List of Latin phrases (U)

This page lists English translations of notable Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases, as Greek rhetoric and literature reached its peak centuries before the rise of ancient Rome.

This list covers the letter U. See List of Latin phrases for the main list.
LatinTranslationNotes
uberrima fidesmost abundant faithOr "utmost good faith" (cf. bona fide). A legal maxim of insurance contracts requiring all parties to deal in good faith.
ubertas et fidelitasfertility and faithfulnessMotto of Tasmania.
ubi amor, ibi dolorwhere [there is] love, there [is] pain
ubi bene, ibi patriawhere [it is] well, there [is] the fatherlandOr "Home is where it's good"; see also ubi panis ibi patria.
ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi estwhere there is charity and love, God is there
ubi dubium, ibi libertaswhere [there is] doubt, there [is] freedomAnonymous proverb.
ubi jus, ibi remediumWhere [there is] a right, there [is] a remedy
ubi mel, ibi apeswhere [there is] honey, there [are] beesSimilar to "you catch more bees with honey than with vinegar"—treat people nicely and they will treat you nicely in return.
ubi libertas. ibi patriawhere [there is] liberty, there [is] the fatherlandOr "where there is liberty, there is my country". Patriotic motto.
ubi nihil vales, ibi nihil veliswhere you are worth nothing, there you will wish for nothingFrom the writings of the Flemish philosopher Arnold Geulincx; also quoted by Samuel Beckett in his first published novel, Murphy.
ubi non accusator, ibi non iudexwhere [there is] no accuser, there [is] no judgeThus, there can be no judgment or case if no one charges a defendant with a crime. The phrase is sometimes parodied as "where there are no police, there is no speed limit".
ubi panis ibi patriawhere there is bread, there is my country
ubi pus, ibi evacuawhere there is pus, there evacuate it
ubi, re verawhen, in a true thingOr "whereas, in reality..." Also rendered ubi, revera ("when, in fact" or "when, actually").
ubi societas, ibi iusif there's a society, law will be thereBy Aristotle.
ubi solitudinem faciunt pacem appellantThey make a desert and call it peacefrom a speech by Calgacus reported/constructed by Tacitus, Agricola, ch. 30.
ubi sunt?where are they?Nostalgic theme of poems yearning for days gone by. From the line ubi sunt, qui ante nos fuerunt? ("Where are they, those who have gone before us?").
ubique, quo fas et gloria ducunteverywhere, where right and glory leadsMotto of the Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery and most other Engineer or Artillery corps within the armies of the British Commonwealth (for example, the Royal Australian Engineers, Royal Canadian Engineers, Royal New Zealand Engineers, Royal Canadian Artillery, Royal Australian Artillery, Royal New Zealand Artillery). Interunit rivalry often leads to the sarcastic translation of ubique to mean all over the place in a derogative sense.

Motto of the American Council on Foreign Relations, where the translation of ubique is often given as omnipresent, with the implication of pervasive hidden influence.[1]

