Verbum Hodiernum: SEU (SIVE)

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SIVE - SEU Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is SEU, a contracted form of SIVE, which is in turn a combination of si and vel, meaning "or if." It is what is called a "disjunctive (either/or) conditional (if) particle" - something we don't exactly have in English! The word is usually used after a preceding si to introduce another condition or it is used in parallel.

Here are some examples of seu and sive in Latin sayings and proverbs. As you will see, most are examples of the word used in parallelism, either sive...sive... or seu...seu or sive...seu in a mix-and-match combination.

Sive velis, sive nolis

Sive publice, sive occulte.

Sive publice, sive privatim.

Sive vocaliter, sive mentaliter.

Ebrietas prodit quod amat cor, sive quod odit.

Prodest et linguam compescere, sive ligare.

Sive dolo, seu vi, vel aperte confice, vel clam.

In arbitrio viri erit ut faciat, sive non faciat.

Magna est vis fortunae seu ad res secundas, seu adversas.

Maza, sive offa esurienti homini carior et auro et ebore.

Neque Iuppiter ipse - sive pluat seu non - unicuique placet.

Falsa orthografia, sive falsa grammatica non vitiat chartam.

Cor hominis immutat faciem illius, sive in bona, sive in mala.

Veniet tempus mortis et quidem celeriter, sive retractabis, sive properabis.

In utrumque paratus: seu versare dolos, seu certae occumbere morti.

Quotiens cum stercore certo - vinco, seu vincor - semper ego
maculor.




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