Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem
“The same speech of people both hides and reveals their character.”
Latin proverb
What does “Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem” mean?
Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem translates as “The same speech of people both hides and reveals their character.”
Words can disguise who we are, yet the way we speak also betrays us. Listen closely and speech shows what it tries to conceal.
“Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Sermo | speech, talk, way of speaking | nominative singular (masculine) of sermo, sermonis, “speech”; the subject of both verbs |
| hominum | of people | genitive plural of homo, hominis, “human being, person”; goes with mores |
| mores | character, habits, ways | accusative plural of mos, moris, “custom, habit”; in the plural it means “character”; object of both verbs |
| et | both | conjunction; paired with the second et, “both … and” |
| celat | hides | 3rd person singular present active indicative of celo, “I hide, conceal” |
| et | and | second part of the pair “both … and” |
| indicat | reveals, points out | 3rd person singular present active indicative of indico, “I point out, reveal” |
| idem | the same (speech) | nominative singular (masculine) of idem, eadem, idem, “the same”; agrees with sermo, so it says that the very same speech does both |
How to pronounce “Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem”
The differences: classical celat has a hard k (KEH-laht), church Latin a ch (CHEH-laht); classical hominum starts with an audible h, church Latin usually drops it. Stress falls on the first syllable of most words and on the last syllable of idem.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “speech both hides and reveals the character of people, the same”. The idea is that one and the same speech does two opposite jobs at once.
It is a Latin proverb in verse form, and no author or work can be named with certainty. It is usually filed with medieval collections of sayings, so treat any claim of a classical author with caution.
The thought itself is old. Greek and Roman writers on rhetoric often held that a person’s style of speaking mirrors their character, and modern readers meet the same idea when they say that how someone talks tells you who they are.
How to use “Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem”
Fits a talk or essay on rhetoric, communication or honesty, and works as a thoughtful epigraph for a piece about persuasion, spin or first impressions. It also suits a desk motto for anyone who wants to choose their words with care.
- Latin
- Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem
- English
- The same speech of people both hides and reveals their character.
- Source
- Latin proverb
- Era
- Middle Ages
- Theme
- Communication
Common mistakes
- The verbs celat and indicat are singular because their subject is sermo (speech), not hominum (of people).
- Hominum is genitive plural (“of people”) and belongs to mores; it is not the subject.
- Mores here means “character”, not just “manners” or the English word “mores” as social rules.
- Idem is not “also”: it agrees with sermo and means “the same speech”, so “the same speech does both”.
Questions about “Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem”
What does “Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem” mean literally?
Roughly “Speech of people character both conceals and reveals, the same.” In natural English: the same speech both hides and shows what a person is like.
Who said “Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem”?
No author is known. It is a Latin verse proverb, usually placed in the Middle Ages, so it is safest to cite it as a Latin proverb.
How do you pronounce “Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem”?
Classical: SEHR-moh HOH-mih-noom MOH-rehs eht KEH-laht eht IN-dih-kaht ih-DEM. Church Latin softens celat to CHEH-laht and indicat to IN-dee-kaht.
What does “et … et” mean in this quote?
It means “both … and”. The pair joins the two verbs celat (hides) and indicat (reveals) and stresses that speech does both.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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