aes alienum

See also: æs alienum

Latin

Etymology

Literally, “another’s money”.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ae̯s a.liˈeː.num/, [äe̯s̠ älʲiˈeːnʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /es a.liˈe.num/, [ɛs äliˈɛːnum]

Noun

aes aliēnum n (genitive aeris aliēnī); third declension

1. borrowed money, debt
   • 44 BCE, Cicero, De Officiis 2.84:

     Quam ob rem ne sit aes alienum, quod rei publicae noceat, providendum est

     We should take care, therefore, that there is no debt that would endanger the common welfare

References

• “aes”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “aes alienum” on page 71/1 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)