← Latin for Soldiers, Sailors and Military Strategists
◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ⁵⁶ ◊ⁿⁱʰⁱˡ
Welcome to Lesson 56 of Latin for Soldiers, Sailors and Military Strategists. Today’s word is nihil, with its short form nīl, “nothing.” The Dickinson Core Vocabulary ranks it 55th among all Latin words. A soldier hears it every day: from the sentry who heard nothing in the night, from the scout who found nothing certain, from the quartermaster who has no grain left. For a commander, “nothing” is never empty. Nothing new can mean safety or a trap; nothing left can mean a starving ally; a man who says nothing may be more frightened than one who shouts.
What does nihil mean in Latin?
Nihil means “nothing.” It is a neuter noun that does not change its ending: nihil is the subject (nihil tūtum est, “nothing is safe”) and nihil is the object (nihil videō, “I see nothing”). Used as an adverb it means “not at all, in no respect.”
How does Latin say “nothing of something”?
Latin puts the thing in the genitive: nihil novī, “nothing of new,” that is, “nothing new”; nihil frūmentī, “nothing of grain,” that is, “no grain”; nihil reliquī, “nothing of remainder,” that is, “nothing left.” This is the partitive genitive, and with nihil it is very common.
How does Latin differ from English here?
In English two negatives in standard speech cancel each other, and in some dialects they strengthen each other (“I didn’t see nothing”). In Latin they always cancel. Nōn nihil, “not nothing,” means “something”; nihil nōn, “nothing not,” means “everything.” A Latin reader must count the negatives. Latin also uses nihil where English would use “no” with a noun: nihil frūmentī est, “there is no grain.”
Etymology: nihil comes from ne-, “not,” and hīlum, “a trifle, the least thing,” so it first meant “not a shred.” The full noun nihilum supplies the cases that nihil lacks: nihilī, “of nothing,” and nihilō, “by nothing.” Because the h between two vowels was weak in speech, nihil was often pronounced and written as one syllable, nīl. English takes from it nil, nihilism and annihilate (“to bring to nothing”).
Key Takeaways
✦ Nihil, nīl is an indeclinable neuter noun meaning “nothing”; as an adverb, “not at all”
✦ The missing cases come from nihilum: genitive nihilī (nihilī facere, “to value at nothing”), ablative nihilō (nihilō minus, “none the less”)
✦ Nihil takes a partitive genitive: nihil novī, nihil certī, nihil frūmentī, nihil reliquī
✦ Two negatives cancel: nōn nihil, “something”; nihil nōn, “everything”; nihil nisi, “nothing but”
✦ Key phrases: nihil novī (“nothing new”), nihil reliquī (“nothing left”), nihilō minus / nihilō sētius (“none the less”), nīl dēspērandum (“never despair”)
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nihil /ˈni.hil/: two short syllables, NI-hil, with the stress on the first. Both i’s are short, as in English “bit.” The h is a light breath; it is never a hard sound.
nīl /niːl/: one syllable with a long ī, like English “kneel” without the k. This is the same word, contracted.
nihilī /ˈni.hi.liː/ and nihilō /ˈni.hi.loː/: three syllables, stress on the first, NI-hi-lī, NI-hi-lō. The final vowel is long.
nōn nihil /noːn ˈni.hil/: say both words clearly; the long ō of nōn is held.
nihilō sētius /ˈni.hi.loː ˈseː.ti.us/: SĒ-ti-us, with a long ē.
This course gives the restored classical pronunciation: c is always /k/, v is /w/, ae is /ae̯/ as in “eye,” qu is /kʷ/.
