Sic semper tyrannis

Sic semper tyrannis

"Sic semper tyrannis" is a Latin phrase meaning "thus, ever (or always), to tyrants." It is sometimes mistranslated as "Death to tyrants." The phrase is a shortened version of "Sic semper evello mortem Tyrannis", which translated means "Thus always death comes to tyrants." It is the state motto of Virginia in the United States.

Motto

The phrase was recommended by George Mason to the Virginia Convention in 1776, as part of the state's seal. The Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia shows Virtue, sword in hand, with her foot on the prostrate form of Tyranny, whose crown lies nearby. The Seal was planned by Mason and designed by George Wythe, who signed the United States Declaration of Independence and taught law to Thomas Jefferson. [cite book |title= The Life of George Mason, 1725-1792 |first= Kate Mason |last= Rowland |publisher= G.P. Putnam's Sons |year= 1892 |pages= 264-265 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=jbiCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA265] Additionally, the phrase is the motto of the United States Navy attack submarine named for the state, the USS "Virginia". The phrase is also the motto of the U.S. city Allentown, the third largest city in Pennsylvania, and is referenced in the official state song of Maryland.

History

The phrase is originally attributed to Marcus Junius Brutus, the central figure in the assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BC. The phrase however may well be a later dramatic invention. In American history, because of the association with the assassination of Caesar, John Wilkes Booth reportedly shouted the phrase after shooting United States President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. [ [http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lincolnconspiracy/boothdiary.html Diary Entry of John Wilkes Booth ] ] [ [http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/browser/1865/04/15/P1 TimesMachine April 15, 1865 - New York Times ] ] Timothy McVeigh was wearing a T-shirt with this phrase and a picture of Lincoln on it when he was arrested on April 19, 1995, the day of the Oklahoma City Bombing. [cite news |last=Kilzer |first= Lou and Kevin Flynn |title= Did McVeigh Plan to get Caught, or was he Sloppy? |work= Denver Rocky Mountain News |date= 1997-12-19]

References

External links

* [http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Sic%20semper%20tyrannis Webster entry] - audio pronunciation


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  • Sic semper tyrannis — est une phrase latine, attribuée à Marcus Junius Brutus, signifiant « ainsi en est il toujours des tyrans ». Elle est parfois incorrectement traduite par « mort aux tyrans ». Elle est une version abrégée de la citation… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sic semper tyrannis — Caesars Tod, dargestellt von Carl Theodor von Piloty (1865) Sic semper tyrannis ist eine lateinische Phrase. Sie bedeutet wörtlich übersetzt „So immer den Tyrannen!“. Der Satz wird im Deutschen meist wiedergegeben mit „So soll es immer den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sic semper tyrannis — Escudo de Virginia (Estados Unidos) con la frase. Sic semper tyrannis (en latín: Así siempre a los tiranos) es una frase atribuida a Marco Junio Bruto, quien según la historia se lo dijo a Julio César, su padre adoptivo, a la hora de su asesinato …   Wikipedia Español

  • sic semper tyrannis — foreign term Etymology: Latin thus ever to tyrants motto of Virginia …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • sic semper tyrannis — /seek sem perdd tyuu rddahn nis/; Eng. /sik sem peuhr ti ran is/, Latin. thus always to tyrants (motto of the State of Virginia). * * * …   Universalium

  • sic semper tyrannis — /seek sem perdd tyuu rddahn nis/; Eng. /sik sem peuhr ti ran is/, Latin. thus always to tyrants (motto of the State of Virginia) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Sic — is a Latin word meaning thus , so , as such , or just as that . In writing, it is placed within square brackets and usually italicized [ sic ] to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation, and/or other preceding quoted… …   Wikipedia

  • Semper — may refer to:*Semper Fidelis, a motto *Semper Paratus, the United States Coast Guard motto *Sic semper tyrannis, a motto *Semperoper, an opera house in Dresden, Germany *Gottfried Semper, the architect of the Semperoper …   Wikipedia

  • sic — 1. adverb /sɪk/ thus; thus written See Also: sic passim, sic transit gloria mundi, sic semper tyrannis 2. verb /sɪk/ a) To mark with a bracketed sic.<ref name=oed> sic, adv. (and n.) Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition 1989. Oxford… …   Wiktionary

  • Wikipedia:Motto of the day — WP:MOD redirects here. For information about Wikipedia administrators, see Wikipedia:Administrators. Motto of the Day Participants …   Wikipedia

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