Expert: Maria - 2/1/2008

Question
I know the saying E pluribus unum means 'from many, one' but how do you say 'from one, many'?

Answer
Hello,

the translation of  “From one, many” would be simply:

“Ex uno, plures”.

See below for grammatical analysis.

Best regards,
Maria
___________________________________________
Note that:

-from = EX (preposition which is a variant of E and  takes the ablative. EX is used before a vowel, while E is used before a consonant)

-one = UNO (ablative of UNUS, 2nd.declension))

-many= PLURES (nominative plural, 3rd.declension).
__________________________________________________
As for “E pluribus unum” note that:

-E (preposition which takes the ablative)= from /out of

-Pluribus ( ablative plural, 3rd.declension)= many

-Unum (nominative neuter of UNUS, 2nd.declension)= one