Vis, virtus, veritas
“Strength, virtue, truth.”
Latin university motto
What does “Vis, virtus, veritas” mean?
Vis, virtus, veritas translates as “Strength, virtue, truth.”
The motto names three qualities for a whole person: inner strength, good character and honesty. The alliteration makes it easy to remember.
“Vis, virtus, veritas” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Vis | strength, force, power | nominative singular of vis, “force, strength”, an irregular noun (its plural is vires) |
| virtus | virtue, courage, excellence | nominative singular of virtus, virtutis (feminine), “manliness, courage, moral excellence” |
| veritas | truth | nominative singular of veritas, veritatis (feminine), “truth, truthfulness” |
How to pronounce “Vis, virtus, veritas”
Classical Latin says v as w, so vis sounds like “wees”; Church Latin says it as v. In virtus the stress falls on the first syllable, in veritas on the first as well.
The story behind it
Word for word the motto lists three nouns: “strength, virtue, truth”. There are no verbs, so each word simply names a quality, and all three begin with the same sound.
The nouns themselves are classical. Virtus was a core Roman ideal: it meant courage and excellence, and it comes from vir, “man”. Veritas, “truth”, was also honoured by the Romans as a personified goddess.
The three-word form is a modern Latin motto used by a university, and its exact adoption history is not documented here. Such mottos are typically chosen to be short, rhythmic and easy to carve on a crest or a gate.
How to use “Vis, virtus, veritas”
Suits a sports team, a cadet corps, a school house or a gym that wants a short motto about body, character and honesty. It also works as a personal tattoo or a crest line for someone who wants all three ideals in one phrase.
- Latin
- Vis, virtus, veritas
- English
- Strength, virtue, truth.
- Source
- Latin university motto
- Era
- Modern Latin
- Theme
- Character
Common mistakes
- Virtus is not the English word “virtue” in the narrow moral sense. In Latin it also carries courage and strength, so “strength, virtue, truth” overlaps a little by design.
- Vis is irregular: it is not “vim” or “vi” in the nominative. Those are other case forms (accusative and ablative) of the same word.
- Do not confuse vis (“strength”) with the verb form vis (“you want”, from volo). They look identical but are different words.
- Each noun is nominative and stands alone. Adding or changing endings, for example to say “with strength”, would change the grammar and the meaning.
Questions about “Vis, virtus, veritas”
What does “Vis, virtus, veritas” mean?
It means “Strength, virtue, truth”: three qualities listed as ideals for a whole person, body, character and honesty.
Who said “Vis, virtus, veritas”?
It is not a quote from an ancient author. It is a Latin university motto of modern times, and its exact history of adoption is not documented here.
How do you pronounce “Vis, virtus, veritas”?
Classical: wees WIR-toos WEH-rih-tahs. Church Latin: vees VIR-toos VEH-ree-tahs. Stress the first syllable of each word.
Is “Vis, virtus, veritas” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. It is three correct nominative nouns, so it is safe as written. Do not alter the endings unless you want a different meaning.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
One Latin line. Every Monday.
A quote, its translation and the story behind it, free in your inbox.