potius sero quam numquam

Latin

Alternative forms

• potius sērō quam nunquam

Etymology

potius (“better, rather”) + sērō (“late”) + quam (“than”) + numquam (“never”). This proverb is attested in the fourth book of Livy's Ab Urbe condita with an enclitic -que (“and”) attached to potius, which however should not be considered to be an actual part of the proverb.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.ti.us ˈseː.roː kʷam ˈnum.kʷam/, [ˈpɔt̪iʊs̠ ˈs̠eːroː kʷä̃ˑ ˈnʊŋkʷä̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpot.t͡si.us ˈse.ro kwam ˈnum.kwam/, [ˈpɔt̪ː͡s̪ius ˈsɛːro kwäm ˈnumkwäm]

Proverb

potius sērō quam numquam

1. better late than never