How do you translate “Don't Fear the Reaper” into Latin?What does memento mori actually mean?How does the Latin of these two translations of The Little Prince compare?“Nil virtus generosa timet”How would you translate 'To hunt is to live' into Latin?How do you translate “Who connected you to the world”?How would you translate Marcus Aurelius's self-description from Greek into Latin?How to translate “Through adventure to the stars” into LatinHow to say “me importa un comino” (or equivalent) in Latin?Trying to translate 'Blood promises glory'Translate “Everything burns” into classical LatinTranslate “Crater Lake” into classical Latin

Putting tools you use (but can't configure) on resume?

Can the U.S. Senate hold an impeachment trial if the House does not deliver the articles of impeachment?

Postdoc Fellowships Collision

Which font's digits resemble Nixie tube digits?

Magento 2 Escrow Payment Integration

Can every manifold be turned into a Lie group?

Can a weapon be "unsheathable"?

Excel countif doesn't work on range denoted by

To whom does "Madam Speaker" refer during the Trump impeachment debate?

What is the moral difference between abortion and infanticide?

What's the criteria/reasoning for Rick's three questions in The Walking Dead?

How scammy are cashback sites?

Why is an unbiased random walk non-ergodic?

Resolution of potentiometer

Is the number of federal judges appointed by Trump unusual?

Should I take a side in an external player conflict, or let my game die?

Why can't I shoot with a fast shutter speed?

"Government transplant" been tried? At what scale, and what were the results?

Identifying Wires behind Light Switch

Importing a Google Sheet including blank cells (default is ragged array)

How do I use two colours in a bounding box?

How did 36-bit computers format ARPANET packets?

How can I create a zip archive without a file extension using the "zip" command?

Should I provide my username and password for my brokerage account to my mortgage lender to verify my assets?



How do you translate “Don't Fear the Reaper” into Latin?


What does memento mori actually mean?How does the Latin of these two translations of The Little Prince compare?“Nil virtus generosa timet”How would you translate 'To hunt is to live' into Latin?How do you translate “Who connected you to the world”?How would you translate Marcus Aurelius's self-description from Greek into Latin?How to translate “Through adventure to the stars” into LatinHow to say “me importa un comino” (or equivalent) in Latin?Trying to translate 'Blood promises glory'Translate “Everything burns” into classical LatinTranslate “Crater Lake” into classical Latin






.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty
margin-bottom:0;

.everyonelovesstackoverflowposition:absolute;height:1px;width:1px;opacity:0;top:0;left:0;pointer-events:none;








10


















In T. Pratchett's Discworld series, Death's motto is "Non Timetis Messor", meant to be a translation of "Don't Fear the Reaper". But in other books he uses "Timetere", and I am unsure of which would be correct, if either of these. The imperative form of "Fear" is the root of the whole issue here.
This phrase is probably going to be tattooed on my shoulder one day, so I'd quite like to have the correct translation ^^



Thanks in advance!










share|improve this question




















  • 4





    Remember, on the Disc they don't have Latin - they have Latatian. And while close enough for those who haven't had any Latin, Latin it ain't.

    – ivanivan
    Oct 3 at 13:17






  • 3





    If you get "Don't Fear the Reaper" tattooed on yourself in any language, be prepared for a lifetime of "more cowbell" jokes

    – MikeTheLiar
    Oct 3 at 15:01











  • @MikeTheLiar it always needs more cowbell!

    – Whitehot
    Oct 4 at 8:45











  • If you were to accept a periphrasis of it, you could use a very famous Latin sentence Memento mori – "Remember you WILL die eventually". See here for more details on this phrase.

    – Shockwaver
    Oct 4 at 14:34












  • Pterry was rather fond on dog latin: "People in the UK, even in public (i.e., private) schools, don't assume that "everyone knows Latin". Latin is barely taught anywhere anymore -- it certainly wasn't taught to me. But dog-Latin isn't Latin, except by accident. It's simply made-up, vaguely Latin-sounding phrases, as in Nil Illegitimo Carborundum". The annotated Pratchett file.

