Latin tattoo help

i n c u b u s

So I have found my next tattoo idea and I'm excited about it's placement (chest piece) which calls for absolute precision when it comes to exactly what I want to get. Now I've narrowed it down to 3 basic things: the words CARITAS, FIDEM, & VERITAS but I'm not sure if I should just get these three words just on their own or if there is a saying/etc that would fit it somehow to extend it. Also would fidem be the proper translation for faith? I'm also thinking that the 3 words on their own would be kind of too small to span an arc of my collar bone and still look decent if that makes sense. I'm not entirely against using something like the & symbol etc. Any ideas or suggestions would help immensely guys.

Check last post for a pic!

Avicus

At my school our motto was Signum Fidei which is Sign of Faith so idk if this is the correct translation or not.

i n c u b u s

Avicus wrote: »

At my school our motto was Signum Fidei which is Sign of Faith so idk if this is the correct translation or not.

Yea I have seen it in this form as well which is why I really want to get this correct. Thanks for the help!

Grizzled

Latin nouns have different endings depending on their case. The root here is "fides", but the ending will be different depending on whether you have it in a sentence and what it is doing grammatically in that sentence.

Google-fu suggests you are referring to the Christian theological virtues, perhaps from Corinthians 13? It looks like the accepted version of that would be CARITAS FIDES VERITAS, putting everything in the nominative case; that is, just name-checking the terms. I would maybe get a second opinion though, my Latin is a little rusty.

If you decide you want it in a phrase, you are going to need someone to translate it for you, or find an established phrase/quote somewhere.

i n c u b u s

Grizzled wrote: »

Latin nouns have different endings depending on their case. The root here is "fides", but the ending will be different depending on whether you have it in a sentence and what it is doing grammatically in that sentence.

Google-fu suggests you are referring to the Christian theological virtues, perhaps from Corinthians 13? It looks like the accepted version of that would be CARITAS FIDES VERITAS, putting everything in the nominative case; that is, just name-checking the terms. I would maybe get a second opinion though, my Latin is a little rusty.

If you decide you want it in a phrase, you are going to need someone to translate it for you, or find an established phrase/quote somewhere.

You are correct, I was going for the christian virtues aspect of the words themselves so the word tense you quoted is probably correct. In fact I actually prefer fides instead for some reason. I am fairly certain that caritas and veritas are correct. Thanks so much.

Platy

"Caritas", "fides" and "veritas" are correct.

Instead of the symbol "&", you could add an "et" which is the Latin word for "and".

So, for example: CARITAS, FIDES ET VERITAS.

You may also leave out the comma if you think it would look better without it. The comma wasn't introduced in its present form until the Late Middle Ages.

Cyd Cyclone

Platypus Beirut wrote: »

"Caritas", "fides" and "veritas" are correct.

Instead of the symbol "&", you could add an "et" which is the Latin word for "and".

So, for example: CARITAS, FIDES ET VERITAS.

You may also leave out the comma if you think it would look better without it. The comma wasn't introduced in its present form until the Late Middle Ages.

I think I'll point out that the ampersand (a contraction of 'and per se and') is a ligature for et, introduced in the Middle Ages, and thus, is perfectly acceptable to use in a Latin tattoo.

i n c u b u s

Cyd Cyclone wrote: »

Platypus Beirut wrote: »

"Caritas", "fides" and "veritas" are correct.

Instead of the symbol "&", you could add an "et" which is the Latin word for "and".

So, for example: CARITAS, FIDES ET VERITAS.

You may also leave out the comma if you think it would look better without it. The comma wasn't introduced in its present form until the Late Middle Ages.

I think I'll point out that the ampersand (a contraction of 'and per se and') is a ligature for et, introduced in the Middle Ages, and thus, is perfectly acceptable to use in a Latin tattoo.

That is exactly the answer to what I was wondering when I read the previous post thank you. Although I do like the idea of keeping it all original and going with ET but I also really like the symbol as well. Any thoughts?

Cyd Cyclone

i n c u b u s wrote: »

Cyd Cyclone wrote: »

Platypus Beirut wrote: »

"Caritas", "fides" and "veritas" are correct.

Instead of the symbol "&", you could add an "et" which is the Latin word for "and".

So, for example: CARITAS, FIDES ET VERITAS.

You may also leave out the comma if you think it would look better without it. The comma wasn't introduced in its present form until the Late Middle Ages.

I think I'll point out that the ampersand (a contraction of 'and per se and') is a ligature for et, introduced in the Middle Ages, and thus, is perfectly acceptable to use in a Latin tattoo.

That is exactly the answer to what I was wondering when I read the previous post thank you. Although I do like the idea of keeping it all original and going with ET but I also really like the symbol as well. Any thoughts?

The ampersand is just a different way to write 'et'. It boils down to personal preference. If you're worried about the spacing, it won't really matter whether you pick & or et, as they'll take up approximately the same space.

i n c u b u s

Thanks a bunch for the help guys I feel much more confident about what I want now.

i n c u b u s

I know this is bringing this thread back from the dead but wanted to show you guys the result of the conversation here. Thanks again guys!