latinterez

Latin is, in fact, an excellent choice for global brands conveying timelessness and transcending all spoken languages. Latin words also tend to be easy to pronounce, after all no one really knows how the Romans sounded, so there is no right or wrong way to speak Latin.

Consider the following brand names and their derivations and whether you think they are an apt choice for the company or brand:

acer is the Latin word for “sharp”.
Makes sense for a technology company, doesn’t it?

Lego is actually derived from the Danish words leg godt meaning “play well”, but how fortunate (even if coincidental) thatlego also means “I assemble” in Latin!

Sony comes from sonus, meaning “sound” in Latin. We think it’s quite fitting for a company famous for making stereos and bringing us walkmans.

Hovis is a brand name formed fromhominis vis meaning “the strength of the man”.

Nivea, a skincare brand famous for its white creams, traces its name from the Latin word niveus meaning “snow-white”

Somnus sounds like a good name for a company which makes beds and mattresses, given that somnus means “sleep”.

Latin seems to be particularly popular for branding in the car industry. It is notable how often UK car manufacturers have chosen Latin names for their models. This is particularly true at Vauxhall whose models have included the Senator (no translation required), theVelox (velox meaning “speedy”), the Nova (nova meaning “new”) and the Vector (vectormeaning “one that carries”). Its current model, the Vauxhall Astra, likely derives its name from astera meaning “stars” in Latin. Perhaps they have a Classicist on their staff!

We round off this article with our particular favourite: ASICS, the sportswear brand. ASICS is an acronym of the Latin motto anima sana in corpore sana meaning “healthy soul in a healthy body”. In fact, the original citation is mens sana in corpora sana, i.e. “healthy mind in a healthy body”, but perhaps the marketing gurus decided that MSICS did not have the same ring as ASICS, and we’d agree!