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56.1a Nihil nothing videō I-see
56.1b Nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL videō /ˈwi.de.oː/ see.1SG.PRES
56.2a Nihil nothing timēmus we-fear
56.2b Nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL timēmus /tiˈmeː.mus/ fear.1PL.PRES
56.3a Nihil nothing novī of-new est there-is
56.3b Nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL novī /ˈno.wiː/ new.GEN.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
56.4a Hostēs the-enemy nihil nothing agunt are-doing
56.4b Hostēs /ˈhos.teːs/ enemy.NOM.M.PL nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL agunt /ˈa.ɡunt/ do.3PL.PRES
56.5a Nīl nothing dēspērandum is-to-be-despaired-of
56.5b Nīl /niːl/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL dēspērandum /deː.speːˈran.dum/ despair.GERUNDIVE.NOM.N.SG
56.6a Speculātōrēs the-scouts dē about hostibus the-enemy nihil nothing certī of-certain nūntiant report
56.6b Speculātōrēs /spe.ku.laːˈtoː.reːs/ scout.NOM.M.PL dē /deː/ about.PREP+ABL hostibus /ˈhos.ti.bus/ enemy.ABL.M.PL nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL certī /ˈker.tiː/ certain.GEN.N.SG nūntiant /ˈnuːn.ti.ant/ report.3PL.PRES
56.7a Mīles a-soldier sine without armīs weapons nihil nothing potest can-do
56.7b Mīles /ˈmiː.les/ soldier.NOM.M.SG sine /ˈsi.ne/ without.PREP+ABL armīs /ˈar.miːs/ weapon.ABL.N.PL nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL potest /ˈpo.test/ be-able.3SG.PRES
56.8a In in castrīs the-camp nihil nothing iam now frūmentī of-grain est there-is
56.8b In /in/ in.PREP+ABL castrīs /ˈkas.triːs/ camp.ABL.N.PL nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL iam /jam/ now.ADV frūmentī /fruːˈmen.tiː/ grain.GEN.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
56.9a Dux the-general nihil nothing nisi except victōriam victory cōgitat thinks-of
56.9b Dux /duks/ general.NOM.M.SG nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL nisi /ˈni.si/ except.CONJ victōriam /wikˈtoː.ri.am/ victory.ACC.F.SG cōgitat /ˈkoː.ɡi.tat/ think.3SG.PRES
56.10a Hostēs the-enemy minās threats nostrās our nihilī at-nothing faciunt value
56.10b Hostēs /ˈhos.teːs/ enemy.NOM.M.PL minās /ˈmi.naːs/ threat.ACC.F.PL nostrās /ˈnos.traːs/ our.ACC.F.PL nihilī /ˈni.hi.liː/ nothing.GEN.N.SG faciunt /ˈfa.ki.unt/ make.3PL.PRES
56.11a Allobrogēs the-Allobroges fugā by-flight sē themselves ad to Caesarem Caesar recipiunt take-back et and dēmōnstrant they-show sibi to-themselves praeter except agrī of-the-land solum the-soil nihil nothing esse to-be reliquī of-remainder
56.11b Allobrogēs /alˈlo.bro.ɡeːs/ Allobroges.NOM.M.PL fugā /ˈfu.ɡaː/ flight.ABL.F.SG sē /seː/ self.ACC.M.PL ad /ad/ to.PREP+ACC Caesarem /ˈkae̯.sa.rem/ Caesar.ACC.M.SG recipiunt /reˈki.pi.unt/ take-back.3PL.PRES et /et/ and.CONJ dēmōnstrant /deːˈmoːn.strant/ show.3PL.PRES sibi /ˈsi.bi/ self.DAT.M.PL praeter /ˈprae̯.ter/ except.PREP+ACC agrī /ˈa.ɡriː/ field.GEN.M.SG solum /ˈso.lum/ soil.ACC.N.SG nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL esse /ˈes.se/ be.PRES.INF reliquī /ˈre.li.kʷiː/ remaining.GEN.N.SG
56.12a Post after eius his mortem death nihilō by-nothing minus less Helvētiī the-Helvetii id that quod which cōnstituerant they-had-decided facere to-do cōnantur try
56.12b Post /post/ after.PREP+ACC eius /ˈej.jus/ he.GEN.M.SG mortem /ˈmor.tem/ death.ACC.F.SG nihilō /ˈni.hi.loː/ nothing.ABL.N.SG minus /ˈmi.nus/ less.ADV.COMP Helvētiī /helˈweː.ti.iː/ Helvetii.NOM.M.PL id /id/ that.ACC.N.SG quod /kʷod/ which.ACC.N.SG cōnstituerant /koːn.stiˈtu.e.rant/ decide.3PL.PLUPERF facere /ˈfa.ke.re/ do.PRES.INF cōnantur /koːˈnan.tur/ try.3PL.PRES.DEP
