nihil sub sole novum

Latin

Alternative forms

• nīl sub sōle novum
• nihil novī sub sōle

Etymology

Vulgate translation at Ecclesiastes 1:10 (1:9 in most other versions), Semantic loan from Biblical Hebrew אֵין כָּל חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ (“there is nothing new under the sun”): nihil (“nothing”) + sub (“under, beneath”) + sōle (ablative singular form of sōl: “[the] sun”) + novum (neuter nominative singular form of novus: “new”) = “nothing new under the sun”.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈni.hil sub ˈsoː.le ˈno.u̯um/, [ˈni(ɦ)ɪɫ̪ s̠ʊb ˈs̠oːɫ̪ɛ ˈnou̯ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈni.il sub ˈso.le ˈno.vum/, [ˈniːil sub ˈsɔːle ˈnɔːvum]

Phrase

nihil sub sōle novum

1. “there is nothing new under the sun”; there is nothing truly novel in existence.