iacta alea est

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

Grammatically incorrect translation, by Suetonius, of an Ancient Greek phrase by Menander, ἀνερρίφθω κύβος (anerrhíphthō kúbos, “let the die be cast”), quoted in its original language by Julius Caesar. A more accurate translation would be iacta alea esto.[1] See the die is cast for more.

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈjak.ta ˈaː.le.a est/, [ˈjak.ta ˈaː.ɫe.a ɛst]

Phrase

iacta ālea est

  1. (idiomatic) the die is cast (the future is determined)

References
  1. ālĕa in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
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