56.13a Nihil nothing interim meanwhile apud among hostīs the-enemy quiētum quiet patī he-allowed quō by-which minus the-less subitīs with-sudden excursibus raids populārētur he-should-ravage
56.13b Nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL interim /ˈin.te.rim/ meanwhile.ADV apud /ˈa.pud/ among.PREP+ACC hostīs /ˈhos.tiːs/ enemy.ACC.M.PL quiētum /kʷiˈeː.tum/ quiet.ACC.N.SG patī /ˈpa.tiː/ allow.PRES.INF.DEP.HIST quō /kʷoː/ which.ABL.N.SG minus /ˈmi.nus/ less.ADV.COMP subitīs /ˈsu.bi.tiːs/ sudden.ABL.M.PL excursibus /eksˈkur.si.bus/ raid.ABL.M.PL populārētur /po.pu.laːˈreː.tur/ ravage.3SG.IMPERF.SUBJ.DEP
56.14a Nihilō by-nothing sētius the-less sublicae piles et also ad towards īnferiōrem the-lower partem part flūminis of-the-river oblīquē at-a-slant agēbantur were-driven
56.14b Nihilō /ˈni.hi.loː/ nothing.ABL.N.SG sētius /ˈseː.ti.us/ less.ADV.COMP sublicae /ˈsub.li.kae̯/ pile.NOM.F.PL et /et/ also.ADV ad /ad/ towards.PREP+ACC īnferiōrem /iːn.fe.riˈoː.rem/ lower.ACC.F.SG partem /ˈpar.tem/ part.ACC.F.SG flūminis /ˈfluː.mi.nis/ river.GEN.N.SG oblīquē /obˈliː.kʷeː/ slantwise.ADV agēbantur /a.ɡeːˈban.tur/ drive.3PL.IMPERF.PASS
56.15a Sed but nūlla no iam now ultrā beyond gēns nation nihil nothing nisi except flūctūs waves ac and saxa rocks et and īnfestiōrēs more-hostile Rōmānī the-Romans
56.15b Sed /sed/ but.CONJ nūlla /ˈnuːl.la/ no.NOM.F.SG iam /jam/ now.ADV ultrā /ˈul.traː/ beyond.ADV gēns /ɡeːns/ nation.NOM.F.SG nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL nisi /ˈni.si/ except.CONJ flūctūs /ˈfluːk.tuːs/ wave.NOM.M.PL ac /ak/ and.CONJ saxa /ˈsak.sa/ rock.NOM.N.PL et /et/ and.CONJ īnfestiōrēs /iːn.fes.tiˈoː.reːs/ hostile.COMP.NOM.M.PL Rōmānī /roːˈmaː.niː/ Roman.NOM.M.PL
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56.1 Nihil videō. → “I see nothing.”
56.2 Nihil timēmus. → “We fear nothing.”
56.3 Nihil novī est. → “There is nothing new.”
56.4 Hostēs nihil agunt. → “The enemy are doing nothing.”
56.5 Nīl dēspērandum. → “Never despair.” (Horace, Odes 1.7.27, the first words of the line)
56.6 Speculātōrēs dē hostibus nihil certī nūntiant. → “The scouts report nothing certain about the enemy.”
56.7 Mīles sine armīs nihil potest. → “A soldier without weapons can do nothing.”
56.8 In castrīs nihil iam frūmentī est. → “There is no grain left in the camp now.”
56.9 Dux nihil nisi victōriam cōgitat. → “The general thinks of nothing but victory.”
56.10 Hostēs minās nostrās nihilī faciunt. → “The enemy think our threats worth nothing.”
56.11 Allobrogēs fugā sē ad Caesarem recipiunt et dēmōnstrant sibi praeter agrī solum nihil esse reliquī. → “The Allobroges fled to Caesar and showed him that they had nothing left but the bare soil of their land.” (Caesar, Dē Bellō Gallicō 1.11, abridged)
56.12 Post eius mortem nihilō minus Helvētiī id quod cōnstituerant facere cōnantur. → “After his death the Helvetii none the less try to carry out what they had decided.” (Caesar, Dē Bellō Gallicō 1.5, abridged)
56.13 Nihil interim apud hostīs quiētum patī, quō minus subitīs excursibus populārētur. → “Meanwhile he let nothing among the enemy stay quiet: he ravaged it with sudden raids.” (Tacitus, Agricola 20)
56.14 Nihilō sētius sublicae et ad īnferiōrem partem flūminis oblīquē agēbantur. → “None the less, piles were also driven in at a slant on the downstream side of the river.” (Caesar, Dē Bellō Gallicō 4.17)
56.15 Sed nūlla iam ultrā gēns, nihil nisi flūctūs ac saxa, et īnfestiōrēs Rōmānī. → “But now there is no nation beyond us, nothing but waves and rocks, and the Romans, more dangerous still.” (Tacitus, Agricola 30)
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56.1 Nihil videō.
