# Quis separabit?



## Katerina R.

Hello everyone,

I know the motto _Quis separabit? (_Who shall separate us?_) _derives from the Bible quote ("Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"). Is it correct to use this phrase in the sense of "Who shall separate us from each other" rather than "Who shall separate us from something/someone"?


----------



## Starless74

Hello,
I believe _*dĭrĭmo*__,-is,-emi,-emptum,-ĕre_ is more accurate, to indicate a third party is acting to separate two people from each other.
If this is so, the equivalent of the well-known motto might be: _Quis dĭrĭmet_?


----------



## Katerina R.

Starless74 said:


> Hello,
> I believe _*dĭrĭmo*__,-is,-emi,-emptum,-ĕre_ is more accurate, to indicate a third party is acting to separate two people from each other.
> If this is so, the equivalent of the well-known motto might be: _Quis dĭrĭmet_?



Thank you! Is _Quis separabit? _incorrect, though, or just less appropriate?


----------



## Starless74

_Sēpăro_ stems from _sē părāre_ = _to afford_ / _to arrange_ *for oneself *(sē).
Don't take my word for it, but looking up _sēpărare_ in my dictionary today I mostly found examples indicating "separating *one* thing/person from a whole"
rather than "separating two people/things from each other".
I may be wrong, though, so wait for more answers.


----------



## exgerman

St. Paul's sentence is _quis nos separabit a caritate Christi? _Who will separate us from the love of Christ? In the language of the Vulgate Bible (but not in Classical Latin), _each other_ is an indeclinable word _invicem. (_As in _novum mandatum do vobis, ut diligatis invicem_ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another).

So in biblical Latin, your sentence would be _Quis nos separabit invicem? _*You could just use quis separabit? as a shortcut, leaving it up to the hearer to figure out who may or may not be separated from whom, just as the various Northern Irish units have done.*

The _se-_ in _separare_ is a prefix meaning "apart". It is not the 3rd person reflexive pronoun, and _se parare_ does not mean the same as _separare_. _Se-_ occurs in the following English words derived from Latin, among others:


*secret*: piece of information kept “apart” from what you’re comfortable revealin
*select*: single “apart” from a number of things
*separate*: keep “apart” from other things
*sever*: cut “apart”
*secede*: go “apart”
*segregate*: to keep certain groups of people “apart” from one another
*sedition*: a going “apart” from an existing government
*seclude*: shut “apart
*sedulous*: of being “apart” from slacking of
*secure*: “apart” from care or worry


----------



## bearded

exgerman said:


> The _se-_ in _separare_ is a prefix meaning "apart". It is not the 3rd person reflexive pronoun


 
Etimologia : separare


----------



## Katerina R.

exgerman said:


> St. Paul's sentence is _quis nos separabit a caritate Christi? _Who will separate us from the love of Christ? In the language of the Vulgate Bible (but not in Classical Latin), _each other_ is an indeclinable word _invicem. (_As in _novum mandatum do vobis, ut diligatis invicem_ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another).
> 
> So in biblical Latin, your sentence would be _Quis nos separabit invicem? _*You could just use quis separabit? as a shortcut, leaving it up to the hearer to figure out who may or may not be separated from whom, just as the various Northern Irish units have done.*
> 
> The _se-_ in _separare_ is a prefix meaning "apart". It is not the 3rd person reflexive pronoun, and _se parare_ does not mean the same as _separare_. _Se-_ occurs in the following English words derived from Latin, among others:
> 
> 
> *secret*: piece of information kept “apart” from what you’re comfortable revealin
> *select*: single “apart” from a number of things
> *separate*: keep “apart” from other things
> *sever*: cut “apart”
> *secede*: go “apart”
> *segregate*: to keep certain groups of people “apart” from one another
> *sedition*: a going “apart” from an existing government
> *seclude*: shut “apart
> *sedulous*: of being “apart” from slacking of
> *secure*: “apart” from care or worry



Thank you!


----------

