Expert: Maria - 7/9/2007

Question
How would you say "Patience is a virtue" in Latin? -- I found "Patience is the greatest of all virtues" but, unfortunately, it was in english w/no translation?  I'd like to get this engraved on a piece of jewelry.  I've looked up Patience & Virtue & found "Patientia" & "sanctimonia."  Would that be correct?  Or am I missing a word somewhere?

Thank you.

Answer
Hello,

Here’s the translation you need:

“Patientia est virtus” meaning exactly "Patience is a virtue".

As for "Patience is the greatest of all virtues”, it would be :” Maxima omnium virtutum est patientia”.

Finally “Patience & Virtue” is “Patientia et virtus” which however does not correspond exactly to "Patience is a virtue".
Moreover in “Patientia et virtus”  the Latin word “virtus” could have the meaning of ‘courage’, ‘valour’  rather than  ‘virtue’,  ‘goodness’, ‘excellence’, ‘moral perfection’, ‘virtuousness’.

To conclude I must tell you that “sanctimonia” means ‘sacrosanctity’, ‘purity’, ‘chastity’,  rather than ‘virtue’.

Hope all is clear enough.

Best,
Maria
___________________________________________________________GRAMMATICAL BREAKDOWN

-Patience = PATIENTIA (nominative, 1st.declension) as the quality of bearing, suffering or enduring.

- is = EST (from the verb SUM, I am)

-a virtue = VIRTUS (nominative, 3rd. declension) as moral perfection, virtuousness, virtue.
________________________________________________
-Patience = PATIENTIA

-is = EST

-the greatest = MAXIMA (nominative feminine of MAXIMUS agreed with PATIENTIA which is a feminine noun.

-of all = OMNIUM (genitive plural of OMNIS)

-virtues = VIRTUTUM( genitive plural of VIRTUS)