# Latin palindrome Sator Arepo



## Ben Jamin

I have recently read an article about the famous palindrome:
SATOR
AREPO
TENET
OPERA
ROTAS
The author of the article claims that the palindrome is a grammatically correct sentence.
I have tried to analyze the sentence and found the following:
SATOR - sawer (farmer), nominative
AREPO - the farmer's name, artificially created for the palindrome 
TENET - has or holds (third person indicative praesens)
OPERA - works (nominative, plural) 
ROTAS - wheels (accusative, plural)
If we omit the word OPERA, we get something like a sentence: "Sawer Arepo holds wheels", but how does the word OPERA fit the sentence?


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## CapnPrep

Ben Jamin said:


> OPERA - works (nominative, plural)


_Opera_ is both nominative and accusative plural of _opus_. And there is also a feminine noun _opera_ (nominative or ablative singular).

See also: Sator Square.


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## Ben Jamin

CapnPrep said:


> _Opera_ is both nominative and accusative plural of _opus_. And there is also a feminine noun _opera_ (nominative or ablative singular).
> 
> See also: Sator Square.


 Thank you!


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## Ben Jamin

CapnPrep said:


> _Opera_ is both nominative and accusative plural of _opus_. And there is also a feminine noun _opera_ (nominative or ablative singular).
> 
> See also: Sator Square.


 
OK, but is it possible to give a meaningsfull translation including that word?


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## CapnPrep

_Opera_ can be an ablative noun ("in his work"), or an accusative in apposition to _rotas_ ("wheels as his work") or in coordination with _rotas_ ("his work and his wheels").


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## relativamente

Ben Jamin said:


> OK, but is it possible to give a meaningsfull translation including that word?


ŏpĕra , ae, f. opus, 
I. service, pains, exertion, work, labor (opus is used mostly of the mechanical activity of work, as that of animals, slaves, and soldiers; opera supposes a free will and desire to serve). 
2. In abl.: operā meā, tuā, etc., through my (thy, etc.) means, agency, fault: 

Indeed has a lot of sense.specially supposing he used a plough with wheels
In my view the weak point is the use of a maybe uncommon name like Arepo, but you know in Roman empire used to live many people with maybe uncommon names


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