The Origin of Lorem Ipsum
Lorem Ipsum is not just a random set of characters. It is actually a scrambled Latin text that has been used by typesetters, designers, and developers since the 1500s to fill text spaces in draft documents, websites or prototypes.
The text originates from a work named “De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” (On the ends of good and evil), a classic of Latin literature from 45 B.C., written by the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero. A section of this work discusses various interpretations of hedonism, ethics, and moral philosophy.
The Purpose of Lorem Ipsum
The use of Lorem Ipsum as a filler text has significant practical applications in digital and print media. Its primary purpose is not to provide content, but to represent text visually. The idea behind it is this: Because readers do not understand Latin, the text does not distract them when they need to focus on the visual elements.
Another aspect of Lorem Ipsum is that it has an ordinary distribution of letters, as in English, which makes it look like readable English. Numerous web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many websites still in their infancy.
The Translation of Lorem Ipsum
Although the original text from Cicero contains actual, coherent text, Lorem Ipsum is not directly taken from the original content, and therefore does not translate directly into a coherent thought or phrase in English.
However, if you must know, the phrase “Lorem Ipsum” is taken from the part of the original Latin text that says, “Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum, quia dolor sit, amet, consectetur, adipisci velit…”
When translated, it reads, “There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain…”. Hence the extract ‘dolorem ipsum’ translates to ‘pain itself’.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, Lorem Ipsum is a tool used by designers and developers to place temporary text that won’t distract the viewer while the actual content is under development. Now, whenever you come across this jumbled Latin text, you know why it’s there and what it means. It’s not just random; its existence is rooted deep in history, with a touch of philosophy.