ultima ratiolast method
the final argument
the last resort (as force)
The last resort. Short form for the metaphor "The Last Resort of Kings and Common Men" referring to the act of declaring war; used in the names the French sniper rifle PGM Ultima Ratio and the fictional Reason weapon system. Louis XIV of France had Ultima Ratio Regum ("last argument of kings") cast on the cannons of his armies; motto of the American 1st Battalion 11th Marines; motto of the French Fourth Artillery Regiment; motto of Swedish Artilleriregementet. Also, the Third Battery of the French Third Marine Artillery Regiment has the motto Ultima Ratio Tribuni. The term is also borne by the gorget owned by Captain William Cattell, which inspired the crescent worn by the revolutionary militia of South Carolina and in turn the state's flag.[2]
ultimo mense (ult.)in the last monthUsed in formal correspondence to refer to the previous month. Used with inst. ("this month") and prox. ("next month").
ultra viresbeyond powers"Without authority". Used to describe an action done without proper authority, or acting without the rules. The term will most often be used in connection with appeals and petitions.
ultra posse nemo obligaturNo one is obligated beyond what he is able to do.
ululas Athenas(to send) owls to AthensFrom Gerhard Gerhards' (1466–1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection of annotated Adagia (1508). Latin translation of a classical Greek proverb. Generally means putting large effort in a necessarily fruitless enterprise. Compare "selling coal to Newcastle".
una hirundo non facit verone swallow does not make summerA single example of something positive does not necessarily mean that all subsequent similar instances will have the same outcome.
una salus victis nullam sperare salutemthe only safety for the conquered is to hope for no safetyLess literally, "the only safe bet for the vanquished is to expect no safety". Preceded by moriamur et in media arma ruamus ("let us die even as we rush into the midst of battle") in Virgil's Aeneid, book 2, lines 353–354. Used in Tom Clancy's novel Without Remorse, where character John Clark translates it as "the one hope of the doomed is not to hope for safety". It was said several times in "Andromeda" as the motto of the SOF units.
unitas, iustitia, spesunity, justice, hopeMotto of Vilnius.
unitas per servitiamunity through serviceMotto for the St. Xavier's Institution Board of Librarians.
uniti aedificamusunited we buildMotto of the Mississippi Makerspace Community
uno flatuin one breathUsed in criticism of inconsistent pleadings, i.e. "one cannot argue uno flatu both that the company does not exist and that it is also responsible for the wrong."
uno sumus animowe are one of soulMotto of Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden
unus multorumone of manyAn average person.
Unus papa Romae, unus portus Anconae, una turris Cremonae, una ceres RaconaeOne pope in Rome, one port in Ancona, one tower in Cremona, one beer in RakovníkMotto of the Czech Brewery in Rakovník.[3]
Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro unoOne for all, all for oneunofficial motto of Switzerland, popularized by The Three Musketeers
Urbi et Orbito the city and the circle [of the lands]Meaning "To Rome and the World". A standard opening of Roman proclamations. Also a traditional blessing by the pope.
urbs in hortocity in a gardenMotto of the City of Chicago.
usque ad finemto the very endOften used in reference to battle, implying a willingness to keep fighting until you die.
usus est magister optimuspractice is the best teacher.In other words, practice makes perfect. Also sometimes translated "use makes master."
ut aquila versus coelumAs an eagle towards the skyMotto of Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine
ut biberent quoniam esse nollentso that they might drink, since they refused to eatAlso rendered with quando ("when") in place of quoniam. From a book by Suetonius (Vit. Tib., 2.2) and Cicero (De Natura Deorum, 2.3). The phrase was said by Roman admiral Publius Claudius Pulcher right before the battle of Drepana, as he threw overboard the sacred chickens which had refused to eat the grain offered them—an unwelcome omen of bad luck. Thus, the sense is, "if they do not perform as expected, they must suffer the consequences". He lost the battle disastrously.
ut cognoscant teso that they may know You.Motto of Boston College High School.
ut desint vires, tamen est laudanda voluntasthough the power be lacking, the will is to be praised all the sameFrom Ovid, Epistulae ex Ponto (III, 4, 79).
ut dicituras has been said; as above
ut incepit fidelis sic permanetas she began loyal, so she persistsPoetically, "Loyal she began, loyal she remains." Motto of Ontario.
ut infraas below
ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus.that in all things, God may be glorifiedMotto of the Order of Saint Benedict
ut mare quod ut ventusto sea and into windMotto of USNS Washington Chambers
ut omnes te cognoscantthat all may know youMotto of Niagara University
ut omnes unum sintThat they all may be oneMotto of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
ut prosimthat I may serveMotto of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
ut proverbium loquitur vetus...you know what they say...Lit: As the old proverb says...
ut res magis valeat quam pereatthat the matter may have effect rather than fail[4]
ut retroas backwardsOr "as on the back side"; thus, "as on the previous page" (cf. ut supra).
ut Roma cadit, sic omnis terraas Rome falls, so [falls] the whole world
ut sit finis litiumso there might be an end of litigationA traditional brocard. The full form is Interest reipublicae ut sit finis litium, "it is in the government's interest that there be an end to litigation." Often quoted in the context of statutes of limitation.
ut supraas above
ut tensio sic visas the extension, so the forceRobert Hooke's expression of his discovery of his law of linear elasticity. Also: Motto of École Polytechnique de Montréal. Motto of the British Watch and Clockmaker's Guild.
utilis in ministeriumusefulness in serviceComes from 2 Timothy 4:11. Motto of Camberwell Girls Grammar School.
utraque unumboth into oneAlso translated as "that the two may be one." Motto found in 18th century Spanish dollar coins. Motto of Georgetown University.From the Vulgate, Eph. 2:14, Ipse enim est pax nostra, qui fecit utraque unum, "For he is our peace, who hath made both one."
utrinque paratusready for anythingMotto of The British Parachute Regiment. Motto of the Belize National Coast Guard.

References

  1. "The CFR and the Media". Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  2. "Source of Crescent and Tree on the South Carolina Flag? (U.S.)". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  3. "Czech Brewery Rakovník — The Brewery". Rakovnikbeer.cz. 1906-04-01. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  4. "Trans-Lex.org" (in German). Trans-Lex.org. 1991-05-27. Retrieved 2013-06-19.

Additional references

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