# Nothing is sacred



## EdwardK

Hi all, just joined. I need a phrase translated into Latin. The phrase is "nothing is sacred".

I've been told and found a few translations but need to know which is correct. One translation is "nusquam est sanctums" and another, someone told me this one, is; "nihil est sacrum". However I believe that the former is closer to what I am looking for. 

I am using the phrase to basically say that everything should be questioned, authority, rules, laws, etc.. Not trying to say that nothing is holy, although I believe that religion should be questioned. 

Your help with this is appreciated.


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## franz rod

Nusquam is an adverb, so I'd use nihil.
The word Sacer is quite singular.
In old Latin it means something like "consacreted to the gods of hell". in fact in the "*Law of the Twelve Tables*" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Tables) we can find the formula "sacer esto" (he should be sacer) and means that the guilty should be killed.
Probably the meanging of sacer changed with Christianity.

"Nihil sanctum est" can be a traduction of "nothing is sacred).

Sorry for my little English.


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## EdwardK

Please, don't apologize! You are doing me the favor of replying, thanks so much.


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## Twinmeister

Nothing is sacred could be translated into Latin as "nihil est sanctum" or as "nihil est sacrum", but the second is contranymous in that it means both "nothing is sacred" and "nothing is accursed".


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## EdwardK

I like the second "nihil est sacrum" in the fact that it is indeed contranymous. It perfectly fits what I was trying to convey. Thank you so much!

Now, I'd like to spell it in the proper Latin alphabet, any suggestions?


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## Flaminius

Hello Edward,

It's already written in proper Latin alphabet.  Don't we use Latin scripts for English, French, German, Spanish etc. (strictly speaking the set that remains after you take out all diacritical forms and extra letters such as <w> and <ß>)?


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## Lieven

Let me guess. You are creating a name for a metal band?


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## franz rod

> Now, I'd like to spell it in the proper Latin alphabet, any suggestions?



You can use capital letter:
NIHIL SANCTUM EST

This letter (a, b , c, ...) is based on work of Aldo Manuzio  (1449-1515).



> "nihil est sacrum" [..] it means "nothing is sacred



Not in classical Latin I think.


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## EdwardK

> Let me guess. You are creating a name for a metal band?


... that was hilarious! you gave me a good laugh today, thank you for that as I needed it!

No it's for something even more ridiculous than that.

So it's either "nihil est sacrum" or "nihil sanctum est". Which one is it? Sorry to pester and thank you so much for the reponses.


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## Twinmeister

sacrum or sanctum. "sacrum" is the (more than slightly) ambiguous one. As for est, put it wherever you like, 2nd or 3rd - or just get rid of it altogether


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## EdwardK

Thanks to all who helped me with this.


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