the welfare of the people is to be the highest law
From Cicero's De Legibus, book III, part III, sub. VIII. Quoted by John Locke in his Second Treatise, On Civil Government, to describe the proper organization of government. Also the state motto of Missouri.
From Plautus. Indicates that something can be understood without any need for explanation, as long as the listener has enough wisdom or common sense. Often extended to dictum sapienti sat est ("enough has been said for the wise", commonly translated as "a word to the wise is enough").
sapientia et doctrina
wisdom and learning
Motto of Fordham University, New York. Motto of Hill House School Doncaster, England.
sapientia et eloquentia
wisdom and eloquence
One of the mottos of the Ateneo schools in the Philippines.[2]
Stated originally by Sir Francis Bacon in Meditationes Sacrae (1597), which in modern times is often paraphrased as scientia est potestas or scientia potentia est (knowledge is power).
Used in biological classification to indicate that there is no agreement as to which higher order grouping a taxon should be placed into. Abbreviated sed. incert.
sedet, aeternumque sedebit
sit, be seated forever
from Virgil's Aeneid 6:617: when you stop trying, then you lose
personal motto of Elizabeth I, appears above her royal coat of arms. Used as motto of Elizabeth College, Guernsey, Channel Islands, which was founded by Elizabeth I, and of Ipswich School, to whom Elizabeth granted a royal charter. Also the motto of the City of Leicester and Prince George's County.
A phrase deriving from the Nadere Reformatie movement in the seventeenth century Dutch Reformed Church and widely but informally used in Reformed and Presbyterian churches today. It refers to the conviction of certain Reformed Protestant theologians that the church must continually re-examine itself in order to maintain its purity of doctrine and practice. The term first appeared in print in Jodocus van Lodenstein, Beschouwinge van Zion (Contemplation of Zion), Amsterdam, 1674.[8]
The official name of the Roman Republic. "SPQR" was carried on battle standards by the Roman legions. In addition to being an ancient Roman motto, it remains the motto of the modern city of Rome.
In an effort to understand why things may be happening contrary to expectations, or even in alignment with them, this idiom suggests that keeping track of where money is going may show the basis for the observed behavior. Similar in spirit to the phrase cui bono (who gains?) or cui prodest (who advances?), but outside those phrases' historically legal context.
The answer of St. Michael the Archangel to the non serviam, "I will not serve" of Satan, when the angels were tested by God on whether they will serve an inferior being, a man, Jesus, as their Lord.
From Horace's Ars Poetica, "proicit ampullas et sesquipedalia verba" ("he throws down his high-flown language and his foot-and-a-half-long words"). A self-referential jab at long words and needlessly elaborate language in general.
Said to have been based on the tribute to architect Christopher Wren in St Paul's Cathedral, London: si monumentum requiris, circumspice (see above). State motto of Michigan, adopted in 1835; the spelling of 'peninsulam' is used in the motto, although the correct ancient spelling is 'paeninsulam'.
si quid novisti rectius istis, candidus imperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
if you can better these principles, tell me; if not, join me in following them
If you had kept your silence, you would have stayed a philosopher
This quote is often attributed to the Latin philosopher Boethius of the late fifth and early sixth centuries. It translates literally as, "If you had been silent, you would have remained a philosopher." The phrase illustrates a common use of the subjunctive verb mood.
si vales valeo (SVV)
if you are well, I am well (abbr)
A common beginning for ancient Roman letters. An abbreviation of si vales bene est ego valeo, alternatively written as SVBEEV. The practice fell out of fashion and into obscurity with the decline in Latin literacy.
Or "just so". States that the preceding quoted material appears exactly that way in the source, despite any errors of spelling, grammar, usage, or fact that may be present. Used only for previous quoted text; ita or similar must be used to mean "thus" when referring to something about to be stated.
From Virgil, Aeneid book IX, line 641. Possibly the source of the ad astra phrases. Motto of several institutions, including the Royal Canadian Air Force.
