For many months now, the most spoken word around the world — probably utterly by billions of people on a daily basis — and surely the most well-known word at any level — from the very young to the very old — is a Latin expression: coronavirus.

Disparagingly described by many as a dead language, Latin maintained a prominent and proud position within the Italian culture and education until relatively recently, before its gradual exclusion from curriculum and syllabuses, and almost removed from the Italian linguistic heritage thereafter.