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A university in Denmark has a slogan:(Arhus Universitas) solidum petit in profundis. This is translated in this way into English:"seek a firm footing in the depths" -. what do you think of this translation? Shouldn't it be "seeks a firm footing in the depth"? or do you have another explanation?"petit" in latin derives from "petare" and petit is 3.person singular - so it must be "seeks" or...?

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]A university in Denmark has a slogan: (Arhus Universitas) solidum petit in profundis. This is translated in this way into ... another explanation? "petit" in latin derives from "petare" and petit is 3.person singular - so it must be "seeks" or...?[/nq]
I spent a year of my graduate studies at this university back in the 80s. You are correct about the form of the verb. It is third person singular present tense. "(He/she/it) seeks firm ground in the depths". I remember always thing who or what "he/she/it" could be. Perhaps the university itself.
In any case, it is definitely not imperative.
Dominic Bojarski

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]A university in Denmark has a slogan: (Arhus Universitas) solidum ... is 3.person singular - so it must be "seeks" or...?[/nq]
[nq:1]I spent a year of my graduate studies at this university back in the 80s. You are correct about the ... who or what "he/she/it" could be. Perhaps the university itself. In any case, it is definitely not imperative. Dominic Bojarski[/nq]
Apparently it is "it".
[nq:1]From the webpage of the university's history department:[/nq]I denne bygning blev ogs=E5 indrettet et "Historisk Laboratorium", og her var der atmosf=E6re. Det var nemlig det eneste sted p=E5 Universitetet, hvor man m=E5tte ryge, og hvor man gjorde det, bl.a. fordi der opstod den skik, at l=E6reren ved timens begyndelse satte en kasse cigarer frem til fri afbenyttelse! Samtidig var stedet pr=E6get af, at s=E5vel l=E6rere som studerende gjorde alt for, at dette "jungleuniversitet" ikke skulle anses for at v=E6re andenrangs, godt hjulpet af, at man ved de skiftende ans=E6ttelser af docenter og professorer altid s=F8gte at sikre sig h=F8jt kvalificerede og anerkendte forskere.

"Adspicit lucem in c=E6lestis" (Den s=F8ger lyset i det h=F8je) st=E5r der over =F8rnen p=E5 Frue Plads i K=F8benhavn. Aarhus Universitets v=E5benskjold blev et anker, der gik ned imellem to muntre delfiner, omgivet af mottoet: "Solidum petit in profundis" (Det s=F8ger i dybden den faste grund). S=E5 var den besvaret, og man =E6nsede ikke, at det i folkemunde blev oversat til "Dette universitet er i bund og grund altid ude efter penge"; jyder har jo altid haft det lidt sv=E6rt med latin...
Dominic Bojarski

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