56.2 Nihil timēmus.
56.3 Nihil novī est.
56.4 Hostēs nihil agunt.
56.5 Nīl dēspērandum.
56.6 Speculātōrēs dē hostibus nihil certī nūntiant.
56.7 Mīles sine armīs nihil potest.
56.8 In castrīs nihil iam frūmentī est.
56.9 Dux nihil nisi victōriam cōgitat.
56.10 Hostēs minās nostrās nihilī faciunt.
56.11 Allobrogēs fugā sē ad Caesarem recipiunt et dēmōnstrant sibi praeter agrī solum nihil esse reliquī.
56.12 Post eius mortem nihilō minus Helvētiī id quod cōnstituerant facere cōnantur.
56.13 Nihil interim apud hostīs quiētum patī, quō minus subitīs excursibus populārētur.
56.14 Nihilō sētius sublicae et ad īnferiōrem partem flūminis oblīquē agēbantur.
56.15 Sed nūlla iam ultrā gēns, nihil nisi flūctūs ac saxa, et īnfestiōrēs Rōmānī.
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These are the grammar rules for nihil, nīl in Latin:
1. An indeclinable noun
Nihil never changes its ending. It is neuter, and it serves as nominative and accusative alike. As subject: nihil novī est (56.3), nihil … est (56.8). As object: nihil videō (56.1), nihil timēmus (56.2), nihil agunt (56.4). Nīl is the same word in one syllable; poets use it when the metre needs a single long syllable (56.5).
2. The cases borrowed from nihilum
For the genitive and ablative Latin uses the full noun nihilum, nihilī, n.:
Nominative and accusative: nihil (nīl), rarely nihilum
Genitive: nihilī
Ablative: nihilō
There is no plural. The dative is almost never met.
3. Nihil with a partitive genitive
Nihil is followed by the genitive of the thing of which there is “nothing.” With a noun: nihil frūmentī, “no grain” (56.8); nihil reliquī, “nothing left” (56.11). With a second-declension adjective used as a noun: nihil novī, “nothing new” (56.3); nihil certī, “nothing certain” (56.6). English says “nothing new”; Latin says “nothing of new.”
The genitive and nihil may be separated by other words, as in 56.8: nihil iam frūmentī.
An adjective of the third declension is normally not put in the genitive; it agrees with nihil instead: nihil memorābile, “nothing memorable.” An adjective in the predicate also agrees: nihil tūtum est, “nothing is safe” (56.24), and nihil … quiētum patī, “to allow nothing to be quiet” (56.13).
4. Negatives cancel
Nōn nihil, “not nothing” = “something, to some extent” (56.19).
Nihil nōn, “nothing not” = “everything” (56.25).
Nihil nisi, “nothing except” = “nothing but” (56.9, 56.15, 56.18, 56.21, 56.28). Nisi does not change the case of the word that follows it: victōriam (56.9) is accusative because it is the object of cōgitat, like nihil; flūctūs ac saxa (56.15) are nominative, like nihil.
5. Nihilī: the genitive of value
Nihilī facere (or habēre, putāre), “to value at nothing, think worthless”: minās nostrās nihilī faciunt (56.10); rūmōrēs nihilī faciō (56.26). The genitive states the price set on something.
6. Nihilō: the ablative of the degree of difference
With a comparative, the ablative says by how much: nihilō minus, “less by nothing,” that is, “none the less, all the same” (56.12, 56.23); nihilō sētius, with the same meaning (56.14). Sētius is an old comparative adverb, “less.” The same ablative appears in multō maior, “greater by much.”
7. Nihil as an adverb
Nihil can mean “not at all, in no way,” like a strong nōn. Cicero writes coniectūrā nihil opus est, “there is no need at all for guessing” (Prō Rōsciō Amerīnō 107). Mīles sine armīs nihil potest (56.7) can be read both ways: “can do nothing” or “has no power at all.”
