If ever there was a motto thought up by a cynical teacher then it is this one, in spe laboramus, which means: we work in hope. It is the motto of North London Collegiate School, a private day school for girls, which was founded in London in 1850 and now has associated schools in several other countries.
Spe is the ablative singular of spes, spei a fifth declension noun. The ablative singular is used to agree with the preposition in.
spes, spei f 5th declension noun - hope
The phrase "ex pede Herculem" is literally from the foot Hercules. The meaning is that from the foot we can deduce the size of Hercules. There is a Wikipedia article about this phrase.
The idea is attributed to the Greek philosopher Pythagoras (of right angled triangles fame). In the modern world, it is an essential tool in paleontology, where the size of long extinct animals is estimated from measuring a single bone.
ex pronoun with ablative from, out of
pede ablative singular of pes, pedis m noun a foot
'Veras hinc ducere voces' is the motto of Kesteven & Grantham Girls' School. A literal translation would be 'to take the true voices from here.' The essence of it is more an injunction to take wisdom from your time in the institution.
veras feminine accusative plural of the adjective verus,-a,-um true, genuine
voces plural of vox, vocis voice
ducere to lead
hinc adverb hence, from here
Fuimus is the motto of the Bruce clan in Scotland. Fuimus is the first person plural perfect indicative of the verb to be. It means: "we have been." The word kings is implied for Robert I, better known as Robert the Bruce, and his son David II were kings of Scotland in the 14th century.
Sic itur ad astra is the motto of the Royal Canadian Air Force & of the Hertfordshire and Essex High School & Science College among others. It means: 'Thus one goes to the stars', which is clearly an appropriate motto for an air force. The photo is taken from a gravestone at Dalmeny Kirk. Here ad astra is used figuratively to mean to immortality.
Incidentally, until 1968, the RCAF had the same motto as the RAF - Per ardua ad astra.
Itur is the third person singular present passive of the verb eo, ire, ivi (or ii), itum to go.
With the coronation happening just the other day, what could be more appropriate that to wish: 'Long live King Charles', or in Latin: 'Vivat Rex Carolus!'
Vivat is the third person present subjunctive of the verb vivo, vivere, vixi, victus, which means to live. The third person singular present indicative is vivit, which means he, she or it lives.
The viva of 'Viva España' which means: 'Long live Spain' in Spanish and the vive of 'Vive le roi' which means 'Long live the king' in French are both obviously cognate with vivat.
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