# Vi veri universum vivus vici



## raptor

Hello,

Would someone here be able to provide a gloss for this phrase?  I understand the translation, and several of the individual words, but am unsure as to which cases are used, and how the phrase is so succinct.

Thanks!


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## Kevin Beach

Hi raptor,

The phrase is so succinct because Latin is such an efficient language! 

*Vi* is the ablative of *vis* - power (By the power)

*Veri* is the genitive of *verum*  - truth (of truth)

*Universum* is the accusative of *universus* - the universe (or, more idiomatically to the Romans, the whole world, although the phrase is alleged to be medieval, from Marlowe's _Faustus_)

*Vivus* = nominative masculine of the adjective *vivus* - alive, living

*Vici* = 1st person singular perfect of *vinceo* - I conquer. (I conquered. Hence Caesar's dictum: _Veni vidi vici_ - I came, I saw, I conquered)

Interestingly, the phrase is almost onomatopoeic in classical Latin. because V can be used for the beginning of each word: VI VERI VNIVERSUM VIVUS VICI. In fact, it's almost a tongue twister.

Wikipedia gives the translation as "By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe". I find that stilted. I think the passage is meant to convey the idea that superhuman powers are achievable by humans through truth. I prefer something like "By the power of truth I, a mortal, have conquered all creation". It's almost a variant of "Love conquers all" - "Truth conquers all". _Veritas vincit omnia._


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## raptor

Thanks for the cases  I was wondering if "by the power" was the ablative, but I wasn't sure.

As for the translation, I can see what you're saying, and prefer that one (though the first still sounds better in my mind).

How is it onomatopoeic though? The words aren't derived from sounds as far as I know; and although there are lots of /v/s, I don't know if it really counts as a tongue twister like "Irish wristwatch" which uses /s, z; ʃ, tʃ/, as well as /ɹI/ then, where before the w is silent, /wɔ/.

I'm not sure about Latin being an efficient language (due to the large amount of suffices required for each case, gender, and number, etc) but it definitely doesn't take up much space!

Anyways, thanks for your explanation! I really need to study more Latin


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## Kevin Beach

Oops. Why did I say onomatopoeic? Probably because I'm on holiday from the office and my brain is switched off. I meant alliterative.

I call Latin efficient because it says more with fewer words.


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## aviv chadash

Apologies for reviving the thread, but it's probably better than starting a new one.
I was wondering about vivus being in the nominative.
So:
vi viri = by means of truth
veniversum vivus vici = I, *whilst living*, have conquered the universe
or I, *a mortal*, have conquered the universe
Either way, I haven't come across the use of the adjective like this. In the second one, it appears to be modifying the person performing the noun.
So could you write:
rosam rex sapiens portavi = I, a wise king, carried the rose;
rosam rex sapiens portavisti = you, a wise king, carried the rose;
rosam rex sapiens portavit = he, the wise king, carried the rose (which pretty much amounts to the same as 'the wise king carried the rose')?
The first I don't follow...
Many thanks in advance for any input.


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## NonPatrician

Kevin Beach said:


> Hi raptor,
> 
> The phrase is so succinct because Latin is such an efficient language!
> 
> *Vi* is the ablative of *vis* - power (By the power)
> 
> *Veri* is the genitive of *verum*  - truth (of truth)
> 
> *Universum* is the accusative of *universus* - the universe (or, more idiomatically to the Romans, the whole world, although the phrase is alleged to be medieval, from Marlowe's _Faustus_)
> 
> *Vivus* = nominative masculine of the adjective *vivus* - alive, living
> 
> *Vici* = 1st person singular perfect of *vinceo* - I conquer. (I conquered. Hence Caesar's dictum: _Veni vidi vici_ - I came, I saw, I conquered)
> 
> Interestingly, the phrase is almost onomatopoeic in classical Latin. because V can be used for the beginning of each word: VI VERI VNIVERSUM VIVUS VICI. In fact, it's almost a tongue twister.
> 
> Wikipedia gives the translation as "By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe". I find that stilted. I think the passage is meant to convey the idea that superhuman powers are achievable by humans through truth. I prefer something like "By the power of truth I, a mortal, have conquered all creation". It's almost a variant of "Love conquers all" - "Truth conquers all". _Veritas vincit omnia._



Thanks so much for the info even if this is an old thread. Kevin I hope you'll see this -- I'm more of a novice trying to modify the above phrase to mean:

"By the power of truth I, a mortal, will conquer all creation."

How would that distinction between I have conquered and I will conquer be handled?

Thanks in advance!


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## Grugno

aviv chadash said:


> Apologies for reviving the thread, but it's probably better than starting a new one.
> I was wondering about vivus being in the nominative.
> So:
> vi viri = by means of truth
> veniversum vivus vici = I, *whilst living*, have conquered the universe
> or I, *a mortal*, have conquered the universe
> Either way, I haven't come across the use of the adjective like this. In the second one, it appears to be modifying the person performing the noun.
> So could you write:
> rosam rex sapiens portavi = I, a wise king, carried the rose;
> rosam rex sapiens portavisti = you, a wise king, carried the rose;
> rosam rex sapiens portavit = he, the wise king, carried the rose (which pretty much amounts to the same as 'the wise king carried the rose')?
> The first I don't follow...
> Many thanks in advance for any input.



You are perfectly right. This kind of phrasal construction is called "predicative of the subject", and it works as you show. I just want to add that the verb is not "vinceo", but "vinco" (vinco, is, vici, victum, vincere). Moreover, the sentence is allitterative because Romans didn't know the difference between U and V, so everytime you find a "V" it should be better to read it as a U (which doesn't happen in the ecclesiastical pronounciation, but in the "restituta" pronounciation).


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## Copperknickers

NonPatrician said:


> Thanks so much for the info even if this is an old thread. Kevin I hope you'll see this -- I'm more of a novice trying to modify the above phrase to mean:
> 
> "By the power of truth I, a mortal, will conquer all creation."
> 
> How would that distinction between I have conquered and I will conquer be handled?
> 
> Thanks in advance!



Easy. You simply change 'vici' (perfect tense) to the future tense, 'vicam'.

vi veri universum vicam

(or ui ueri uniuersum uicam as we should really write it if we're going to use classical pronunciation).


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## Scholiast

salvete!

Apologies to my fellow Anglo-Scot, but Copperknickers' latest...





> Easy. You simply change 'vici' (perfect tense) to the future tense, 'vicam'.
> 
> vi veri universum vicam


...cannot pass muster. _vincere_ is one of those verbs with a nasal infix in the present stem, so the future tense is _vincam_.

Σ


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## NonPatrician

Thank you both (Copperknickers and Scholiast). I think I'm in love with Latin. Are there any online resources for learning from the ground up that you would recommend?


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## NonPatrician

Also -- on the pronunciation... Is it pronounced as written below?

VI -- wee
VERI -- wair-ee
VNIVERSUM -- you-nee-wair-soom
VIVUS -- wee-wuhs
VINCAM -- win-cahm

The only thing not represented above was the rolled R's... I dont know how to depict that here.

Thanks again for your help!


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## wandle

A couple of points regarding the above: the first syllable of _*universum*_ rhymes with 'oo' as in 'boot', not with 'you'.

The last vowel of _*universum*_ rhymes with 'oo' as in 'foot'.

For the sound of 'you', Latin puts an _*i*_ in front, as in _*ius*_ ('right', 'law') which rhymes with English 'use'.


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## NonPatrician

Thanks Wandle!


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