Mutatis mutandis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A direct translation from Latin of mutatis mutandis would read, 'with those things having been changed which need to be changed'. More colloquially, it can be interpreted as 'the necessary changes having been made,' where "the necessary changes" are usually implied by a prior statement assumed to be understood by the reader. It carries the connotation that the reader should pay attention to the corresponding differences between the current statement and a previous one, although they are analogous. This term is used frequently in economics and in law, to parameterize a statement with a new term, or note the application of an implied, mutually understood set of changes.
Examples:
- What we said about oil goes mutatis mutandis for natural gas.
- The two parties finally signed the contract mutatis mutandis.
Etymology:
- Both "mutatis" and "mutandis" come from the Latin verb "muto" (principle parts muto, mutare, mutatus), meaning "to change." "Mutatis" is the ablative plural neuter perfect participle used as a substantive (this supplies the "things" in the translation--"with those things having been changed which need to be changed."), and "mutandis" is the ablative plural neuter gerundive. The phrase is an ablative absolute construction.
[edit] See also
- Ceteris paribus (other things being equal)
- List of Latin phrases
