“Nil desperandum” comes from Horace’s Odes 1.7. In the poem the speaker is Teucer, who is leaving Salamis and his father, a wreath of poplar on his brow, and who tells his companions that with Teucer as leader and guarantor there is nothing to despair of.
Dēsperandum is a gerundive, used impersonally with the verb “is” left out, and nil is the thing that must not be despaired of. Tap the words below to see how the sentence is built.
Try it
Horace · Odes 1.7
Tap a word — or reveal the translation.
Nilnothingdēsperandummust be despaired of