    – Voo
    Oct 5 at 16:37


















10


















In T. Pratchett's Discworld series, Death's motto is "Non Timetis Messor", meant to be a translation of "Don't Fear the Reaper". But in other books he uses "Timetere", and I am unsure of which would be correct, if either of these. The imperative form of "Fear" is the root of the whole issue here.
This phrase is probably going to be tattooed on my shoulder one day, so I'd quite like to have the correct translation ^^



Thanks in advance!










share|improve this question




















  • 4





    Remember, on the Disc they don't have Latin - they have Latatian. And while close enough for those who haven't had any Latin, Latin it ain't.

    – ivanivan
    Oct 3 at 13:17






  • 3





    If you get "Don't Fear the Reaper" tattooed on yourself in any language, be prepared for a lifetime of "more cowbell" jokes

    – MikeTheLiar
    Oct 3 at 15:01











  • @MikeTheLiar it always needs more cowbell!

    – Whitehot
    Oct 4 at 8:45











  • If you were to accept a periphrasis of it, you could use a very famous Latin sentence Memento mori – "Remember you WILL die eventually". See here for more details on this phrase.

    – Shockwaver
    Oct 4 at 14:34












  • Pterry was rather fond on dog latin: "People in the UK, even in public (i.e., private) schools, don't assume that "everyone knows Latin". Latin is barely taught anywhere anymore -- it certainly wasn't taught to me. But dog-Latin isn't Latin, except by accident. It's simply made-up, vaguely Latin-sounding phrases, as in Nil Illegitimo Carborundum". The annotated Pratchett file.

    – Voo
    Oct 5 at 16:37














10













10









10


4






In T. Pratchett's Discworld series, Death's motto is "Non Timetis Messor", meant to be a translation of "Don't Fear the Reaper". But in other books he uses "Timetere", and I am unsure of which would be correct, if either of these. The imperative form of "Fear" is the root of the whole issue here.
This phrase is probably going to be tattooed on my shoulder one day, so I'd quite like to have the correct translation ^^



Thanks in advance!










share|improve this question














In T. Pratchett's Discworld series, Death's motto is "Non Timetis Messor", meant to be a translation of "Don't Fear the Reaper". But in other books he uses "Timetere", and I am unsure of which would be correct, if either of these. The imperative form of "Fear" is the root of the whole issue here.
This phrase is probably going to be tattooed on my shoulder one day, so I'd quite like to have the correct translation ^^



Thanks in advance!







english-to-latin-translation translation-check sentence-translation






share|improve this question













share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked Oct 2 at 12:04









WhitehotWhitehot

2031 silver badge6 bronze badges




2031 silver badge6 bronze badges










  • 4





    Remember, on the Disc they don't have Latin - they have Latatian. And while close enough for those who haven't had any Latin, Latin it ain't.

    – ivanivan
    Oct 3 at 13:17






  • 3





    If you get "Don't Fear the Reaper" tattooed on yourself in any language, be prepared for a lifetime of "more cowbell" jokes

    – MikeTheLiar
    Oct 3 at 15:01











  • @MikeTheLiar it always needs more cowbell!

    – Whitehot
    Oct 4 at 8:45











  • If you were to accept a periphrasis of it, you could use a very famous Latin sentence Memento mori – "Remember you WILL die eventually". See here for more details on this phrase.

    – Shockwaver
    Oct 4 at 14:34












  • Pterry was rather fond on dog latin: "People in the UK, even in public (i.e., private) schools, don't assume that "everyone knows Latin". Latin is barely taught anywhere anymore -- it certainly wasn't taught to me. But dog-Latin isn't Latin, except by accident. It's simply made-up, vaguely Latin-sounding phrases, as in Nil Illegitimo Carborundum". The annotated Pratchett file.

    – Voo
    Oct 5 at 16:37













  • 4





    Remember, on the Disc they don't have Latin - they have Latatian. And while close enough for those who haven't had any Latin, Latin it ain't.

