to acceptum. Habeo means "I have". Sounds more like an Anglicism, "I have received it."
Refero -- first person singular present indicative active.
Quibus -- dative, beginning of relative clause; object of the verb refero
Si quid habeo acceptum -- "quid acceptum" is "the thing received". It's not exactly good Latin to use the verb habeo as an auxiliary verb to acceptum. Habeo means "I have". Sounds more like an Anglicism, "I have received it."
Refero -- first person singular present indicative active.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Jim Tucker (X)
: si quid = si aliquid; what you call an anglicism is a prevalent proto-Romance construction; where is "just as"?
2 hrs
|
1 day 4 hrs
Joseph Brazauskas
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
When You Want It Done Right
Native in: English (Variant: British) , Spanish (Variant: Standard-Spain)
Works in: Latin to English, English to Latin, Greek (Ancient) to English, and 23 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
For the best of parents, to whom I make an acceptable return, if I have any (to make).
Lit., to whom I pay back (something) acceptable, if I have any acceptable return to make.
'Acceptum' is here the perfect passive particple used substantively. In this context, it is nearly equivilent to 'gratus', 'dear'; cf. Lewis & Short s.v. accipio ad fin.
'Acceptum' is here the perfect passive particple used substantively. In this context, it is nearly equivilent to 'gratus', 'dear'; cf. Lewis & Short s.v. accipio ad fin.
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