Merx ultronea putet
“Goods offered unasked stink.”
Erasmus, Adagia
What does “Merx ultronea putet” mean?
Merx ultronea putet translates as “Goods offered unasked stink.”
Help or goods pushed on people without being asked for are valued less.
“Merx ultronea putet” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Merx | goods, merchandise | nominative singular feminine of merx (genitive mercis), “goods, wares”; the subject of the sentence |
| ultronea | offered unasked, unrequested | nominative singular feminine of the adjective ultroneus, “voluntary, of one’s own accord”; agrees with merx |
| putet | stinks, smells bad | third person singular present indicative active of puteo, “I stink, I smell bad” |
How to pronounce “Merx ultronea putet”
The two pronunciations sound the same here, since there is no c or g before e or i and no v. Stress the second-to-last syllable of ultronea (TROH) and the first syllable of putet.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “goods offered of their own accord stink”. The idea is that anything pressed on people without being asked for makes the receiver suspicious, not grateful.
The saying is collected in the Adagia of Erasmus of Rotterdam, his large Renaissance collection of classical proverbs with commentary. Erasmus gathered such sayings from ancient authors and from popular speech to give writers a store of ready phrases.
The thought lives on in everyday English warnings that unsolicited offers, advice or favours are valued less, and often trusted less, than those a person has asked for.
How to use “Merx ultronea putet”
Suits a caption or note about unwanted advice, pushy sales tactics or favours nobody requested. It also works as a dry desk motto or a quotation in an essay on persuasion, trust or self-promotion.
- Latin
- Merx ultronea putet
- English
- Goods offered unasked stink.
- Source
- Erasmus, Adagia
- Era
- Renaissance
- Theme
- Wisdom
Common mistakes
- Merx is feminine, so the adjective is ultronea, not ultroneus. Changing the noun to a plural (merces) needs ultroneae and putent.
- Putet is a verb meaning “stinks”, not a noun, and ultronea is not a place or name. Reading the line as a statement that gifts are bad misses the point: it is about unasked-for offers.
- Do not attribute the line to a Roman author on the strength of this page alone. It is cited here from Erasmus’s Adagia, and its deeper origin is not certain.
Questions about “Merx ultronea putet”
What does “Merx ultronea putet” mean literally?
“Goods that come of their own accord stink.” In natural English: goods offered unasked are held in low regard.
Who said “Merx ultronea putet”?
It is recorded in Erasmus’s Adagia, his Renaissance collection of classical proverbs. It is best treated as a proverb, not a line by a single named author.
How do you pronounce “Merx ultronea putet”?
In Classical Latin: MEHRKS ool-TROH-neh-ah POO-tet. Church pronunciation is the same.
Is “Merx ultronea putet” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, the grammar is sound: noun, agreeing adjective and verb. Just be sure you want the meaning, which is a blunt, slightly crude proverb about unsolicited offers.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
Related Latin quotes
One Latin line. Every Monday.
A quote, its translation and the story behind it, free in your inbox.