fortis Fortuna adiuvat
Latin
editAlternative forms
edit- fortēs Fortūna adiuvat (Pliny Epistles 6 16)
- audentīs Fortūna iuvat (Virgil Aeneid 10 284)
- audentēs deus epse iuvat (Ovid Metamorphoses 10 586)
Etymology
editLiterally "(the) strong (ones), Fortune helps." From Terence's comedy play Phormio, line 203. Cited by Cicero in the 1st century BCE as a vetus prōverbium (“old proverb”).
Pronunciation
edit- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈfor.tiːs forˈtuː.na ˈad.i̯u.u̯at/, [ˈfɔrt̪iːs̠ fɔrˈt̪uːnä ˈäd̪i̯uː̯ät̪]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈfor.tis forˈtu.na ˈad.ju.vat/, [ˈfɔrt̪is forˈt̪uːnä ˈäd̪juvät̪]
Proverb
edit- fortune favors the bold
- 161 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Phormio 203:
- Ergo istaec quom ita sint, Antipho,
Tanto magis te advigilare aequomst: fortis fortuna adiuvat
- Ergo istaec quom ita sint, Antipho,
Usage notes
editOften misquoted in English texts as fortēs Fortūna juvat, which uses the accusative plural ending -ēs instead of the accusative ending -īs. Although grammatically correct, the form ending in -ēs is not the one used in Terence's play.
Descendants
edit- English: fortune favors the bold (calque)