    – ivanivan
    Oct 3 at 13:17






  • 3





    If you get "Don't Fear the Reaper" tattooed on yourself in any language, be prepared for a lifetime of "more cowbell" jokes

    – MikeTheLiar
    Oct 3 at 15:01











  • @MikeTheLiar it always needs more cowbell!

    – Whitehot
    Oct 4 at 8:45











  • If you were to accept a periphrasis of it, you could use a very famous Latin sentence Memento mori – "Remember you WILL die eventually". See here for more details on this phrase.

    – Shockwaver
    Oct 4 at 14:34












  • Pterry was rather fond on dog latin: "People in the UK, even in public (i.e., private) schools, don't assume that "everyone knows Latin". Latin is barely taught anywhere anymore -- it certainly wasn't taught to me. But dog-Latin isn't Latin, except by accident. It's simply made-up, vaguely Latin-sounding phrases, as in Nil Illegitimo Carborundum". The annotated Pratchett file.

    – Voo
    Oct 5 at 16:37








4




4





Remember, on the Disc they don't have Latin - they have Latatian. And while close enough for those who haven't had any Latin, Latin it ain't.

– ivanivan
Oct 3 at 13:17





Remember, on the Disc they don't have Latin - they have Latatian. And while close enough for those who haven't had any Latin, Latin it ain't.

– ivanivan
Oct 3 at 13:17




3




3





If you get "Don't Fear the Reaper" tattooed on yourself in any language, be prepared for a lifetime of "more cowbell" jokes

– MikeTheLiar
Oct 3 at 15:01





If you get "Don't Fear the Reaper" tattooed on yourself in any language, be prepared for a lifetime of "more cowbell" jokes

– MikeTheLiar
Oct 3 at 15:01













@MikeTheLiar it always needs more cowbell!

– Whitehot
Oct 4 at 8:45





@MikeTheLiar it always needs more cowbell!

– Whitehot
Oct 4 at 8:45













If you were to accept a periphrasis of it, you could use a very famous Latin sentence Memento mori – "Remember you WILL die eventually". See here for more details on this phrase.

– Shockwaver
Oct 4 at 14:34






If you were to accept a periphrasis of it, you could use a very famous Latin sentence Memento mori – "Remember you WILL die eventually". See here for more details on this phrase.

– Shockwaver
Oct 4 at 14:34














Pterry was rather fond on dog latin: "People in the UK, even in public (i.e., private) schools, don't assume that "everyone knows Latin". Latin is barely taught anywhere anymore -- it certainly wasn't taught to me. But dog-Latin isn't Latin, except by accident. It's simply made-up, vaguely Latin-sounding phrases, as in Nil Illegitimo Carborundum". The annotated Pratchett file.

– Voo
Oct 5 at 16:37






Pterry was rather fond on dog latin: "People in the UK, even in public (i.e., private) schools, don't assume that "everyone knows Latin". Latin is barely taught anywhere anymore -- it certainly wasn't taught to me. But dog-Latin isn't Latin, except by accident. It's simply made-up, vaguely Latin-sounding phrases, as in Nil Illegitimo Carborundum". The annotated Pratchett file.

– Voo
Oct 5 at 16:37











3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















22



















Neither is correct, and timetere isn't a real Latin word. A correct translation depends somewhat on whether the command is directed at one person (e.g., you, the bearer of the tattoo) or the world at large (e.g., those who see the tattoo).



For the former case (audience = one person), you could say Noli messorem timere or Ne messorem timueris. Ne messorem timeas is also OK and would tend to make the expression somewhat impersonal ('One must not fear the fear'). In all three, messorem could be moved so that it's the last word instead of the second word.



For the latter case (audience = more than one person), the corresponding translations are Nolite messorem timere, Ne messorem timueritis, and Ne messorem timeatis.



For each audience, the three versions are interchangeable; so you can go for the version that sounds – or, since a tattoo will be involved, looks – the best to you.



If you wish to avoid thinking about intended audience, you can instead use a passive expression that means 'The reaper is not to be/must not be feared': Messor non timendus est. In Latin, this too has the force of a command. For the sake of brevity, you can omit est. You can also replace non with other negators, such as minime ('not at all'), haud, or nullo modo ('by no means'), if you think they will sound (or look) better.



