Somnus est imago mortis
“Sleep is the image of death.”
After Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes 1.92
What does “Somnus est imago mortis” mean?
Somnus est imago mortis translates as “Sleep is the image of death.”
Every night we get a small picture of death: we let go of the world and the self for a while. The thought can frighten or comfort.
“Somnus est imago mortis” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Somnus | sleep | nominative singular masculine (nominative case), subject of the sentence; from somnus, “sleep” |
| est | is | third person singular present indicative active of sum, “I am” |
| imago | image, likeness | nominative singular feminine, complement of est; from imago, “image, likeness” |
| mortis | of death | genitive singular feminine (genitive case, “of”), depends on imago; from mors, “death” |
How to pronounce “Somnus est imago mortis”
The two systems differ only slightly: the final i of mortis is a short “ih” in Classical and a longer “ee” in Church Latin. Stress falls on the first syllable of somnus, on the second of imago (ee-MAH-goh) and on the first of mortis.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “sleep is an image of death”. Latin has no word for “the” or “a”, so imago can be read either way, and the English “the image” is just one natural choice.
The thought is given in Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations, where he argues that death is nothing to fear. If death is like sleep, he reasons, it is a rest and not a torment. The wording here is a short paraphrase after Cicero, and the sentence is not a word-for-word quotation of his text.
The idea is older than Cicero: Greek poetry, beginning with Homer, treats Sleep and Death as brothers. Later writers and artists kept the pairing, and the line is still quoted when people talk about rest, mortality or fear of dying.
The line can be read two ways. Some find the comparison frightening, others a comfort, since we wake from sleep each morning and have little reason to dread it.
How to use “Somnus est imago mortis”
It suits a tattoo or print on the themes of rest and mortality, a reflective caption, or a quotation in an essay on Cicero, Stoic ideas of death or the Greek pairing of Sleep and Death. It also fits a card to someone grieving, if the comforting reading is the one you mean.
- Latin
- Somnus est imago mortis
- English
- Sleep is the image of death.
- Source
- After Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes 1.92
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Death
Common mistakes
- The exact sentence is not a verbatim line from Cicero. It is a short saying after his argument, so write “after Cicero” and do not claim he wrote these exact words.
- Do not read it as “sleep is death”. Imago means an image or likeness, so sleep only resembles death.
- Mortis is genitive (“of death”). Changing it to mors or morte would break the grammar.
Questions about “Somnus est imago mortis”
What does “Somnus est imago mortis” mean literally?
“Sleep is the image of death.” Imago means likeness or picture, so sleep resembles death without being the same thing.
Who said “Somnus est imago mortis”?
The thought comes from Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations (1.92), where he compares death to sleep. The short wording is a paraphrase after him, not a certain word-for-word quote.
How do you pronounce “Somnus est imago mortis”?
In Classical Latin: SOM-noos EST ee-MAH-goh MOR-tis. In Church Latin the last word ends in “-tees”. Stress the first syllable of somnus and mortis and the second of imago.
Is “Somnus est imago mortis” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. It is a simple, correct sentence: subject, verb, complement and a genitive. It is safe to use as it stands.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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