Make Your Point > Archived Issues > UBI SUNT
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If you're a sensitive, tearstained, black-beret-wearing poet, and if you often ponder the tr_ns_t_ry nature of life and the in_l_ct_bl_ nature of death--that is, how life swiftly disappears and how death swiftly approaches--then you'll love today's sensitive, tearstained, black-beret-wearing term: ubi sunt.
It's Latin for "where are?".
As in, "Where be the roses gone, which sweetened so our eyes?" (Sir Philip Sidney). And, "Where have all the cowboys gone?" (Paula Cole).
So: ubi sunt = where are.
The ubi part means "where." See if you can use it to create a word that means "the state of being everywhere:" ubi____y.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"UBI SUNT"
This is Latin for "where are?".
Strictly speaking, an ubi sunt is a sad poem (or a part of a sad poem, or other piece of writing) that mourns things or people by asking where they are: "Where are...?"
Like this: "Where are the snows of yesteryear?" (François Villon), and "Where Are the Waters of Childhood?" (Mark Strand).
More loosely speaking, something ubi sunt is sad and mournful in a poetic way, as if it's asking rhetorically where something good has gone.
Pronunciation:
Start with the "oo" sound from "book" and "foot:"
oo bee SUNT
Part of speech:
It can be a noun, the countable kind ("this ubi sunt").
We'll focus on its use as an adjective: "an ubi sunt complaint," "this ubi sunt tone."
Other forms:
none
How to use it:
You can call something ubi sunt even if it doesn't ask "Where are...?"--if it seems to ask that question, or if it seems to bemoan the inevitable loss or disappearance of something, feel free to call it ubi sunt.
You might talk about an ubi sunt tone, theme, or motif; an ubi sunt cry, complaint, or lamentation; an ubi sunt salute or tribute to something, etc.
However, with "ubi sunt," you risk sounding snobby or over-educated. If you prefer, pick a synonym without the smarty-pants vibe, like "wistful," "forlorn," or "melancholy."
examples:
Don't laugh; twenty-somethings can get nostalgic, too. Taylor Swift's "Never Grow Up," "Fifteen," and "Innocent" all have that ubi sunt vibe, that longing for the days of lunch boxes and firefly jars and hearts that have never been broken by cute boys.
"Ubi sunt? must be the oldest lament in the book. Where have they gone, today's editorials cry, the great American leaders of yesteryear?"
— Will Lloyd, Spectator, 5 April 2019
has this page helped you understand "ubi sunt"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "ubi sunt" without saying "like an ode of mourning" or "lugubrious."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Some article, essay, book, video, blog post, song, album, episode, or series) issues an ubi sunt complaint: Where (has or have) all the _____ gone?"
Literal example: "Jack Johnson's 'Good People' issues an ubi sunt complaint: Where'd all the good people go?"
Figurative example: "His book issues an ubi sunt complaint: Where has all the unstructured playtime gone? Why are our kids' days so aggressively scheduled?"
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game this month is "Big Bang Thicket."
In each issue, hack your way through the polysyllabic title of an episode of The Big Bang Theory, and use your knowledge of vocabulary to answer the question about what happens in that episode.
From the previous issue:
In "The Spaghetti Catalyst," does a spaghetti dinner drag on for hours or inspire a friendship to heal?
Answer:
It inspires a friendship to heal. A catalyst is anything that speeds something up or makes something happen sooner.
Try this one today:
In "The Hot Troll Deviation," does Howard flash back to his days of collecting troll dolls when they were wildly popular or have a romance with an attractive fictional troll?
review this word:
1. A near opposite of UBI SUNT is
A. APT.
B. JOYFUL.
C. SWEEPING.
2. By its nature, an ubi sunt lament takes the form of a _____--or seems to.
A. litany
B. hypothetical question
C. side-by-side comparison
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
If you're a sensitive, tearstained, black-beret-wearing poet, and if you often ponder the tr_ns_t_ry nature of life and the in_l_ct_bl_ nature of death--that is, how life swiftly disappears and how death swiftly approaches--then you'll love today's sensitive, tearstained, black-beret-wearing term: ubi sunt.
"UBI SUNT" This is Latin for "where are?".
Don't laugh; twenty-somethings can get nostalgic, too. Taylor Swift's "Never Grow Up," "Fifteen," and "Innocent" all have that ubi sunt vibe, that longing for the days of lunch boxes and firefly jars and hearts that have never been broken by cute boys.
Explain the meaning of "ubi sunt" without saying "like an ode of mourning" or "lugubrious."
Fill in the blanks: "(Some article, essay, book, video, blog post, song, album, episode, or series) issues an ubi sunt complaint: Where (has or have) all the _____ gone?"
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of UBI SUNT is
|