In all these instances, messor is a solid, literal translation of 'reaper.' If you want something more evocative, perhaps, you could try falciferum instead of messorem in the first set of translations, and falcifer instead of messor in the second. This word means 'the scythe-bearing one.'






share|improve this answer




















  • 1





    Thank you for all the details! Super helpful in the choice :) What exactly would "haud" translate as, if anything?

    – Whitehot
    Oct 3 at 8:24







  • 1





    @Whitehot, It's just a negator, so it just means the same thing as non, though it can also be more emphatic, like minime or nullo modo.

    – cnread
    Oct 3 at 16:52


















15



















When (Sir) Terry Pratchett was knighted, he chose this phrase as his heraldic motto. The official translation in that context is Noli Timere Messorem.



This isn't the most natural word order (which would be noli messorem timere), but the meaning is the same: a command to a single person, "do not fear the reaper".






share|improve this answer

























  • I think this must have been what I was thinking of. Thanks for the input!

    – Whitehot
    Oct 3 at 8:24






  • 1





    I think there is a good precedent for this word order with Noli tangere circulos meos.

    – Vladimir F
    Oct 4 at 17:53






  • 1





    @VladimirF Isn't that translated from Greek, though, where the negative goes next to the verb?

    – Draconis
    Oct 4 at 17:54






  • 1





    Right, this formulation (or with turbare) seems to be of a late origin.

    – Vladimir F
    Oct 4 at 18:10


















6



















Death's motto makes me recall the Centurion scene in Monty Python's The Life of Brian. Non timetis in fact "don't fear", but rather "(you all) don't fear" in the indicative, rather than the imperative. Also "Messor" is in the nominative rather than the accusative. I expect that Mr Pratchett either deliberately mangled the phrase to be facetious or he simply didn't care about being gramatically correct. In any case, that's what I would expect Altavista Translation would spit out when given the English phrase to translate, circa 1995.



The usual forms which serve as a negative imperative in Latin: the first is noli/nolite + infinitive or ne + present subjunctive. In both cases it will take a complement in the accusative. So:



Nolite messorem timere



or



Ne messorem timeatis






share|improve this answer


























    Your Answer








    StackExchange.ready(function()
    var channelOptions =
    tags: "".split(" "),
    id: "644"
    ;
    initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

    StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
    // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
    if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
    StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
    createEditor();
    );

    else
    createEditor();

    );

    function createEditor()
    StackExchange.prepareEditor(
    heartbeatType: 'answer',
    autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
    convertImagesToLinks: false,
    noModals: true,
    showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
    reputationToPostImages: null,
    bindNavPrevention: true,
    postfix: "",
    imageUploader:
    brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
    contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"u003ecc by-sa 4.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
    allowUrls: true
    ,
    noCode: true, onDemand: true,
    discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
    ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
    );



    );














    draft saved

    draft discarded
















    StackExchange.ready(
    function ()
    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2flatin.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f12594%2fhow-do-you-translate-dont-fear-the-reaper-into-latin%23new-answer', 'question_page');

    );

    Post as a guest















    Required, but never shown


























    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes








    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    22



















    Neither is correct, and timetere isn't a real Latin word. A correct translation depends somewhat on whether the command is directed at one person (e.g., you, the bearer of the tattoo) or the world at large (e.g., those who see the tattoo).



    For the former case (audience = one person), you could say Noli messorem timere or Ne messorem timueris. Ne messorem timeas is also OK and would tend to make the expression somewhat impersonal ('One must not fear the fear'). In all three, messorem could be moved so that it's the last word instead of the second word.



    For the latter case (audience = more than one person), the corresponding translations are Nolite messorem timere, Ne messorem timueritis, and Ne messorem timeatis.



    For each audience, the three versions are interchangeable; so you can go for the version that sounds – or, since a tattoo will be involved, looks – the best to you.



