General Question

jamjar's avatar

Can anyone translate this for me?

Asked by jamjar (195points) February 11th, 2009

finnis fatalis spei

It is Latin. I need the English translation pleeeease.

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15 Answers

EmpressPixie's avatar

Well “finnis” is probably some sort of end.
“falatis” sounds a lot like fatal so I’m going with deadly.
Google says “spei” is hope.

So… some sort of hopeful final ending?

janbb's avatar

Or the final death of hope?

Help us out, Latin scholars.

AstroChuck's avatar

Hope for a deadly end?
finnis should be finis.

morphail's avatar

“finis fātālis speī” is “deadly (or fated) end of hope”.

jamjar's avatar

Thanks for your help guys and gals

marinelife's avatar

In the interests of give a man a fish, he eats for a day vs. teach a man to fish, he eats for life, next time try this handy dandy Latin to English translator.

morphail's avatar

@Marina that translator doesn’t really help with this phrase. It translates “finis fatalis spei” as “end deadly spei”.

jamjar's avatar

@Marina. Yer i tried that site, not a lot really happened though. I got an answer much quicker on here. Thanks though.

Foolaholic's avatar

I ran it through a different Latin Dictionary site, and it said that “finnis” could also be limit, boundary or purpose. The results on the other two weren’t as helpful, but I think it could be something about pushing one’s limit?

Here the site I used

adreamofautumn's avatar

I would translate as your last/final deadly hope. BTW is this from the Bleeding Through lyrics?!

galileogirl's avatar

Ot’s a biblical reference used in a song “End of the beginning”

***It is the end of all hope***

To lose the child, the faith
To end all the innocence
To be someone like me

Strauss's avatar

“Finnis”, as suggested earlier, should probably be spelled “finis” and translated as boundary, limit, border; summit, end; object, aim.

“Fatalis” is relating to destiny or fate; fated, destined by fate or deadly, fatal.

“Spei” would be the genitive or possessive case of the word spe (meaning hope), translated of hope.

My translation, therefore, would be:

The deadly limit of hope

All specific definitions are from http://archives.nd.edu/latgramm.htm

wundayatta's avatar

Or, fate is the limit of hope.

or the end of fate is hope.

where fate stops, hope begins

jamjar's avatar

@adreamofautumn yes it’s the name of the intro on their newest album.

Jack79's avatar

“Death is the End of all Hope” or “the End Kills Hope”

But as galileogirl said, it is a Biblical reference.

“abandon all hope, all ye who enter here”

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