8. Nihil, nūllus and nēmō
Nihil is “nothing,” for things. Nēmō is “nobody,” for people. Nūllus, -a, -um (Lesson 49) is the adjective “no, not any,” and agrees with a noun: nūlla gēns, “no nation” (56.15). Nūlla rēs and nihil mean much the same, but nihil is the ordinary word, and the oblique cases of nūlla rēs (nūllā rē, “by nothing”) are used where nihil has no form.
9. Historic infinitive
In 56.13 Tacitus writes patī, an infinitive, where we expect a past tense. This is the historic infinitive you met in Lesson 55 (flāgitāre, dūcere, dīcere): the subject, Agricola, is understood from the context. Section F has a second example: Nihil Sēquanī respondēre.
10. Quō minus
After a verb of allowing or preventing, quō minus (also written quōminus) with the subjunctive introduces the action that is or is not hindered (56.13). The sense of the whole sentence is “he let nothing rest, so that he did not raid it,” that is, “he left nothing in peace but raided it.”
Common Mistakes
Adding a second negative. “I see nothing” is nihil videō, not *nōn nihil videō, which means “I see something.”
Putting a second-declension adjective in the nominative with nihil. Write nihil novī, not *nihil novum, when you mean “nothing new.” (In the predicate, nihil novum est, “nothing is new,” is correct.)
Trying to decline nihil. There is no nihilis or nihilem. Use nihilī and nihilō from nihilum.
Confusing nihil with nūllus. Nūllus is an adjective and must agree with a noun: nūllum frūmentum, not *nihil frūmentum. With nihil the noun goes into the genitive: nihil frūmentī.
Reading nihil nōn as “nothing.” It means “everything.”
Pronouncing nihil with a hard h or as “nigh-hill.” Both vowels are short: NI-hil.
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Nothing left: war on the land
In 58 BC the Helvetii marched west through the lands of the Haedui, the Ambarri and the Allobroges. The Allobroges fled to Caesar and told him that they had nothing left but the bare soil (praeter agrī solum nihil esse reliquī, Dē Bellō Gallicō 1.11; 56.11). Caesar adds at once that this persuaded him not to wait until the Helvetii had used up all the property of his allies. Nihil reliquī is the language of an army living off the country: what a passing army does not eat, it burns. A commander who lets that happen to his allies soon has no allies.
None the less: the will of a people
A few chapters earlier, the Helvetian noble Orgetorix had planned the migration and then died under suspicion. Caesar writes: Post eius mortem nihilō minus Helvētiī id quod cōnstituerant facere cōnantur, ut ē fīnibus suīs exeant, “After his death the Helvetii none the less try to do what they had decided, to leave their territory” (1.5; 56.12). Nihilō minus marks a strategic fact: the plan did not depend on one man. Removing a leader does not stop a people that has already decided.
Nothing quiet: Agricola’s method
Tacitus describes how his father-in-law Agricola, governor of Britain from AD 77 or 78, conducted his summers. He chose the sites of camps himself, explored the estuaries and woods himself, and nihil interim apud hostīs quiētum patī, quō minus subitīs excursibus populārētur, “meanwhile he left nothing among the enemy at rest, but raided it with sudden strikes” (Agricola 20; 56.13). Then, when he had frightened them enough, he showed them the advantages of peace. Pressure first, terms afterwards: the passage is a short handbook of pacification.
Nothing but waves and rocks: the view from the edge of the world
Before the battle of Mons Graupius in AD 83 or 84, Tacitus gives the Caledonian leader Calgacus a speech to his army. Calgacus describes the Britons of the far north as the last free people, with nothing behind them: nūlla iam ultrā gēns, nihil nisi flūctūs ac saxa, et īnfestiōrēs Rōmānī, “there is no nation beyond us now, nothing but waves and rocks, and the Romans, more dangerous still” (Agricola 30; 56.15). Earlier in the same chapter he says that not even the sea is safe for them, with a Roman fleet close at hand (ne mare quidem sēcūrum inminente nōbīs classe Rōmānā). The speech was written by a Roman, not taken down from a Briton, and it ends with the famous line ubi sōlitūdinem faciunt, pācem appellant, “where they make a desert, they call it peace.” For the sailor the line about waves and rocks is the point: at the end of the land there is nowhere to retreat.
All the same: the engineer’s word
Caesar’s bridge over the Rhine in 55 BC was built in ten days. Describing it, he lists the main structure and then adds extra piles driven at an angle on the downstream side, nihilō sētius, “all the same,” to take the force of the current (4.17; 56.14). The phrase marks a precaution taken although the work already seemed sound. Military engineering is the art of building for the case in which the first plan fails.
