April 19, 2011
Whenever a publication (a brochure, a website, a pamphlet) is in development, the creator is likely to use some filler text while the design is taking shape, intending to replace the fake text with real stuff down the road. That filler/fake text always begins “Lorem ipsum….” Ever wonder what it means? Here’s the answer:
Lorem ipsum was part of a passage from Cicero, specifically De finibus bonorum et malorum, a treatise on the theory of ethics written in 45 BC. The original reads, Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit . . . (“There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain …”).
This and much more from Cecil Adams at The Straight Dope.
h/t: Tommy Bennett
The Observatory 