# Ex nihilismo nihil fit



## Abdur-Rahman

*Ex nihilismus nihil fit*


What does that mean?


Hope someone can help. It would be much appriciated.

Thanks,
Abd


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## cyberpedant

Nothing comes [literally, fit = is made] from nihilism.


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## Todessprache

Abdur-Rahman said:


> What does that mean?
> 
> 
> Hope someone can help. It would be much appriciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> Abd


 
It is incorrect. Ex nihilismo nihil fit.


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## Starfrown

It is a play on Lucretius' famous:

Ex nihilo nihil fit.


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## Abdur-Rahman

Thanks a lot guys! Both for the translation and the observation by Starfrown.

Also, do everyone agree with Todessprache?  Ie. that it should be nihilismo and not nihilismus?


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## Starfrown

Abdur-Rahman said:


> Also, do everyone agree with Todessprache? Ie. that it should be nihilismo and not nihilismus?


 
Actually, _nihilismus _is German, not Latin, so I could see the setence going either way. If it is treated as an indeclinable foreign word then:

_Ex nihilismus nihil fit_

would be fine. However, I tend to believe that the author wanted to treat it as though it were a second declension noun, giving:

_Ex nihilismo nihil fit_

In this way, it more closely mirrors the quote upon which it is based.  If one uses the first sentence, the humor is lost, I think.


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## Abdur-Rahman

Thanks a lot for the explanation. I know zero latin!


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## Todessprache

Starfrown said:


> Actually, _nihilismus _is German, not Latin, so I could see the setence going either way. If it is treated as an indeclinable foreign word then:
> 
> _Ex nihilismus nihil fit_
> 
> would be fine. However, I tend to believe that the author wanted to treat it as though it were a second declension noun, giving:
> 
> _Ex nihilismo nihil fit_
> 
> In this way, it more closely mirrors the quote upon which it is based. If one uses the first sentence, the humor is lost, I think.


 
It is not German; it is the Latin abstract suffix -us borrowed by German, which in turn is from the Greek -os. 

If you were to write about abstracts in this category in Latin you would be using -us; communismus, populismus, orgasmus, etc.


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## Starfrown

Todessprache said:


> It is not German; it is the Latin abstract suffix -us borrowed by German, which in turn is from the Greek -os.
> 
> If you were to write about abstracts in this category in Latin you would be using -us; communismus, populismus, orgasmus, etc.


 
Perhaps I should have said that the words do not belong to Classical Latin.

In any case, the original poster should take:

_Ex nihilismo nihil fit_

as the correct choice I think.


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## loco44

I confirm Ex nihilo nihil fit (from nihilum, i)
nothing is created from nothing


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