Ab ovo usque ad mala
“From the egg to the apples.”
Horace, Satires 1.3.6–7
What does “Ab ovo usque ad mala” mean?
Ab ovo usque ad mala translates as “From the egg to the apples.”
From start to finish – covering something completely, from the very beginning to the very end.
“Ab ovo usque ad mala” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Ab | from | preposition taking the ablative; here it marks the starting point |
| ovo | the egg | ablative singular (neuter) of ovum, “egg”, after ab |
| usque | all the way, right up | adverb of extent; strengthens the preposition ad that follows |
| ad | to, up to | preposition taking the accusative; here it marks the end point |
| mala | the apples | accusative plural (neuter) of malum, “apple”, after ad |
How to pronounce “Ab ovo usque ad mala”
The two differ only in the v of ovo: classical w, church v. Stress falls on the first syllable of ovo, usque and mala. Note that malum, “apple”, has a short a, unlike malum, “evil”, which is spelled the same.
The story behind it
Word for word the phrase says “from the egg right up to the apples”. It describes a full Roman dinner, which typically opened with eggs as the first course (the gustatio) and closed with fruit as dessert.
The line comes from Horace, Satires 1.3, where he mocks the singer Tigellius for being inconsistent. In the passage Tigellius is described as someone who could keep singing through an entire dinner, from the first course to the last.
The expression outlived its context and came to mean doing or telling something from beginning to end. English borrowed the idea: “from soup to nuts” is a close equivalent, while the Latin is still used in the sense of “from the very start”.
How to use “Ab ovo usque ad mala”
Suits a caption for a long project, trip or event followed from start to finish, a toast at a dinner or wedding feast, or a motto for someone who sees things through. It also works in an essay when you want to say a topic was covered completely.
- Latin
- Ab ovo usque ad mala
- English
- From the egg to the apples.
- Source
- Horace, Satires 1.3.6–7
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Time
Common mistakes
- It does not mean “egg to apple” in a literal botanical or cooking sense. It describes the order of a Roman meal and stands for “the whole thing”.
- Do not mix up ovo and ova. Ab takes the ablative, so ovo is correct; ab ova would be wrong.
- Mala is the plural of malum, “apple”. Reading it as “bad things”, from malus or malum, “evil”, is a common error.
- The phrase is sometimes shortened to “ab ovo”, which on its own means “from the beginning”, losing the “to the end” half of the idea.
Questions about “Ab ovo usque ad mala”
What does “Ab ovo usque ad mala” mean literally?
“From the egg right up to the apples.” Roman dinners began with eggs and ended with fruit, so it means “from beginning to end”.
Who said “Ab ovo usque ad mala”?
It comes from Horace, Satires 1.3, where he uses it of the singer Tigellius, who would sing all through a dinner.
How do you pronounce “Ab ovo usque ad mala”?
In classical Latin: ab OH-woh OOS-kweh ad MAH-lah. In church Latin the v is pronounced v: ab OH-voh OOS-kweh ad MAH-lah.
Is “Ab ovo usque ad mala” a good tattoo?
Yes, the Latin is correct and it carries a clear meaning of completeness. Be aware that many people will not recognize the Roman dinner reference without an explanation.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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