Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • interjection Used as an admonition to seize the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future.
  • noun Such an admonition.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Enjoy the present day; take advantage of, or make the most of, the present: a maxim of the Epicureans.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • phrase Seize the day, make the most of today, enjoy the present.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin : carpe, seize + diem, day.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin carpe diem ("seize the day").

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Examples

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Comments

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  • gripe of the day.

    March 16, 2008

  • Will someone please do the Latin declinations required for this phrase that would result in the meaning "carp of the day", for those of us who might visit linguistically challenged oriental and other ethnic restaurants and want to order from their specials menu?

    January 7, 2009

  • Carpa diei? (possible nominative of carpa, which is given in OED as "late Latin" for carp; genitive of dies)

    January 7, 2009

  • There you go, a Latin phrase for "carp of the day" for ordering fish from a foreign restaurant.

    January 7, 2009