Never despair: a sailor’s farewell
Horace, Odes 1.7, tells of Teucer, the archer of the Trojan War, banished by his father and about to sail into exile. He rallies his companions over the wine: nīl dēspērandum Teucrō duce et auspice Teucrō, “there is nothing to despair of, with Teucer as leader and Teucer as guide” (1.7.27). Nīl dēspērandum became a motto in English. It is a leader’s word to men about to put to sea with no home behind them.
Nothing new: the report
A sentry or scout who has seen nothing still reports it. A negative report is information: it tells the commander where the enemy is not, and that the watch was kept. Nihil novī, “nothing new,” is the shortest report a soldier can make, and one of the most useful. The genre section below is a report of this kind.
Modern traces
English nil, as in a score of “two–nil,” and nihil obstat, “nothing stands in the way,” the formula by which a Catholic censor approves a book. Annihilate means “to bring to nothing”; nihilism is the belief that nothing has value.
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Caesar, Dē Bellō Gallicō 1.32.1–3 (58 BC). After the defeat of the Helvetii, the chiefs of the Gallic states meet Caesar in secret. The Haeduan Diviciacus has just begged him for help against the German king Ariovistus, who has settled in Gaul and holds hostages from its peoples. All the chiefs weep and plead, except one delegation. The text is from the Latin Library; the macrons are editorial.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Hāc this ōrātiōne speech ab by Dīviciācō Diviciacus habitā having-been-delivered omnēs all quī who aderant were-present magnō with-great flētū weeping auxilium help ā from Caesare Caesar petere to-ask coepērunt began
F.1b Hāc /haːk/ this.ABL.F.SG ōrātiōne /oː.raː.tiˈoː.ne/ speech.ABL.F.SG ab /ab/ by.PREP+ABL Dīviciācō /diː.wi.kiˈaː.koː/ Diviciacus.ABL.M.SG habitā /ˈha.bi.taː/ deliver.PERF.PART.PASS.ABL.F.SG omnēs /ˈom.neːs/ all.NOM.M.PL quī /kʷiː/ who.NOM.M.PL aderant /ˈa.de.rant/ be-present.3PL.IMPERF magnō /ˈmaɡ.noː/ great.ABL.M.SG flētū /ˈfleː.tuː/ weeping.ABL.M.SG auxilium /au̯kˈsi.li.um/ help.ACC.N.SG ā /aː/ from.PREP+ABL Caesare /ˈkae̯.sa.re/ Caesar.ABL.M.SG petere /ˈpe.te.re/ ask.PRES.INF coepērunt /koe̯ˈpeː.runt/ begin.3PL.PERF
F.2a Animadvertit noticed Caesar Caesar ūnōs alone ex out-of omnibus all Sēquanōs the-Sequani nihil nothing eārum of-those rērum things facere to-do quās which cēterī the-others facerent were-doing sed but trīstēs sad capite with-head dēmissō lowered terram the-ground intuērī to-gaze-at
F.2b Animadvertit /a.ni.madˈwer.tit/ notice.3SG.PERF Caesar /ˈkae̯.sar/ Caesar.NOM.M.SG ūnōs /ˈuː.noːs/ alone.ACC.M.PL ex /eks/ out-of.PREP+ABL omnibus /ˈom.ni.bus/ all.ABL.M.PL Sēquanōs /ˈseː.kʷa.noːs/ Sequani.ACC.M.PL nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL eārum /eˈaː.rum/ that.GEN.F.PL rērum /ˈreː.rum/ thing.GEN.F.PL facere /ˈfa.ke.re/ do.PRES.INF quās /kʷaːs/ which.ACC.F.PL cēterī /ˈkeː.te.riː/ other.NOM.M.PL facerent /ˈfa.ke.rent/ do.3PL.IMPERF.SUBJ sed /sed/ but.CONJ trīstēs /ˈtriːs.teːs/ sad.ACC.M.PL capite /ˈka.pi.te/ head.ABL.N.SG dēmissō /deːˈmis.soː/ lower.PERF.PART.PASS.ABL.N.SG terram /ˈter.ram/ ground.ACC.F.SG intuērī /in.tuˈeː.riː/ gaze-at.PRES.INF.DEP
F.3a Eius of-this reī matter quae what causa the-cause esset might-be mīrātus having-wondered ex from ipsīs them-themselves quaesiit he-asked