    If you wish to avoid thinking about intended audience, you can instead use a passive expression that means 'The reaper is not to be/must not be feared': Messor non timendus est. In Latin, this too has the force of a command. For the sake of brevity, you can omit est. You can also replace non with other negators, such as minime ('not at all'), haud, or nullo modo ('by no means'), if you think they will sound (or look) better.



    In all these instances, messor is a solid, literal translation of 'reaper.' If you want something more evocative, perhaps, you could try falciferum instead of messorem in the first set of translations, and falcifer instead of messor in the second. This word means 'the scythe-bearing one.'






    share|improve this answer




















    • 1





      Thank you for all the details! Super helpful in the choice :) What exactly would "haud" translate as, if anything?

      – Whitehot
      Oct 3 at 8:24







    • 1





      @Whitehot, It's just a negator, so it just means the same thing as non, though it can also be more emphatic, like minime or nullo modo.

      – cnread
      Oct 3 at 16:52















    22



















    Neither is correct, and timetere isn't a real Latin word. A correct translation depends somewhat on whether the command is directed at one person (e.g., you, the bearer of the tattoo) or the world at large (e.g., those who see the tattoo).



    For the former case (audience = one person), you could say Noli messorem timere or Ne messorem timueris. Ne messorem timeas is also OK and would tend to make the expression somewhat impersonal ('One must not fear the fear'). In all three, messorem could be moved so that it's the last word instead of the second word.



    For the latter case (audience = more than one person), the corresponding translations are Nolite messorem timere, Ne messorem timueritis, and Ne messorem timeatis.



    For each audience, the three versions are interchangeable; so you can go for the version that sounds – or, since a tattoo will be involved, looks – the best to you.



    If you wish to avoid thinking about intended audience, you can instead use a passive expression that means 'The reaper is not to be/must not be feared': Messor non timendus est. In Latin, this too has the force of a command. For the sake of brevity, you can omit est. You can also replace non with other negators, such as minime ('not at all'), haud, or nullo modo ('by no means'), if you think they will sound (or look) better.



    In all these instances, messor is a solid, literal translation of 'reaper.' If you want something more evocative, perhaps, you could try falciferum instead of messorem in the first set of translations, and falcifer instead of messor in the second. This word means 'the scythe-bearing one.'






    share|improve this answer




















    • 1





      Thank you for all the details! Super helpful in the choice :) What exactly would "haud" translate as, if anything?

      – Whitehot
      Oct 3 at 8:24







    • 1





      @Whitehot, It's just a negator, so it just means the same thing as non, though it can also be more emphatic, like minime or nullo modo.

      – cnread
      Oct 3 at 16:52













    22















    22











    22









    Neither is correct, and timetere isn't a real Latin word. A correct translation depends somewhat on whether the command is directed at one person (e.g., you, the bearer of the tattoo) or the world at large (e.g., those who see the tattoo).



    For the former case (audience = one person), you could say Noli messorem timere or Ne messorem timueris. Ne messorem timeas is also OK and would tend to make the expression somewhat impersonal ('One must not fear the fear'). In all three, messorem could be moved so that it's the last word instead of the second word.



    For the latter case (audience = more than one person), the corresponding translations are Nolite messorem timere, Ne messorem timueritis, and Ne messorem timeatis.



    For each audience, the three versions are interchangeable; so you can go for the version that sounds – or, since a tattoo will be involved, looks – the best to you.



    If you wish to avoid thinking about intended audience, you can instead use a passive expression that means 'The reaper is not to be/must not be feared': Messor non timendus est. In Latin, this too has the force of a command. For the sake of brevity, you can omit est. You can also replace non with other negators, such as minime ('not at all'), haud, or nullo modo ('by no means'), if you think they will sound (or look) better.



    In all these instances, messor is a solid, literal translation of 'reaper.' If you want something more evocative, perhaps, you could try falciferum instead of messorem in the first set of translations, and falcifer instead of messor in the second. This word means 'the scythe-bearing one.'






    share|improve this answer














    Neither is correct, and timetere isn't a real Latin word. A correct translation depends somewhat on whether the command is directed at one person (e.g., you, the bearer of the tattoo) or the world at large (e.g., those who see the tattoo).



