# vade retro, primus inter pares



## ienne

Hello,
What does this sentence mean. Thank you. 

*vade retro, primus inter pares*


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## Cagey

ienne said:


> Hello,
> What does this sentence mean. Thank you.
> 
> *vade retro, primus inter pares*



Someone male is being told to:

"Go back, first among equals."


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## ienne

Thank you. 
So _pares_ can only mean equals? Have you got any idea what it might refer to, first among his equals is he to go or is he first to join his equals?


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## Cagey

ienne said:


> Thank you.
> So _pares_ can only mean equals? Have you got any idea what it might refer to, first among his equals is he to go or is he first to join his equals?



_pares_ means equals, or those who are alike.   I take this to be a play on the tension between someone's being first/ primary, and the equality of all members of a group, so I translated it as "equal".  

I take "primus" to mean the "first" in the sense of "primary" or "foremost" person.  This is also an interpretation.  It could mean "first" in the temporal sense.


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## Anne345

For _primus inter pares_ look there 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primus_inter_pares


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## ienne

thank you Anne
thank you Cagey


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## Alvaro Montalva

Hola!
Les agradecería me pudieran decir el significado de lo siguiente: "...not only as _primus inter pares_ in the JIC's many regional sucommittees".
Gracias,
Álvaro.


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## carzante

Alvaro, deberías plantear tu pregunta en el foro español-inglés 

_Primus inter pares_ (lit. "el primero entre iguales") es una expresión latina usual sólo entre juristas y políticos, para referirse al líder de un grupo de personas que comparten una misma tarea, es decir, el individuo que tiene la última palabra. No suele traducirse por tratarse de una frase hecha.

Saludos


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## Alvaro Montalva

Thank you very much ienne and carzante, your answers have been very helpful.
Álvaro


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