F.3b Eius /ˈej.jus/ this.GEN.F.SG reī /ˈre.iː/ matter.GEN.F.SG quae /kʷae̯/ what.NOM.F.SG causa /ˈkau̯.sa/ cause.NOM.F.SG esset /ˈes.set/ be.3SG.IMPERF.SUBJ mīrātus /miːˈraː.tus/ wonder.PERF.PART.DEP.NOM.M.SG ex /eks/ from.PREP+ABL ipsīs /ˈip.siːs/ self.ABL.M.PL quaesiit /ˈkʷae̯.si.it/ ask.3SG.PERF
F.4a Nihil nothing Sēquanī the-Sequani respondēre answered sed but in in eādem the-same trīstitiā sadness tacitī silent permanēre remained
F.4b Nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL Sēquanī /ˈseː.kʷa.niː/ Sequani.NOM.M.PL respondēre /re.sponˈdeː.re/ answer.PRES.INF.HIST sed /sed/ but.CONJ in /in/ in.PREP+ABL eādem /eˈaː.dem/ same.ABL.F.SG trīstitiā /triːsˈti.ti.aː/ sadness.ABL.F.SG tacitī /ˈta.ki.tiː/ silent.NOM.M.PL permanēre /per.maˈneː.re/ remain.PRES.INF.HIST
F-B: Natural Text with Translation
Hāc ōrātiōne ab Dīviciācō habitā omnēs quī aderant magnō flētū auxilium ā Caesare petere coepērunt. Animadvertit Caesar ūnōs ex omnibus Sēquanōs nihil eārum rērum facere quās cēterī facerent, sed trīstēs capite dēmissō terram intuērī. Eius reī quae causa esset mīrātus ex ipsīs quaesiit. Nihil Sēquanī respondēre, sed in eādem trīstitiā tacitī permanēre.
“When Diviciacus had made this speech, all who were present began, with loud weeping, to beg Caesar for help. Caesar noticed that the Sequani alone of them all did none of the things the others were doing, but stared at the ground, downcast, with their heads bowed. He wondered what the reason was and asked them. The Sequani answered nothing, but stayed silent, in the same gloom.”
— Caesar, Dē Bellō Gallicō 1.32.1–3
F-C: Latin Text Only
Hāc ōrātiōne ab Dīviciācō habitā omnēs quī aderant magnō flētū auxilium ā Caesare petere coepērunt. Animadvertit Caesar ūnōs ex omnibus Sēquanōs nihil eārum rērum facere quās cēterī facerent, sed trīstēs capite dēmissō terram intuērī. Eius reī quae causa esset mīrātus ex ipsīs quaesiit. Nihil Sēquanī respondēre, sed in eādem trīstitiā tacitī permanēre.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Nihil appears twice, once in each half of the scene. In the first, nihil eārum rērum, “nothing of those things,” is a partitive genitive with a pronoun and a noun: the Sequani did none of what the others did. In the second, Nihil Sēquanī respondēre, the word stands first for emphasis: “Nothing did the Sequani answer.” Respondēre and permanēre are historic infinitives, as in Lesson 55’s passage from 1.16, with the subject Sēquanī in the nominative. They give the silence as something that went on and on while Caesar waited. The first sentence opens with an ablative absolute, hāc ōrātiōne … habitā, “this speech having been made.” Animadvertit governs an accusative and infinitive: Sēquanōs … facere … intuērī. Ūnōs, the plural of ūnus (Lesson 53), means “alone, they only.” Quās cēterī facerent is subjunctive because it stands inside the reported clause. Eius reī quae causa esset is an indirect question, and it is put before mīrātus for emphasis. Quaesiit is the shortened perfect of quaerō (for quaesīvit).
For a strategist the passage is about reading silence. Diviciacus explains it in the next sentences (1.32.4–5): the Sequani were worse off than the rest because they had let Ariovistus into their own territory, all their towns were in his power, and so they dared not complain even in secret, but dreaded his cruelty in his absence as if he were present. The man who weeps can still hope to escape; the man who says nothing is already in the enemy’s hands. Caesar records the silence because it was the strongest evidence he had of Ariovistus’ power.