    For the former case (audience = one person), you could say Noli messorem timere or Ne messorem timueris. Ne messorem timeas is also OK and would tend to make the expression somewhat impersonal ('One must not fear the fear'). In all three, messorem could be moved so that it's the last word instead of the second word.



    For the latter case (audience = more than one person), the corresponding translations are Nolite messorem timere, Ne messorem timueritis, and Ne messorem timeatis.



    For each audience, the three versions are interchangeable; so you can go for the version that sounds – or, since a tattoo will be involved, looks – the best to you.



    If you wish to avoid thinking about intended audience, you can instead use a passive expression that means 'The reaper is not to be/must not be feared': Messor non timendus est. In Latin, this too has the force of a command. For the sake of brevity, you can omit est. You can also replace non with other negators, such as minime ('not at all'), haud, or nullo modo ('by no means'), if you think they will sound (or look) better.



    In all these instances, messor is a solid, literal translation of 'reaper.' If you want something more evocative, perhaps, you could try falciferum instead of messorem in the first set of translations, and falcifer instead of messor in the second. This word means 'the scythe-bearing one.'







    share|improve this answer













    share|improve this answer




    share|improve this answer










    answered Oct 2 at 19:48









    cnreadcnread

    10.9k1 gold badge17 silver badges34 bronze badges




    10.9k1 gold badge17 silver badges34 bronze badges










    • 1





      Thank you for all the details! Super helpful in the choice :) What exactly would "haud" translate as, if anything?

      – Whitehot
      Oct 3 at 8:24







    • 1





      @Whitehot, It's just a negator, so it just means the same thing as non, though it can also be more emphatic, like minime or nullo modo.

      – cnread
      Oct 3 at 16:52












    • 1





      Thank you for all the details! Super helpful in the choice :) What exactly would "haud" translate as, if anything?

      – Whitehot
      Oct 3 at 8:24







    • 1





      @Whitehot, It's just a negator, so it just means the same thing as non, though it can also be more emphatic, like minime or nullo modo.

      – cnread
      Oct 3 at 16:52







    1




    1





    Thank you for all the details! Super helpful in the choice :) What exactly would "haud" translate as, if anything?

    – Whitehot
    Oct 3 at 8:24






    Thank you for all the details! Super helpful in the choice :) What exactly would "haud" translate as, if anything?

    – Whitehot
    Oct 3 at 8:24





    1




    1





    @Whitehot, It's just a negator, so it just means the same thing as non, though it can also be more emphatic, like minime or nullo modo.

    – cnread
    Oct 3 at 16:52





    @Whitehot, It's just a negator, so it just means the same thing as non, though it can also be more emphatic, like minime or nullo modo.

    – cnread
    Oct 3 at 16:52













    15



















    When (Sir) Terry Pratchett was knighted, he chose this phrase as his heraldic motto. The official translation in that context is Noli Timere Messorem.



    This isn't the most natural word order (which would be noli messorem timere), but the meaning is the same: a command to a single person, "do not fear the reaper".






    share|improve this answer

























    • I think this must have been what I was thinking of. Thanks for the input!

      – Whitehot
      Oct 3 at 8:24






    • 1





      I think there is a good precedent for this word order with Noli tangere circulos meos.

      – Vladimir F
      Oct 4 at 17:53






    • 1





      @VladimirF Isn't that translated from Greek, though, where the negative goes next to the verb?

      – Draconis
      Oct 4 at 17:54






    • 1





      Right, this formulation (or with turbare) seems to be of a late origin.

      – Vladimir F
      Oct 4 at 18:10















    15



















    When (Sir) Terry Pratchett was knighted, he chose this phrase as his heraldic motto. The official translation in that context is Noli Timere Messorem.



    This isn't the most natural word order (which would be noli messorem timere), but the meaning is the same: a command to a single person, "do not fear the reaper".






    share|improve this answer

























    • I think this must have been what I was thinking of. Thanks for the input!

