Can anyone accurately translate "Sal Sapit Omnia?"
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
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M2K Pleb
posted 01-25-01 20:04
ET (US)
1 / 4
Idiomatically, sal sapit omnia means "to salt an invoice." In other words, to put the highest market value on something and maybe then some.
As for a literal translation, don't know if I can help. In my four years of high school Latin the phrase "accurately translate" was never applied to me . The closest I can get is "to have the taste of salt all over." Remember that salt was a high commodity during Roman times ("salary" comes from sal).
[This message has been edited by M2K (edited 01-25-2001).]
Olivia Chillia Pleb
posted 01-25-01 20:42
ET (US)
2 / 4
Really? Glad I checked. I was pretty sure it meant "Salt knows everything."
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Olivia, Actually, you're not that far off. "To have taste" had the same dual meaning in Roman times that it does today: 1) flavor or platability 2) good sense (ie., having good taste). This how "sapid" and "sapient" are able to trace their roots to the same Latin word.
It's this reason why I love etymology so much. It's amazing how much a language can twist and turn (like how "grammar" became "glamour").