Expert: Maria - 1/26/2009

Question
hey, just doing a bit of research into my family history (arthur family descended from macarthur clan in scotland), and came accross a family motto/crest.
fide et opera - have been struggling to find an accurate translation, but would like to know what it really means.
also,have been finding it hard to find the latin for 'is', as in somethinhg/someone is and exists
thanks for any help
regards
sam

Answer
Hello,

Your family motto can be translated as  follows:

-“By fidelity and work”
-“By faith and work”
-“By loyalty and work”
-“By faithfulness and work”.

In short, all the above translations point out that the combination of faith (also in the sense of loyalty /fidelity ) and work (in the sense of the efforts we can make) creates a great force.

As for the Latin for 'is', as in “Somethinhg/Someone is and exists”, it is EST which is just the 3rd.person singular of the present indicative of the verb SUM, I am.

For example: “Aliquid/ Aliquis est” (Something/Someone is and exists).

Best regards,
Maria
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Note that:

-FIDE (ablative singular  of the noun FIDES, 5th.declension. It is an ablative of means) = by fidelity/ faith/ loyalty/ faithfulness

-ET = and

-OPERA (ablative singular  of the noun OPERA, 1st.declension. Ablative of means)= (by) work