      – Whitehot
      Oct 3 at 8:24






    • 1





      I think there is a good precedent for this word order with Noli tangere circulos meos.

      – Vladimir F
      Oct 4 at 17:53






    • 1





      @VladimirF Isn't that translated from Greek, though, where the negative goes next to the verb?

      – Draconis
      Oct 4 at 17:54






    • 1





      Right, this formulation (or with turbare) seems to be of a late origin.

      – Vladimir F
      Oct 4 at 18:10













    15















    15











    15









    When (Sir) Terry Pratchett was knighted, he chose this phrase as his heraldic motto. The official translation in that context is Noli Timere Messorem.



    This isn't the most natural word order (which would be noli messorem timere), but the meaning is the same: a command to a single person, "do not fear the reaper".






    share|improve this answer














    When (Sir) Terry Pratchett was knighted, he chose this phrase as his heraldic motto. The official translation in that context is Noli Timere Messorem.



    This isn't the most natural word order (which would be noli messorem timere), but the meaning is the same: a command to a single person, "do not fear the reaper".







    share|improve this answer













    share|improve this answer




    share|improve this answer










    answered Oct 2 at 22:58









    DraconisDraconis

    33.6k2 gold badges38 silver badges127 bronze badges




    33.6k2 gold badges38 silver badges127 bronze badges















    • I think this must have been what I was thinking of. Thanks for the input!

      – Whitehot
      Oct 3 at 8:24






    • 1





      I think there is a good precedent for this word order with Noli tangere circulos meos.

      – Vladimir F
      Oct 4 at 17:53






    • 1





      @VladimirF Isn't that translated from Greek, though, where the negative goes next to the verb?

      – Draconis
      Oct 4 at 17:54






    • 1





      Right, this formulation (or with turbare) seems to be of a late origin.

      – Vladimir F
      Oct 4 at 18:10

















    • I think this must have been what I was thinking of. Thanks for the input!

      – Whitehot
      Oct 3 at 8:24






    • 1





      I think there is a good precedent for this word order with Noli tangere circulos meos.

      – Vladimir F
      Oct 4 at 17:53






    • 1





      @VladimirF Isn't that translated from Greek, though, where the negative goes next to the verb?

      – Draconis
      Oct 4 at 17:54






    • 1





      Right, this formulation (or with turbare) seems to be of a late origin.

      – Vladimir F
      Oct 4 at 18:10
















    I think this must have been what I was thinking of. Thanks for the input!

    – Whitehot
    Oct 3 at 8:24





    I think this must have been what I was thinking of. Thanks for the input!

    – Whitehot
    Oct 3 at 8:24




    1




    1





    I think there is a good precedent for this word order with Noli tangere circulos meos.

    – Vladimir F
    Oct 4 at 17:53





    I think there is a good precedent for this word order with Noli tangere circulos meos.

    – Vladimir F
    Oct 4 at 17:53




    1




    1





    @VladimirF Isn't that translated from Greek, though, where the negative goes next to the verb?

    – Draconis
    Oct 4 at 17:54





    @VladimirF Isn't that translated from Greek, though, where the negative goes next to the verb?

    – Draconis
    Oct 4 at 17:54




    1




    1





    Right, this formulation (or with turbare) seems to be of a late origin.

    – Vladimir F
    Oct 4 at 18:10





    Right, this formulation (or with turbare) seems to be of a late origin.

    – Vladimir F
    Oct 4 at 18:10











    6



















    Death's motto makes me recall the Centurion scene in Monty Python's The Life of Brian. Non timetis in fact "don't fear", but rather "(you all) don't fear" in the indicative, rather than the imperative. Also "Messor" is in the nominative rather than the accusative. I expect that Mr Pratchett either deliberately mangled the phrase to be facetious or he simply didn't care about being gramatically correct. In any case, that's what I would expect Altavista Translation would spit out when given the English phrase to translate, circa 1995.



