Tattoo Guardian Angel

[Gaberial]

1. Guardian Angel
This is all I want translated to Latin (if it can even be done)

2. This is something I have had an interest in getting done for a number of years but seeing as Latin is such a subjective language and I know of no one I could contact to try and have it properly translated. I have wanted to do possibly have a tattoo done of this, but the last thing I want is to have something improperly translated.

3. Now, As far as what it means to me. All my life I have protected others in one fashion or another. Friends, family, ect have suggested I am some kind of "Angel or Guardian Angel" Even my wife calls me Angel more often then my real name. After talking a friend out a suicide and he called me some kind of guardian It just clicked and made me want to get a tattoo of it across my shoulders.

4 This is one of the biggest Barriers for me. It seems all references to angels in latin are female or at least the all the translations I could find and being a male this is problematic lol.

If this is even possible It would be greatly appreciated. Maybe something that means the same and sounds good? Thanks guys!

 

[Pacifica]

Hello,

There is no problem about an exact translation of "(masculine) guardian angel". The word is even actually more frequent in masculine, even if feminine exists too.

Guardian angel (masc.): angelus custos.

 

[Gaberial]

Wow, you guys are fast. Thanks so much! Will have to start working on a design. For some reason I always assumed it would be some kind of convoluted "near translation" like "Celestial Warrior Who Protects" or something lol.

 

[Pacifica]

Sometimes a literal translation isn't possible, but here it was.

You're welcome.

 

[Hermes Trismegistus]

Why not "Angelus custodiae"? once Angelus and Custos are nouns or maybe "Angelus Custodianus"?

 

[Dantius]

Agent nouns, like custos and nouns in -tor, are very commonly used in apposition with other nouns almost like adjectives, e.g. "contemptor animus" and "victor exercitus". I think it's the same here.

 

[Pacifica]

Angelus custos is just the most straightforward and best translation. Angelus custodiae sounds a bit weird in this context; it sounds more like it should mean an angel that is part of a guard; and custodianus doesn't seem to be an attested word.

 

[Hermes Trismegistus]

by the way, what's the best translation for "Fallen angel"?

 

[Pacifica]

by the way, what's the best translation for "Fallen angel"?

There will be no classical translation, of course, since it's a later concept, but I would say either angelus lapsus or angelus caducus. I have found some examples of both on Google Books.

 

[Hermes Trismegistus]

There will be no classical translation, of course, since it's a later concept, but I would say either angelus lapsus or angelus caducus. I have found some examples of both on Google Books.

might it be "angelus casus", too?

 

[Dantius]

No. Since "cado, cadere" is not deponent, "casus" means "having been fallen". This makes no sense, so the form doesn't exist.

 

[Pacifica]

might it be "angelus casus", too?

No, because cadere is a non-deponent intransitive verb, so the meaning of casus would be passive and mean not "having fallen", but "having been fallen (by someone)", which of course doesn't make sense, so it doesn't exist.

Labi, on the other hand, is deponent, so it has passive forms with active meaning and lapsus means "having fallen".

Edit: Ninja'd.

 

[Hermes Trismegistus]

So how would it be the plural form, "Angeli lapsi" or "Angeli lapsus"?

 

[Dantius]

Well, they have to agree, so "angeli lapsi".

 

[Hermes Trismegistus]

By Angeli lapsus I mean 4th declension or something like that.. angeli lapsi makes sense, though.

 

[Pacifica]

By Angeli lapsus I mean 4th declension or something like that..

There is a fourth declension noun lapsus, us, meaning "fall", but then angeli lapsus would mean "angels of the fall".

I was using lapsus, a, um ("(having) fallen"), the past participle of labi ("to fall").

 

[Puer Pedens]

No, because cadere is a non-deponent intransitive verb, so the meaning of casus would be passive and mean not "having fallen", but "having been fallen (by someone)", which of course doesn't make sense, so it doesn't exist.

Labi, on the other hand, is deponent, so it has passive forms with active meaning and lapsus means "having fallen".

Edit: Ninja'd.

So, with Agent nouns one can only adjectivate by using deponent verbs?

 

[Pacifica]

So, with Agent nouns one can only adjectivate by using deponent verbs?

I'm not sure I understand your question correctly. Do you mean to ask if a perfect participle can be active only with deponent verbs?

 

[Puer Pedens]

yep, You got it!

 

[Pacifica]

Then the answer is yes—only deponent verbs have perfect participles that are active in meaning—save a very few exceptions like potus ("having drunk (too much)") and cenatus ("having dined").

Notice how English "drunk" works in a similarly odd way to Latin potus. Both normally should (and sometimes do) have a passive meaning (as in "the cup was drunk") but often refer to someone who has drunk rather than a liquid that has been drunk.