non plus ultra
See also: Non Plus Ultra
Dutch
Etymology
From Latin non plus ultra, the name given to the type by the Enschedé Foundry in Haarlem, who first cut it.
Noun
non plus ultra
- (printing, dated) A small size of type, equivalent to 2 point.
Synonyms
- vierde petit
Descendants
- → German: Non Plus Ultra
Italian
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from Latin nōn plūs ultra.
Noun
non plus ultra m (invariable)
- the very best, the ne plus ultra
Further reading
- non plus ultra in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Latin
Alternative forms
- ne plus ultra
Etymology
Literally, “nothing further beyond”, nōn (“not”) + plūs (“more”) + ultrā (“beyond”). An ancient post-classical Mediterranean aphorism, fabulously alleged to have been inscribed somewhere upon the Pillars of Hercules as a warning to ships to sail no further. Adopted during the Renaissance as a metaphor for the stifling influence of ancient philosophy on the progress of thought. Compare Gādēs.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /noːn pluːs ˈul.traː/, [noːn pɫ̪uːs̠ ˈʊɫ̪t̪räː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /non plus ˈul.tra/, [nɔn plus ˈul̪t̪rä]
Phrase
nōn plūs ultra
- A warning to not go beyond (this point).
Derived terms
- plus ultrā
Descendants
- → Dutch: non plus ultra
- → German: Non Plus Ultra
- → English: ne plus ultra
- → French: non plus ultra
- → German: Nonplusultra
- → Italian: non plus ultra
See also
- here be dragons