    The usual forms which serve as a negative imperative in Latin: the first is noli/nolite + infinitive or ne + present subjunctive. In both cases it will take a complement in the accusative. So:



    Nolite messorem timere



    or



    Ne messorem timeatis






    share|improve this answer





























      6



















      Death's motto makes me recall the Centurion scene in Monty Python's The Life of Brian. Non timetis in fact "don't fear", but rather "(you all) don't fear" in the indicative, rather than the imperative. Also "Messor" is in the nominative rather than the accusative. I expect that Mr Pratchett either deliberately mangled the phrase to be facetious or he simply didn't care about being gramatically correct. In any case, that's what I would expect Altavista Translation would spit out when given the English phrase to translate, circa 1995.



      The usual forms which serve as a negative imperative in Latin: the first is noli/nolite + infinitive or ne + present subjunctive. In both cases it will take a complement in the accusative. So:



      Nolite messorem timere



      or



      Ne messorem timeatis






      share|improve this answer



























        6















        6











        6









        Death's motto makes me recall the Centurion scene in Monty Python's The Life of Brian. Non timetis in fact "don't fear", but rather "(you all) don't fear" in the indicative, rather than the imperative. Also "Messor" is in the nominative rather than the accusative. I expect that Mr Pratchett either deliberately mangled the phrase to be facetious or he simply didn't care about being gramatically correct. In any case, that's what I would expect Altavista Translation would spit out when given the English phrase to translate, circa 1995.



        The usual forms which serve as a negative imperative in Latin: the first is noli/nolite + infinitive or ne + present subjunctive. In both cases it will take a complement in the accusative. So:



        Nolite messorem timere



        or



        Ne messorem timeatis






        share|improve this answer














        Death's motto makes me recall the Centurion scene in Monty Python's The Life of Brian. Non timetis in fact "don't fear", but rather "(you all) don't fear" in the indicative, rather than the imperative. Also "Messor" is in the nominative rather than the accusative. I expect that Mr Pratchett either deliberately mangled the phrase to be facetious or he simply didn't care about being gramatically correct. In any case, that's what I would expect Altavista Translation would spit out when given the English phrase to translate, circa 1995.



        The usual forms which serve as a negative imperative in Latin: the first is noli/nolite + infinitive or ne + present subjunctive. In both cases it will take a complement in the accusative. So:



        Nolite messorem timere



        or



        Ne messorem timeatis







        share|improve this answer













        share|improve this answer




        share|improve this answer










        answered Oct 2 at 19:51









        WtrmuteWtrmute

        1,0015 silver badges7 bronze badges




        1,0015 silver badges7 bronze badges































            draft saved

            draft discarded















































            Thanks for contributing an answer to Latin Language Stack Exchange!


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid


            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.

            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




            draft saved


            draft discarded














            StackExchange.ready(
            function ()
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2flatin.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f12594%2fhow-do-you-translate-dont-fear-the-reaper-into-latin%23new-answer', 'question_page');

            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown





















































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown

































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown









            Popular posts from this blog

            Tamil (spriik) Luke uk diar | Nawigatjuun

            Align equal signs while including text over equalitiesAMS align: left aligned text/math plus multicolumn alignmentMultiple alignmentsAligning equations in multiple placesNumbering and aligning an equation with multiple columnsHow to align one equation with another multline equationUsing \ in environments inside the begintabularxNumber equations and preserving alignment of equal signsHow can I align equations to the left and to the right?Double equation alignment problem within align enviromentAligned within align: Why are they right-aligned?

            Training a classifier when some of the features are unknownWhy does Gradient Boosting regression predict negative values when there are no negative y-values in my training set?How to improve an existing (trained) classifier?What is effect when I set up some self defined predisctor variables?Why Matlab neural network classification returns decimal values on prediction dataset?Fitting and transforming text data in training, testing, and validation setsHow to quantify the performance of the classifier (multi-class SVM) using the test data?How do I control for some patients providing multiple samples in my training data?Training and Test setTraining a convolutional neural network for image denoising in MatlabShouldn't an autoencoder with #(neurons in hidden layer) = #(neurons in input layer) be “perfect”?