A bove ante, ab asino retro, a stulto undique caveto
“Beware of an ox from the front, a donkey from behind, and a fool from every side.”
Medieval Latin proverb
What does “A bove ante, ab asino retro, a stulto undique caveto” mean?
A bove ante, ab asino retro, a stulto undique caveto translates as “Beware of an ox from the front, a donkey from behind, and a fool from every side.”
An ox can gore you head-on and a donkey can kick you from behind, but a fool is dangerous whichever way you approach him. The proverb is a humorous warning that foolishness is the one hazard you cannot outmaneuver by choosing your position.
“A bove ante, ab asino retro …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| A | from | preposition (a before consonants, ab before vowels) taking the ablative; here it goes with bove |
| bove | ox | ablative singular of bos, bovis, “ox, cow”; the ablative follows a/ab, “from” |
| ante | in front, from the front | adverb of place; not the preposition “before” here |
| ab | from | preposition taking the ablative; the form ab is used before the vowel of asino |
| asino | donkey | ablative singular of asinus, “donkey”; the ablative follows ab |
| retro | behind, from behind | adverb of place |
| a | from | preposition taking the ablative; a is used before the consonant of stulto |
| stulto | fool | ablative singular of stultus, “foolish; a fool”, here an adjective used as a noun |
| undique | from all sides | adverb of place |
| caveto | beware! | future imperative (2nd person singular) of caveo, “I beware, I watch out”; a formal, proverb-style command |
How to pronounce “A bove ante, ab asino retro …”
The two differ in v (w or v), in the c of undique (k or ch is not involved, since it is a hard qu sound in both) and in the s of asino (s or z). The stress falls on the first syllable of bove, ante, asino, retro and undique, and on the second syllable of caveto.
The story behind it
Word for word the proverb says “from an ox in front, from a donkey behind, from a fool on every side, beware”. It rests on plain farmyard knowledge: an ox gores with its horns, a donkey kicks with its hind legs.
It is a medieval Latin proverb with no known author. It circulated in collections of Latin sayings, and close equivalents exist in several European languages.
The joke is in the build-up. Two animals each have one dangerous end, so you can stay out of harm’s way by choosing your position. A fool has no safe side, which makes him the worse hazard.
How to use “A bove ante, ab asino retro …”
A wry sign for the desk or office door of anyone who manages projects, committees or difficult clients. It also works as a humorous caption or an aside in a speech about stubbornness or poor judgment.
- Latin
- A bove ante, ab asino retro, a stulto undique caveto
- English
- Beware of an ox from the front, a donkey from behind, and a fool from every side.
- Source
- Medieval Latin proverb
- Era
- Middle Ages
- Theme
- Prudence
Common mistakes
- Caveto is a command, not a noun. It means “beware!” and not “beware of”; the “of” comes from the a/ab phrases.
- The word order is the opposite of English. The thing to beware of comes first and the verb comes last.
- Do not read ante and retro as the prepositions “before” and “behind”. Here they are adverbs meaning “in front” and “behind”, which is why the proverb needs a/ab to say “from”.
- Do not credit it to Cato or another Roman author. It is a medieval proverb of unknown origin.
Questions about “A bove ante, ab asino retro …”
What does “A bove ante, ab asino retro, a stulto undique caveto” mean literally?
“From an ox in front, from a donkey behind, from a fool on every side, beware.” In smoother English: beware of an ox from the front, a donkey from behind, and a fool from every side.
Who said “A bove ante, ab asino retro, a stulto undique caveto”?
No one is known. It is a medieval Latin proverb of anonymous origin, found in collections of Latin sayings.
How do you pronounce “A bove ante, ab asino retro, a stulto undique caveto”?
In Classical Latin: ah BOH-weh AN-teh, ahb AH-sih-noh REH-troh, ah STOOL-toh OON-dih-kweh kah-WEH-toh. Church Latin changes w to v and s to z in asino.
What is the point of the proverb?
An ox and a donkey are dangerous only from one side, so you can avoid them by standing in the right place. A fool is dangerous from every direction, so no position keeps you safe.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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