List of Latin phrases (U)

This page is one of a series listing English translations of notable Latin phrases, such as veni, vidi, vici and et cetera. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases, as ancient Greek rhetoric and literature started centuries before the beginning of Latin literature in ancient Rome.

This list covers the letter U. See List of Latin phrases for the main list.

U

Latin	Translation	Notes
uberrima fides	most abundant faith	Or "utmost good faith" (cf. bona fide). A legal maxim of insurance contracts requiring all parties to deal in good faith.
ubertas et fidelitas||fertility and faithfulness||Motto of Tasmania.
ubi bene ibi patria||where [it is] well, there [is] the fatherland||Or "Home is where it's good". Patriotic motto.
ubi caritas et amor Deus ibi est||where there is charity and love, God is there||
ubi jus ibi remedium||Where [there is] a right, there [is] a remedy||
ubi mel ibi apes||where [there is] honey, there [are] bees|| similar to " you catch more bees with honey than with vinegar" .. treat people nicely and they will treat you nice back
ubi dubium ibi libertas||where [there is] doubt, there [is] freedom||Anonymous proverb.
ubi libertas ibi patria||where [there is] liberty, there [is] the fatherland||Or "where there is liberty, there is my country". Patriotic motto.
ubi nihil vales, ibi nihil velis||Where you are worth nothing, there you will wish for nothing||From the writings of the Flemish philosopher Arnold Geulincx; also quoted by Samuel Beckett in his first published novel, Murphy.
ubi non accusator ibi non iudex||where [there is] no accuser, there [is] no judge||Thus, there can be no judgement or case if no one charges a defendant with a crime. The phrase is sometimes parodied as "where there are no police, there is no speed limit".
ubi pus, ibi evacua	where there is pus, there evacuate it
Ubique, quo fas et gloria ducunt||everywhere, where right and glory leads||Motto of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and most other Artillery corps within the armies of the British Commonwealth (for example, the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery and Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery).
ubi re vera||when, in a true thing||Or "whereas, in reality..." Also rendered ubi revera ("when, in fact" or "when, actually").
ubi societas ibi ius||if there's a society, law will be there||By Cicero.
ubi solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant||They make a desert and call it peace||from a speech by Calgacus reported/constructed by Tacitus, Agricola, ch. 30.
ubi sunt	where are they?	Nostalgic theme of poems yearning for days gone by. From the line ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt ("Where are they, those who have gone before us?").
ultima ratio||last method the final argument the last resort (as force)|| The last resort. Short form for the metaphor "The Last Resort of Kings and Common Men" referring to the act of declaring war. Louis XIV of France had Ultima Ratio Regum ("last argument of kings") engraved on the cannons of his armies. From here it names the French sniper rifle PGM Ultima Ratio, the fictional Reason weapon system and is the motto of the 1st Battalion 11th Marines (with the incorrect Regnum).
ultimo mense (ult.)||in the last month||Formerly used in formal correspondence to refer to the previous month. Used with inst. ("this month") and prox. ("next month").
ultra vires	beyond powers	"Without authority". Used to describe an action done without proper authority, or acting without the rules. The term will most often be used in connection with appeals and petitions.
ululas Athenas||(to send) owls to Athens||From Gerhard Gerhards' (1466–1536) [better known as Erasmus] collection of annotated Adagia (1508). Latin translation of a classical Greek proverb. Generally means putting large effort in a necessarily fruitless enterprise. Compare "selling coal to Newcastle".
una hirundo non facit ver||one swallow does not make summer||A single example of something positive does not necessarily mean that all subsequent similar instances will have the same outcome.
una salus victis nullam sperare salutem||the only safety for the conquered is to hope for no safety||Less literally, "the only safe bet for the vanquished is to expect no safety". Preceded by moriamur et in media arma ruamus ("let us die even as we rush into the midst of battle") in Virgil's Aeneid, book 2, lines 353–354. Used in Tom Clancy's novel Without Remorse, where character John Clark translates it as "the one hope of the doomed is not to hope for safety".
unitas per servitiam||unity through service||Motto for the St. Xavier's Institution Board of Librarians.
uno flatu||in one breath||Used in criticism of inconsistent pleadings, i.e. "one cannot argue uno flatu both that the company does not exist and that it is also responsible for the wrong."
unus multorum||one of many||An average person.
Unus papa Romae, unus portus Anconae, una turris Cremonae, una ceres Raconae||one pope in Rome, one port in Ancona, one tower in Cremona, one beer in Rakovník||Motto of the Czech Brewery in Rakovník.
Urbi et Orbi	to the city and the circle [of the lands]	Meaning "To Rome and the World". A standard opening of Roman proclamations. Also a traditional blessing by the pope.
urbs in horto||city in a garden||Motto of the City of Chicago.
usus est magister optimus||practice is the best teacher.||In other words, practice makes perfect.
ut biberent quoniam esse nollent||so that they might drink, since they refused to eat||Also rendered with quando ("when") in place of quoniam. From a book by Suetonius (Vit. Tib., 2.2) and Cicero (De Natura Deorum, 2.3). The phrase was said by Roman admiral Publius Claudius Pulcher right before the battle of Drepana, as he threw overboard the sacred chickens which had refused to eat the grain offered them—an unwelcome omen of bad luck. Thus, the sense is, "if they do not perform as expected, they must suffer the consequences".
ut incepit fidelis sic permanet||as she began loyal, so she persists||Thus, the state remains as loyal as ever. Motto of Ontario.
ut desint vires, tamen est laudanda voluntas||though the power be lacking, the will is to be praised all the same||From Ovid, Epistulae ex Ponto (III, 4, 79).
ut infra||as below||
ut prosim||that I may serve||Motto of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
ut proverbium loguitur vetus...||you know what they say...||Lit: As the old proverb says...
ut res magis valeat quam pereat||that the matter may have effect rather than fail||
ut retro||as backwards||Or "as on the back side"; thus, "as on the previous page" (cf. ut supra).
ut Roma cadit, sic omnis terra||as Rome falls, so [falls] the whole world||
ut sit finis litium||so there might be an end of litigation||A traditional brocard. The full form is Interest reipublicae ut sit finis litium, "it is in the government's interest that there be an end to litigation." Often quoted in the context of statutes of limitation.
ut supra||as above||
ut tensio sic vis||as the extension, so the force||Robert Hooke's expression of his discovery of his law of linear elasticity.
utilis in ministerium||usefulness in service||Comes from 2 Timothy 4:11. Motto of Camberwell Girls Grammar School.
utraque unum||both into one||Also translated as "that the two may be one." Motto found in 18th century Spanish dollar coins. Motto of Georgetown University.
utrinque parato||ready for anything||Motto of The British Parachute Regiment