“Lorem Ipsum” is a type of placeholder text commonly used in the printing and typesetting industry. It’s derived from a work by the Roman statesman Cicero, specifically from his writings on ethics. The text itself doesn’t actually form coherent sentences in Latin, but it’s a scrambled version of a passage from Cicero’s “De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” (The Extremes of Good and Evil), written in 45 BCE.
Full Translation of the Original “Lorem Ipsum” Text
The full “Lorem Ipsum” text commonly used today is not entirely accurate to Cicero’s original text, as it has been distorted to create a pseudo-Latin “filler” text. However, the passage from which it derives is this:
Original Latin (from De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum):
“Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit…”
Translation (to English):
“Nor is there anyone who loves, pursues, or desires pain itself because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure.”
Breaking Down the Text:
- “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet” is the first phrase of the standard placeholder text. It translates roughly as:
- “Lorem ipsum”: This is not a Latin word, but part of the corrupted version of “dolorem ipsum,” meaning “pain itself.”
- “dolor sit amet”: Literally, “pain is sought” or “pain is desired.”
- “consectetur adipiscing elit” means:
- “consectetur”: a form of “to associate with” or “to join.”
- “adipiscing”: from the verb “adipisci,” meaning “to obtain.”
- “elit”: meaning “elite” or “the best” (often used in a figurative sense in context). Together, this part is commonly understood as a nonsense filler but can be translated to something like “the elite of obtaining” in a literal sense.
Purpose and Usage:
The text is used for typesetting and mock-up purposes to demonstrate how a page will look once it has been filled with content. The idea is that the eye is less distracted by the text’s meaning, focusing more on the layout and design itself.
Extended “Lorem Ipsum” Text:
The more extended versions of the “Lorem Ipsum” text used today are just random fragments from Cicero’s work and various other sources, making it less coherent and more a jumble of pseudo-Latin text. Here is an example of the extended version often used:
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”
Rough Translation of Extended Text:
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”
“Pain itself is sought, for the work and toil that brings it to bear often results in great joy. To provide relief, however, one must avoid certain discomforts, and through this toil, satisfaction is achieved. Thus, no one desires pain for its own sake, but rather for the pleasure it may bring when circumstances allow it.”
Key Points:
- Lorem Ipsum doesn’t have a coherent meaning when used as placeholder text.
- The text itself is from Cicero’s work, but it’s been corrupted over time for use in design.
- It allows designers to focus on the visual layout of a page without being distracted by meaningful content.
While the passage is rooted in Latin from De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, the typical “Lorem Ipsum” used in modern design doesn’t retain the original meaning but instead serves as a jumbled placeholder for textual content.