A reminder that all things are fleeting. During Papal coronations, a monk reminds the Pope of his mortality by saying this phrase, preceded by pater sancte ("holy father") while holding before his eyes a burning paper illustrating the passing nature of earthly glories. This is similar to the tradition of a slave in a Roman triumphs whispering memento mori in the ear of the celebrant.
sic utere tuo ut alienum non laedas
use [what is] yours so as not to harm [what is] of others
Or "use your property in such a way that you do not damage others'". A legal maxim related to property ownership laws, often shortened to simply sic utere ("use it thus").
sic vita est
thus is life
Or "such is life". Indicates that a circumstance, whether good or bad, is an inherent aspect of living.
sic vos non vobis mellificates apes
Thus you not for yourselves make honey, bees.
Part of a verse written by Virgil after the poet Bathyllus plagiarized his work.
sidere mens eadem mutato
Though the constellations change, the mind is universal
similar things are taken care of by similar things let similar things be taken care of by similar things
"like is cured by like" and "let like be cured by like"; the first form ("curantur") is indicative, while the second form ("curentur") is subjunctive. The indicative form is found in Paracelsus (16th century), while the subjunctive form is said by Samuel Hahnemann, founder of homeopathy, and is known as the law of similars.
similia similibus solvuntur
similar substances will dissolve similar substances
Used as a general rule in chemistry; "like dissolves like" refers to the ability of polar or non polar solvents to dissolve polar or non polar solutes respectively.[9]
Used in bibliographies to indicate that the date of publication of a document is unknown.
sine die
without a day
Originally from old common law texts, where it indicates that a final, dispositive order has been made in the case. In modern legal context, it means there is nothing left for the court to do, so no date for further proceedings is set, resulting in an "adjournment sine die".
It is credited to Paracelsus who expressed the classic toxicology maxim "All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison."
A motto of the Protestant Reformation and one of the five solas, referring to the idea that God is the creator of all good things and deserves all the praise for them. Johann Sebastian Bach often signed his manuscripts with the abbreviation S.D.G. to invoke this phrase, as well as with AMDG (ad maiorem Dei gloriam). The motto of the MasterWorks Festival, an annual Christian performing arts festival.
A motto of the Protestant Reformation and one of the five solas, referring to the Protestant claim that the Bible teaches that Jesus is the only mediator between God and mankind. Also rendered solo Christo ("by Christ alone").
Refers to Revelation 3:21, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." On the John Winthrop family tombstone, Boston, Massachusetts.
spiritus mundi
spirit of the world
From The Second Coming (poem) by William Butler Yeats. Refers to Yeats' belief that each human mind is linked to a single vast intelligence, and that this intelligence causes certain universal symbols to appear in individual minds. The idea is similar to Carl Jung's concept of the collective unconscious.
spiritus ubi vult spirat
the spirit spreads wherever it wants
Refers to The Gospel of Saint John 3:8, where he mentions how Jesus told Nicodemus "The wind blows wherever it wants, and even though you can hear its noise, you don't know where it comes from or where it goes. The same thing happens to whomever has been born of the Spirit." It is the motto of Cayetano Heredia University[14]
splendor sine occasu
brightness without setting
Loosely "splendour without diminishment" or "magnificence without ruin". Motto of British Columbia.
stamus contra malo
we stand against by evil
The motto of the Jungle Patrol in The Phantom. The phrase actually violates Latin grammar because of a mistranslation from English, as the preposition contra takes the accusative case. The correct Latin rendering of "we stand against evil" would be "stamus contra malum".
the rose of old remains only in its name; we hold only empty names
An epigraph quoted at the end of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. A verse by Bernard of Cluny (although likely mistranscribed in medieval times from an original stat Roma pristina nomine..., "primordial Rome remains only in its name...").
Motto of Cork City, Ireland. Adapted from Virgil's Aeneid (II, 23: statio male fida carinis, "an unsafe harbour") but corrupted for unknown reasons to "fide".
most commonly employed in scholarly literature to refer in a summary way to the accumulated results, scholarly consensus, and areas remaining to be developed on any given topic.
A title given to Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. More literally translated "the bewilderment of the world", or, in its original, pre-Medieval sense, "the stupidity of the world".
Legal term when a court takes up a motion on its own initiative, not because any of the parties to the case has made the motion. The regimental motto of the 75th Ranger Regiment of the U.S. Army.
