People only just realising what 'RIP' stands for

There are many phrases we've borrowed from our ancestors still in use today, along with a whole host of sayings we've nabbed from other language - probably because 'c'est la vie' sounds just a tad more poetic than 'that's life'.

But there may be some that you've been getting all wrong without realising.

Teacher Laurie Knox (@knoxstudy) often shares fun little facts about the English language and linguistics on Instagram, leaving many followers mind-blown over various revelations.

In one video, Knox began by explaining how 'AM' stands for 'ante meridiem', which means 'before noon', and that 'PM' stands for 'post meridiem', meaning 'after noon'.

No real bombshells there, right?

The educator then shared how 'et cetera' - commonly abbreviated to 'etc' - means 'and so on' in Latin, while someone's 'MO' means their 'modus operandi' or 'method of operating'. He said ‘it describes a style in which someone typically carries out their job or a certain task’.

And then he came onto 'RIP', which stands for 'rest in peace', right? Well, nope, actually.

The phrase 'RIP' is commonly used on tombstones in England (Vasil Dimitrov/Getty Images)

Many people rushed to the comments to try and take a stab at the answer, with one joking: "Rot in p*ss?"

"RIP didn't originally stand for 'rest in peace'," Knox explained.

He continued: "When RIP first appeared on tombstones in England, it stood for 'requiescat in pace', which is Latin for 'rest in peace'.

"So just to let you know the initialism was originally Latin rather than English."

Sure, the meaning's the same, but the letters don't technically stand for the words you thought they did. Instead, it's more of a coincidence that the initialism for the English phrase was the same as the Latin - or not, if you consider how many of our modern-day words derive from older languages.

Many people admitted they had no idea (Getty Stock Images)

Indeed, Merriam-Webster lists RIP as a 'Latin phrase' - 'requiescat in pace', pronounced 'reh-kwee-es-kaht in pah-chay'.

Many Instagrammers admitted they'd never realised this before, with one person commenting: "RIP was a new one for me."

Another agreed, commenting: "I didn’t know RIP."

Another user complained: "So technically it still stood for rest in peace but in Latin."

Fans of game franchise Assassin's Creed, however, had one up on the rest of us.

"All the Assassin’s Creed gamers already knew what RIP stands for," one said, another echoing: "Assassins creed teaching Latin to a generation."

Some even pointed out that the actual correct translation for RIP should be 'may he rest in peace', but close enough, ey?

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