ad astra
Latin
Etymology
From ad (“to”) + astra (“stars, heaven”, acc. pl.) as a metaphor for immortality and eternal glory.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /aˈdas.tra/, [äˈd̪äs̠t̪rä]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /aˈdas.tra/, [äˈd̪äst̪rä]
Phrase
ad astra
- (idiomatic) to the stars, to heaven (cf. reach for the stars)
- 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 9.640:
- macte novā virtūte, puer, sīc ītur ad astra
- 2007 translation by Ahl, Frederick
- Blessings on your new manhood, my boy. That’s the pathway to heaven.
- 2007 translation by Ahl, Frederick
- macte novā virtūte, puer, sīc ītur ad astra
- per aspera ad astra
- Through hardships to the stars.
Usage notes
Used in a large variety of poetic expressions and modern mottoes.
Further reading
- “astrum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- Ad astra (phrase) on Wikipedia