Talk:Plus ultra (motto)

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[edit] Nec Plus Ultra

it's not non plus ultra, it's nec.

Actually it's n—at least in today's common usage, which appears in mainstream dictionaries, and not infrequently in literate writing. The Merriam-Webster etymology calls it New Latin and gives no indication that the "ne" is a corruption of "nec". If the original phrase mentioned in this article does in fact use "nec", it really needs to be cited. AdRock (talk) 16:21, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Origin of Motto

I heard a story that "Nec Plus Ultra" was the motto of the kings of Spain up until the time of Ferdinand and Isabella (based, of course, on the Pillars of Hercules), and that the motto was changed, dropping the "Nec", after the discovery of the new world by Columbus, because it was found that there was "something beyond" after all. Unfortunately I have no substantiation for this story. But it makes sense. 208.58.71.231 (talk) 23:12, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Correct Latin?

"Nec plus ultra" makes sense in Latin since "nec plus" = nothing more, "ultra" = beyond, but merely "plus ultra" is really a bit rare, I think. "Plus ultra" does not mean "more beyond", it would be simply "ulterior" (the positive comparative, "plus ultra" is as rare as "magis ultra"). I think so.83.32.114.227 (talk) 20:49, 18 May 2009 (UTC)