Pro urbe et universitate
“For the city and the university.”
Latin motto
What does “Pro urbe et universitate” mean?
Pro urbe et universitate translates as “For the city and the university.”
The motto ties an institution to both its town and its academic community. It suits a place that serves town and gown alike.
“Pro urbe et universitate” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | for, on behalf of | preposition that takes the ablative case; here it governs both nouns that follow |
| urbe | the city | ablative singular of urbs, urbis (feminine), “city”; the ablative is required after pro |
| et | and | conjunction joining the two nouns |
| universitate | the university | ablative singular of universitas, universitatis (feminine), “the whole, the corporate body”, later “university” |
How to pronounce “Pro urbe et universitate”
The two versions differ mainly in the v of universitate (w in Classical, v in Church) and in the vowel quality of the i. The stress falls on the first syllable of urbe and on the second-to-last syllable of universitate.
The story behind it
Word for word the motto says “for the city and the university”. Latin has no articles, so “the” is added in English. Pro takes the ablative, which is why both nouns end in -e.
Universitas is a medieval Latin word. In classical Latin it meant “the whole” or “a corporate body”, and by the Middle Ages it came to mean a community of teachers and students. For that reason the motto cannot be an ancient Roman saying. It is modern Latin built from medieval vocabulary.
It echoes the pattern of the well-known blessing Urbi et orbi, “to the city and to the world”, swapping the world for the university. It is used as an institutional motto, tying a place of learning to the town around it.
How to use “Pro urbe et universitate”
Best for a university, college or civic programme that wants to stress its bond with its home town, or for a town-and-gown partnership, an alumni event or a commemorative plaque. It is less suited to a personal tattoo, since it is about an institution rather than an individual.
- Latin
- Pro urbe et universitate
- English
- For the city and the university.
- Source
- Latin motto
- Era
- Modern Latin
- Theme
- Learning
Common mistakes
- The two nouns must stay in the ablative after pro. Writing “pro urbs et universitas” is wrong.
- Universitas is not a classical Roman word. Do not present the motto as ancient.
- The motto is not a quotation from any classical author, and it should not be credited to one.
- Pro means “for the benefit of”, not “instead of”, though pro can mean “in place of” in other phrases.
Questions about “Pro urbe et universitate”
What does “Pro urbe et universitate” mean?
“For the city and the university.” Pro means “for” or “on behalf of”, urbe is “city” and universitate is “university”, both in the ablative.
Who said “Pro urbe et universitate”?
No ancient author is known to have said it. It is a Latin motto used by an institution, in modern Latin.
How do you pronounce “Pro urbe et universitate”?
In Classical Latin: proh OOR-beh et oo-nih-wehr-sih-TAH-teh. In Church Latin the v is pronounced v and the i vowels are slightly different.
Why are urbe and universitate in the ablative?
Because the preposition pro always takes the ablative case. The same ending shows up on both nouns.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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