adventus invictus sancti

[Anonymous]

I have just began learning Latin by myself. It is not for any class. However, I am at a loss as how to interpret it due to the placement of each word which have multiple meanings according to the online dictionary I use.

Here is the phrase: adventus invictus/invicti sancti? What if the phrase read adventus inventus sancti? If both phrase are relating to a particular person, how would each be interpreted?

I appreciate any help for the arrangement and interpretation of above phrases.

Thanks,
Lana

 

[Cato]

Re: Could someone help me translate adventus invictus sancti

Here is the phrase: adventus invictus/invicti sancti? What if the phrase read adventus inventus sancti? If both phrase are relating to a particular person, how would each be interpreted?

I appreciate any help for the arrangement and interpretation of above phrases.

First, we should agree on the basic definition of the words used:

adventus, -us = arrival (noun)
invictus, -a, -um = unconquered (adjective/participle)
sanctus, -a, -um = usually holy (adj.), but here (assuming a Christian context) I think "saint" (noun)

Next, grammar: The ending on adventus, a fourth declension noun, tells us it is either nominative singular, genitive singular, or nominative/accusative plural (here's where macrons are helpful to the beginner; if you see no line over the final u, this indicates only nom. sing.).

Now this is where a little experience helps; it seems unlikely a phrase would be talking about a plural number of "arrivals", and it is extremely unusual for an "arrival" to possess anything (the genitive most commonly indicates possession), so we're going to take this as nominative singular, the simple subject of the phrase: Translate the word simply as "arrival".

We're going to skip invictus/invicti for a moment and move directly to sancti; the ending of this second declension noun (assuming it means "saint") shows it is either genitive singular or nominative plural. It's unlikely it is nominative, since we already have a nominative noun in the phrase; so let's call it a genitive singular and translate as "of the saint" ("of..." is a good beginner's crutch for translating a noun in the genitive).

Invictus/invicti appears to me to be a choice between two word forms. If you use invictus, note that this adjective is in the nominative singular masculine; luckily so is adventus, so we can this adjective to modify it: adventus invictus then means "the unconquered arrival". If we choose invicti, then the word cannot modify adventus; it however can modify sancti, and would be translated "of the unconquered saint" (remember, sancti is still genitive, so we still need "of...").

To sum up, the full phrase is "The unconquered arrival of the saint ' (using invictus or "The arrival of the unconquered saint" (using invicti). Now, you'll no doubt note that I made a few calculated guesses along the way to that translation; For example, I suppose technically adventus could be in the genitive singular and sancti could be nominative plural, so the phrase adventus invicti sancti could be rendered "The unconquered saints of the arrival." A similar line of reasoning could lead you to "The saints of the unconquered arrival". But experience tells me these aren't as viable. I'm afraid it takes practice and struggle with the language to know what makes for a suitable translation; it is a skill only experience can provide.

One final note: Invictus is more than just an adjective, it is an adjective derived from a verb (in this case invinco). Adjectives derived from verbs are also known as participles. As a verb, participles retain voice and tense and can take a direct object if necessary. This particular participle is known as the past-passive form, which means technically the word can be translated as "was/having been unconquered". In this case, the word could be acting like a verb in the sentence (linking verbs like est are often omitted in Latin), in which case the phrase adventus invictus sancti (est) could be translated "The arrival of the saint was unconquered".

I apologize for the length of this post; there's a lot of material here for a beginner to digest. It is sometimes amazing how three small words in Latin can lead to a breadth of interpretation...

 

[Cato]

To (vainly) shorten my original post, I thought I'd add in a follow-up regarding inventus - "discovered". Essentially all that was written above regarding invictus applies to inventus as well; it is also a participle from the main verb invenio - "come upon, discover".

I'm not sure if these phrases can be directly applied to a person; they seem to stand on their own...

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you for you detailed translation because it has helped me as a self-taught student. It is worth the time and effort to learn the language.

The translation makes sense to me, especially how the phrase happened to come to me in the course of time. lol I appreciate your effort and time taken to translate to a neophyte.

Best Wishes,
Lana

 

[Cato]

I sensed you were a neophyte, which is why I included so much detail; I am happy it wasn't for naught. Like any subject, Latin can appear baffling at first. Carefully (and, yes, painstakingly) walking thru simple examples like the one you posed is an essential step for a beginner; it can be frustrating, but it is the only way to make real progress. I wish you well in your studies

 

[Iynx]

I have hesitated before posting this, as from the point of view of grammar and syntax I fear it adds very little. But from what might be called a cultural point of view, there is, I think, a little more to be said.

Adventus sancti, as you say, in general just means "the coming of the saint" or "the coming of the holy thing".

But an adventus [reliquiarum] sancti is a feast celebrating or commemorating the arrival of the relics of a saint in a particular place; there are, or at least there used to be, specific prescribed liturgies for such events.

Adventus spiritus sancti, literally "the coming of the Holy Spirit" often means "Pentecost".