Humilitas occidit superbiam
“Humility kills pride.”
Medieval Latin motto
What does “Humilitas occidit superbiam” mean?
Humilitas occidit superbiam translates as “Humility kills pride.”
Modesty overcomes arrogance. A medieval motto from the teaching of virtues and vices.
“Humilitas occidit superbiam” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Humilitas | humility | nominative singular feminine (subject) of humilitas, “humility” |
| occidit | kills, strikes down | third person singular present active indicative of occido, “I strike down, I kill” (not the similar occido with a short i, “I fall, I set”) |
| superbiam | pride | accusative singular feminine (direct object) of superbia, “pride, arrogance” |
How to pronounce “Humilitas occidit superbiam”
The main differences are the ch in occidit and the soft h in humilitas (silent in Church style). Stress falls on the last syllable of humilitas (-TAS), the second syllable of occidit and the second syllable of superbiam.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “humility strikes down pride”, with humility as the subject and pride as the object. It is a motto of the Middle Ages, not a line from a classical author, and no single writer is known for it.
Medieval moral teaching often set the seven deadly sins against the virtues that overcome them. Pride (superbia) was counted the root of the other vices, and humility (humilitas) was the virtue set against it.
The same pairing appears in sermons, handbooks and church art, where virtues are shown defeating vices. Today the line is used as a short motto about modesty beating arrogance.
How to use “Humilitas occidit superbiam”
A fitting motto for a desk, a card for someone who stays modest despite success, or a short tattoo about keeping your ego in check. It reads well as a caption on a post about learning from mistakes or letting your work speak for itself.
- Latin
- Humilitas occidit superbiam
- English
- Humility kills pride.
- Source
- Medieval Latin motto
- Era
- Middle Ages
- Theme
- Character
Common mistakes
- Humility is the subject and pride the object. Reading it the other way round (“pride kills humility”) reverses the meaning.
- Occidit with a long i comes from occido, “to kill”. Do not confuse it with occidit from another verb occido, “to fall, to set”, which is spelled the same but is not what is meant here.
- It is not a classical Roman saying and should not be credited to Cicero, Seneca or any other ancient author. Call it a medieval motto.
- Do not change the endings casually: superbia (nominative) would make pride the subject and spoil the grammar.
Questions about “Humilitas occidit superbiam”
What does “Humilitas occidit superbiam” mean literally?
“Humility kills pride”: humilitas is the subject, occidit the verb and superbiam the object.
Who said “Humilitas occidit superbiam”?
No known author. It is a Medieval Latin motto from the tradition that matched each vice with the virtue that defeats it.
How do you pronounce “Humilitas occidit superbiam”?
Classical: hoo-mih-lih-TAHS oh-KEE-dit soo-PEHR-bee-ahm. Church Latin softens the c in occidit to ch.
Is “Humilitas occidit superbiam” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, the grammar is sound: a subject in the nominative, a verb in the present and an object in the accusative. Just keep the spelling exactly as given.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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