ab ovo usque ad mala

Latin

Etymology

Literally, “from the egg to the apples”, from the traditional foods that began and ended a Roman supper.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ab ˈo.u̯oː ˈus.kʷe ad ˈmaː.la/, [äb ˈou̯oː ˈʊs̠kʷɛ äd̪ ˈmäːɫ̪ä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ab ˈo.vo ˈus.kwe ad ˈma.la/, [äb ˈɔːvo ˈuskwe äd̪ ˈmäːlä]

Adverb

ab ovō usque ad māla (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) from the beginning to the end
   • 1843, Friedrich H. C. Düsterdieck, Quae de Ignatianarum epistolarum authentia, page 31.

     Desperatam vero isti loco adhibet medicinam Meierus, com quasi recentiora assumenta ejusmodi ampullas jubeat resecari; toti enim isti capiti brevior textus ita substratus est, ut ab ovo usque ad mala continua interpretatione amplificetur, atque congeries ista plane integra, quae quantaque sit, videatur.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1999, David Foster Wallace, "Authority and American Usage"
     • A Dictionary of Modern American Usage has no Editorial Staff or Distinguished Panel. It's been conceived, researched, and written ab ovo usque ad mala by Mr. Bryan A. Garner.