Quintili Vare, legiones redde
“Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!”
Suetonius, Life of Augustus 23.2
What does “Quintili Vare, legiones redde” mean?
Quintili Vare, legiones redde translates as “Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!”
It is the cry of a leader who has lost what cannot be replaced. Today it is used, often humorously, when someone demands the return of something lost through another’s blunder.
“Quintili Vare, legiones redde” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Quintili | Quinctilius | vocative singular of Quintilius (also spelled Quinctilius), the family name of the general |
| Vare | Varus | vocative singular of Varus, the general’s cognomen |
| legiones | the legions | accusative plural of legio, legionis (feminine), “legion”; object of redde |
| redde | give back | present imperative singular of reddo, reddere, “to give back” |
How to pronounce “Quintili Vare, legiones redde”
Classical Latin has w for v and a hard g in legiones; Church Latin has v and j. Quintili is stressed on its second syllable, legiones on OH and redde on its first.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “Quinctilius Varus, give back the legions”. English usually adds “my”, since the speaker is the emperor Augustus.
In AD 9 the general Publius Quinctilius Varus led three legions into the Teutoburg Forest in Germany, where Germanic tribes under Arminius ambushed and destroyed them. Varus took his own life.
Suetonius, Life of Augustus 23.2, reports that Augustus was so shaken that for months he let his beard and hair grow and would sometimes beat his head against a door, crying out these words. Today the line is quoted, often with humour, when someone wants back what another person has lost.
How to use “Quintili Vare, legiones redde”
It suits a joke when a borrowed item fails to return, a history lecture on the Teutoburg Forest, or a caption about a loss caused by someone else’s blunder.
- Latin
- Quintili Vare, legiones redde
- English
- Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!
- Source
- Suetonius, Life of Augustus 23.2
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Loss
Common mistakes
- Varus is addressed, so both names are vocative: Quintili Vare, not Quintilius Varus.
- The Latin has no word for “my”. It is added in English because Augustus is speaking.
- The words are reported by Suetonius, not written by Augustus himself.
Questions about “Quintili Vare, legiones redde”
What does “Quintili Vare, legiones redde” mean literally?
“Quinctilius Varus, give back the legions.”
Who said “Quintili Vare, legiones redde”?
The emperor Augustus, according to Suetonius, Life of Augustus 23.2.
What lies behind “Quintili Vare, legiones redde”?
In AD 9 three legions under Varus were destroyed in the Teutoburg Forest by Germanic tribes led by Arminius.
How do you pronounce “Quintili Vare, legiones redde”?
Classical: kwin-TIH-lee WAH-reh leh-gee-OH-nays RED-deh. Church Latin: kween-TEE-lee VAH-reh leh-jee-OH-nehs RED-deh.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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