The phrase ''Novus ōrdō sēclōrum'' (, ; "New order of the ages") is the second of two mottos added by the secretary of the
Congress of the Confederation,
Charles Thomson
Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824) was an Irish-born Patriot leader in Philadelphia during the American Revolution and the secretary of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) throughout its existence. As secretary, Thomson ...
, on the reverse (the back side) of the
Great Seal of the United States (the first motto is ''
Annuit cœptis
''Annuit cœptis'' (, ) is one of two mottos on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The literal translation is " e/Shefavors (or "has favored") urundertakings", from Latin ''annuo'' ("I approve, I favor"), and ''coeptum'' ( ...
'').
Origin and phrase meaning
The phrase is a reference to the fourth
''Eclogue'' of
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
,
which contains a passage (lines 5-8) that reads:
The forms ''saecla'', ''saeclorum'' etc. were normal alternatives to the more common ''saecula'' etc. throughout the history of Latin poetry and prose. The form ''saeculorum'' is impossible in
hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is the pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry; in Greek and Latin a "foot" is not an accent, but describes various combinations of syllables). It w ...
verse: the ''ae'' and ''o'' are long, the ''u'' short
by position.
The word ''seclorum'' does not mean "secular", but is the
genitive
In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...
(possessive) plural form of the word ''saeculum'', meaning (in this context) generation, century, or age. ''Saeculum'' did come to mean "age, world" in late, Christian Latin, and "secular" is derived from it, through ''secularis''. However, the adjective "secularis," meaning "worldly," is not equivalent to the genitive plural "seclorum," meaning "of the ages."
The motto ''Novus ordo seclorum'' was translated and added to the seal by
Charles Thomson
Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824) was an Irish-born Patriot leader in Philadelphia during the American Revolution and the secretary of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) throughout its existence. As secretary, Thomson ...
, a Latin expert who was involved in the design of the Great Seal, as "A new order of the ages." Thomson said it was to signify "the beginning of the new American Era" as of the date of the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
.
[The Great Seal of the United States]
" ''U.S. Dept. of State, Bureau of Public Affairs,'' Washington, D.C., July 2003, pp. 4, 5, 15. PDF of official brochure.
See also
* ''
Annuit cœptis
''Annuit cœptis'' (, ) is one of two mottos on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The literal translation is " e/Shefavors (or "has favored") urundertakings", from Latin ''annuo'' ("I approve, I favor"), and ''coeptum'' ( ...
''
* ''
E pluribus unum
''E pluribus unum'' ( , , ) – Latin for "Out of many, one" (also translated as "One out of many" or "One from many") – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal along with '' Annuit cœptis'' (Latin for "he ...
''
*
Eye of Providence
The Eye of Providence (or the All-Seeing Eye of God) is a symbol that depicts an eye, often enclosed in a triangle and surrounded by Ray (optics), rays of light or Glory (optical phenomenon), glory, meant to represent divine providence, whereby ...
*
New World Order (conspiracy theory)
The New World Order (NWO) is a conspiracy theory which hypothesizes a secretly emerging totalitarian world government.
The common theme in conspiracy theories about a New World Order is that a secretive power elite with a globalist agenda i ...
*
List of Latin phrases
__NOTOC__
This is a list of Wikipedia articles of Latin phrases and their translation into English.
''To view all phrases on a single, lengthy document, see: List of Latin phrases (full)''
The list also is divided alphabetically into twenty page ...
*
List of national mottos
This article lists state and national mottos for the world's nations. The mottos for some List of unrecognized countries, states lacking general international recognition, List of extinct states, extinct states, non-sovereign nations, regions, an ...
*
List of U.S. state and territory mottos
Most of the United States' 50 states have a state motto, as do the District of Columbia and 3 of its territories. A motto is a phrase intended to formally describe the general motivation or intention of an organization. State mottos ca ...
*
United States national motto
The modern motto of the United States of America, as established in a 1956 law signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, is "In God we trust".{{cite web, url=http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx , archive-url=https:/ ...
References
{{Charles Thomson
Latin mottos
National symbols of the United States