Malum discordiae
“The apple of discord.”
Latin expression from Greek myth
What does “Malum discordiae” mean?
Malum discordiae translates as “The apple of discord.”
It names something that causes quarrels. It stems from the golden apple that set off the Trojan War.
“Malum discordiae” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Malum | apple | nominative singular neuter of malum, “apple”. Beware the look-alike malum, “evil”, from malus, which has a long a |
| discordiae | of discord | genitive singular feminine of discordia, “discord, strife”, from discors, “at odds”; the genitive gives “of discord” |
How to pronounce “Malum discordiae”
The two differ only in the ending: classical -ae sounds like “eye”, church -ae like “eh”. Stress falls on the first syllable of malum and on the second-to-last syllable of discordiae (-KOR-).
The story behind it
Word for word the phrase says “the apple of discord”: an apple that brings strife. It is a Latin label for a story from Greek myth, in which the goddess Eris, uninvited to a wedding feast, threw a golden apple marked “for the fairest” among the guests.
Hera, Athena and Aphrodite each claimed it. Zeus handed the decision to the Trojan prince Paris, whose choice of Aphrodite led, in the myth, to the Trojan War.
The expression itself is a later coinage built on that myth, and it has lived on in many European languages. Today it names any issue, object or remark that sets people against each other.
How to use “Malum discordiae”
It suits a mythology lesson, an essay on politics or family disputes, or a headline about a topic that divides people. As a tattoo or motto it fits someone drawn to Greek myth or irony.
- Latin
- Malum discordiae
- English
- The apple of discord.
- Source
- Latin expression from Greek myth
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Conflict
Common mistakes
- Malum with a short a means “apple”; malum, “evil” or “misfortune”, comes from a different word (malus, bad). The two are easy to confuse in a pun or a tattoo.
- The apple is not the forbidden fruit of Eden. Here it is a golden apple from Greek myth, and the Eden fruit is not named as an apple in the Bible.
- It does not mean an apple that is itself discordant. The genitive discordiae means the apple brings or belongs to discord.
- Changing the case, for example to discordia, breaks the phrase: it should stay a noun in the genitive.
Questions about “Malum discordiae”
What does “Malum discordiae” mean literally?
“Apple of discord”: malum is the apple and discordiae is the genitive of discordia, so the apple belongs to, or causes, strife.
What is the story behind “Malum discordiae”?
In Greek myth Eris threw a golden apple marked “for the fairest” among three goddesses, which led to the Judgment of Paris and, in the legend, the Trojan War.
How do you pronounce “Malum discordiae”?
In Classical Latin: MAH-loom dis-KOR-dee-eye. In Church Latin the ending changes to -eh: MAH-loom dis-KOR-dee-eh.
Is “Malum discordiae” ancient Latin?
It is a Latin phrase based on a Greek myth. It is best read as a later expression, not a line from a known classical author.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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