non plus ultra

See also: Non Plus Ultra

Dutch

Etymology

From Latin non plus ultra, the name given to the type by the Enschedé Foundry in Haarlem, who first cut it.

Noun

non plus ultra

1. (printing, dated) a small size of type, equivalent to 2 point

Synonyms

• vierde petit

Descendants

• → German: Non Plus Ultra

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin nōn plūs ultra.

Noun

non plus ultra m (invariable)

1. the very best, the ne plus ultra

Further reading

• non plus ultra in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Pillars of Hercules, Germany, 16th c.

Alternative forms

• ne plus ultra

Etymology

Literally, “nothing further beyond”, nōn (“not”) + plūs (“more”) + ultrā (“beyond”). An ancient post-classical Mediterranean aphorism, fabulously alleged to have been inscribed somewhere upon the Pillars of Hercules as a warning to ships to sail no further. Adopted during the Renaissance as a metaphor for the stifling influence of ancient philosophy on the progress of thought. Compare Gādēs.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈnoːn ˈpɫuːs ˈʊɫ.traː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈnɔn ˈplus ˈul.tra]

Phrase

nōn plūs ultra

1. A warning to not go beyond (this point).

Derived terms

• plus ultrā

Descendants

• → Dutch: non plus ultra
  • → German: Non Plus Ultra
• → English: ne plus ultra
• → French: non plus ultra
• → German: Nonplusultra
• → Italian: non plus ultra

See also

• here be dragons

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin nōn plūs ultra.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈnõ ˈpluz ˈuw.tɾɐ/ [ˈnõ ˈpluz ˈuʊ̯.tɾɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈnõ ˈpluz ˈuw.tɾɐ/ [ˈnõ ˈpluz ˈuʊ̯.tɾɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈnõ ˈpluz ˈuw.tɾa/ [ˈnõ ˈpluz ˈuʊ̯.tɾa]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈnon ˈpluz ˈul.tɾɐ/ [ˈnon ˈpluz ˈuɫ.tɾɐ]

• Hyphenation: non plus ul‧tra

Noun

non plus ultra m

1. ne plus ultra (the ultimate point of achievement)

   Para os autores renascentistas, os épicos greco-romanos foram o non plus ultra da literatura.

   For the Renaissance authors, Greco-Roman epics were the ne plus ultra of literature.

Further reading

• “non plus ultra”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “non plus ultra”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “non plus ultra”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026