Commonly abbreviated s.a., it is used to cite events recorded in chronicles according to the year under which they are listed. For example, "ASC MS A, s.a. 855" means the entry for the year 855 in manuscript A of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
sub cruce lumen
The Light Under the Cross
Motto of the University of Adelaide, Australia. Refers to the figurative "light of learning" and the Southern Cross constellation, Crux.
sub divo
under the wide open sky
Also, "under the sky", "in the open air", "out in the open" or "outdoors". Ablative "divo" does not distinguish divus, divi, a god, from divum, divi, the sky.
sub finem
toward the end
Used in citations to refer to the end of a book, page, etc., and abbreviated 's.f.' Used after the page number or title. E.g., 'p. 20 s.f. '
Source of the English noun subpoena. Said of a request, usually by a court, that must be complied with on pain of punishment. Examples include sub poena duces tecum ("take with you under penalty"), a court summons to appear and produce tangible evidence, and sub poena ad testificandum ("under penalty to testify"), a summons to appear and give oral testimony.
"In secret", "privately", "confidentially", or "covertly". In the Middle Ages, a rose was suspended from the ceiling of a council chamber to indicate that what was said in the "under the rose" was not to be repeated outside. This practice originates in Greek mythology, where Aphrodite gave a rose to her son Eros, and he, in turn, gave it to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to ensure that his mother's indiscretions—or those of the gods in general, in other accounts—were kept under wraps.
sub nomine (sub nom.)
under the name
"in the name of", "under the title of"; used in legal citations to indicate the name under which the litigation continued.
National Motto of Belize, referring to the shade of the mahogany tree.
sub verbo; sub voce
Under the word or heading; abbreviated s.v. Used to cite a work, such as a dictionary, with alphabetically arranged entries, e.g. "Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. 'horse.'""
sublimis ab unda
Raised from the waves
Motto of King Edward VII and Queen Mary School, Lytham
In a class of its own; of a unique kind. E.g. "The City of London is a sui generis entity, with ancient rights that differ from all other jurisdictions in the United Kingdom."
Capable of responsibility. Has both legal and ecclesiastical use. Commonly rendered sui juris.
sum quod eris
I am what you will be
A gravestone inscription to remind the reader of the inevitability of death (cf. memento mori). Also rendered fui quod sis ("I have been what you are") and tu fui ego eris ("I have been you, you will be I").
Literally "highest good". Also summum malum ("the supreme evil").
summum ius, summa iniuria
supreme law, supreme injustice
From Cicero (De officiis, I, 10, 33). An acritical application of law, without understanding and respect of laws's purposes and without considering the overall circumstances, is often a means of supreme injustice. A similar sentence appears in Terence (Heautontimorumenos, IV, 5): Ius summum saepe summa est malitia ("supreme justice is often out of supreme malice (or wickedness)").
sumptibus auctoris
published [cost of printing paid] by author
Found in self-published academic books of the 17th to 19th century. Often preceded by Latin name of city in which the work is published.
From Virgil, Aeneid. Followed by et mentem mortalia tangunt ("and mortal things touch my mind"). Aeneas cries as he sees Carthaginian temple murals depicting the deaths of the Trojan War. See also hinc illae lacrimae.
sunt omnes unum
they are all one
sunt pueri pueri, pueri puerilia tractant
Children are children, and children do childish things
Used in the context of titles of nobility, for instance where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage.
suo motu
upon one's own initiative
Also rendered suo moto. Usually used when a court of law, upon its own initiative, (i.e., no petition has been filed) proceeds against a person or authority that it deems has committed an illegal act. It is used chiefly in South Asia.[citation needed]
Motto of Haileybury College, Hertfordshire. The opening dialogue to the preface of the Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora in the liturgies of the Christian Church. Hymnal for the German diocese of Paderborn from 1874 to 1975.
Thus, don't offer your opinion on things that are outside your competence. It is said that the Greek painter Apelles once asked the advice of a cobbler on how to render the sandals of a soldier he was painting. When the cobbler started offering advice on other parts of the painting, Apelles rebuked him with this phrase in Greek, and it subsequently became a popular Latin expression.
^Michael Bush, "Calvin and the Reformanda Sayings", in Herman J. Selderhuis, ed., Calvinus sacrarum literarum interpres: Papers of the International Congress on Calvin Research (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2008) p. 286. ISBN978-3-525-56914-6
