status quo ante bellum

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin status quō ante bellum (literally “situation as it existed before the war”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌstætəs ˈkwoʊ ˌænti ˈbɛləm/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌsteɪtəs ˈkwoʊ ˌænti ˈbɛləm/
• Rhymes: -ɛləm

Noun

status quo ante bellum

1. Situation as it existed before the war (often implying the withdrawal of enemy troops and the restoration of pre-war leadership, so that no side gains or loses any rights or territory as a result of the war).

   Antonym: uti possidetis

   return to the status quo ante bellum

Related terms

• status quo
• status quo ante