Fons vitae caritas
“Love is the fountain of life.”
Motto of Chisipite Schools
What does “Fons vitae caritas” mean?
Fons vitae caritas translates as “Love is the fountain of life.”
Love is what gives life its source and meaning.
“Fons vitae caritas” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Fons | fountain, spring | nominative singular of fons, fontis (masculine), “spring, fountain, source”; here the predicate noun |
| vitae | of life | genitive singular of vita, “life”; the genitive (of-case) tells us what the fountain gives |
| caritas | love | nominative singular of caritas, caritatis (feminine), “love, affection, esteem”; the subject of the sentence |
How to pronounce “Fons vitae caritas”
Classical has a hard c and v as w, and ae as in “eye”. Church Latin has v as in English and ae as “eh”. In vitae the stress falls on the first syllable in both systems.
The story behind it
Word for word the motto reads “fountain of life, love”. Latin has no word for “is” here, so the sentence is simply two nouns set side by side, and English supplies the verb: love is the fountain of life.
The line is the motto of Chisipite Senior and Junior Schools, girls’ schools in Harare, Zimbabwe. It is a modern school motto rather than a line from an ancient author, so it has no classical source.
School mottos in Latin are a long tradition across the English-speaking world and its former colonies. Here the choice of caritas gives the phrase a Christian shade: in later Latin the word is the usual term for selfless love, the one used in the Vulgate where English Bibles say “charity”.
How to use “Fons vitae caritas”
It suits a school or family motto, a card for a parent, teacher or friend, or a tattoo for someone who sees love as the centre of a good life. It also works well as a caption or an essay epigraph on love and purpose.
- Latin
- Fons vitae caritas
- English
- Love is the fountain of life.
- Source
- Motto of Chisipite Schools
- Era
- Modern Latin
- Theme
- Love
Common mistakes
- Caritas is not romantic love in the narrow sense (that is amor). It means warm, giving love, and in Christian Latin charity.
- Do not read it as “the fountain of life is love” in a way that drops the word order: the Latin simply sets the two nouns side by side, and either English order is fine.
- The English word “charity” comes from caritas but now mostly means giving to the poor, which is only part of what the Latin word covers.
- Some versions add a verb such as est (“is”). The motto as used by the schools has none, so keep it as three words.
Questions about “Fons vitae caritas”
What does “Fons vitae caritas” mean literally?
“Fountain of life, love”. English adds the verb: love is the fountain of life.
Where does “Fons vitae caritas” come from?
It is the motto of Chisipite Senior and Junior Schools in Harare, Zimbabwe. It is a modern Latin motto, not a quotation from a Roman author.
How do you pronounce “Fons vitae caritas”?
Classical: fons WEE-tie kah-ree-tahs. Church Latin: fons VEE-teh KAH-ree-tahs.
Is “Fons vitae caritas” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. It is a short, correct Latin sentence with no verb, which is normal in Latin mottos. Make sure you keep the spelling vitae with the final e.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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