Word
Vis veritatis mendacium vincit.
Meaning
The power of truth conquers a lie.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Vis veritatis mendacium vincit.
veritas
the truth
mendacium
the lie
vincere
to conquer
vis
the power
Questions & Answers about Vis veritatis mendacium vincit.
Does vis here mean force/power, or is it the verb you want?
Here it is the noun vis, meaning force, power, or strength.
That is a very common confusion, because vis can also be the 2nd person singular form of volo: you want.
Why is it a noun here?
- vincit is already the main verb: he/she/it conquers
- So the sentence still needs a subject
- vis fits naturally as that subject: the power/force
So in this sentence, vis is not a verb at all.
Why is veritatis used instead of veritas?
Because Latin uses the genitive case to show of truth.
- veritas = truth
- veritatis = of truth
So vis veritatis means the power of truth or more literally the power of truth's / truth's power.
An English speaker often expects a separate word like of, but Latin usually shows that relationship by changing the noun ending instead.
What case is mendacium, and how do we know what it is doing in the sentence?