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A pedagogical composition, written for this lesson and not a quotation. A centurion commanding a small fort on a river frontier writes his report to the prefect of his unit. Little has happened, and he says so carefully, because in a report “nothing” must be exact. Sentence 56.29 echoes Horace (Odes 1.7.27).
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
56.16a Hodiē today in in castellō the-fort nihil nothing novī of-new est there-is
56.16b Hodiē /ˈho.di.eː/ today.ADV in /in/ in.PREP+ABL castellō /kasˈtel.loː/ fort.ABL.N.SG nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL novī /ˈno.wiː/ new.GEN.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
56.17a Vigilēs the-sentries per through noctem the-night nihil nothing audīvērunt heard
56.17b Vigilēs /ˈwi.ɡi.leːs/ sentry.NOM.M.PL per /per/ through.PREP+ACC noctem /ˈnok.tem/ night.ACC.F.SG nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL audīvērunt /au̯.diːˈweː.runt/ hear.3PL.PERF
56.18a Explōrātōrēs the-scouts nihil nothing nisi except vestīgia tracks equōrum of-horses invēnērunt found
56.18b Explōrātōrēs /eks.ploː.raːˈtoː.reːs/ scout.NOM.M.PL nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL nisi /ˈni.si/ except.CONJ vestīgia /wesˈtiː.ɡi.a/ track.ACC.N.PL equōrum /eˈkʷoː.rum/ horse.GEN.M.PL invēnērunt /in.weːˈneː.runt/ find.3PL.PERF
56.19a Hostēs the-enemy tamen however nōn not nihil nothing mōliuntur are-planning
56.19b Hostēs /ˈhos.teːs/ enemy.NOM.M.PL tamen /ˈta.men/ however.ADV nōn /noːn/ not.ADV nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL mōliuntur /moː.liˈun.tur/ plan.3PL.PRES.DEP
56.20a Nautae the-sailors dē about classe the-fleet hostium of-the-enemy nihil nothing certī of-certain nūntiant report
56.20b Nautae /ˈnau̯.tae̯/ sailor.NOM.M.PL dē /deː/ about.PREP+ABL classe /ˈklas.se/ fleet.ABL.F.SG hostium /ˈhos.ti.um/ enemy.GEN.M.PL nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL certī /ˈker.tiː/ certain.GEN.N.SG nūntiant /ˈnuːn.ti.ant/ report.3PL.PRES
56.21a In on flūmine the-river nihil nothing nisi except lintrēs the-boats piscātōrum of-fishermen vīdērunt they-saw
56.21b In /in/ on.PREP+ABL flūmine /ˈfluː.mi.ne/ river.ABL.N.SG nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL nisi /ˈni.si/ except.CONJ lintrēs /ˈlin.treːs/ boat.ACC.F.PL piscātōrum /pis.kaːˈtoː.rum/ fisherman.GEN.M.PL vīdērunt /wiːˈdeː.runt/ see.3PL.PERF
56.22a Frūmentī of-grain nihil nothing iam now superest is-left
56.22b Frūmentī /fruːˈmen.tiː/ grain.GEN.N.SG nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL iam /jam/ now.ADV superest /ˈsu.pe.rest/ be-left.3SG.PRES
56.23a Nihilō by-nothing minus less mīlitēs the-soldiers vallum the-rampart cotīdiē every-day reficiunt repair
56.23b Nihilō /ˈni.hi.loː/ nothing.ABL.N.SG minus /ˈmi.nus/ less.ADV.COMP mīlitēs /ˈmiː.li.teːs/ soldier.NOM.M.PL vallum /ˈwal.lum/ rampart.ACC.N.SG cotīdiē /koˈtiː.di.eː/ daily.ADV reficiunt /reˈfi.ki.unt/ repair.3PL.PRES
56.24a Nihil nothing enim for tūtum safe est is sine without vigiliīs watches
56.24b Nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL enim /ˈe.nim/ for.CONJ tūtum /ˈtuː.tum/ safe.NOM.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES sine /ˈsi.ne/ without.PREP+ABL vigiliīs /wiˈɡi.li.iːs/ watch.ABL.F.PL
56.25a Praefectus the-prefect nihil nothing nōn not prōvīdit has-foreseen
56.25b Praefectus /prae̯ˈfek.tus/ prefect.NOM.M.SG nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL nōn /noːn/ not.ADV prōvīdit /proːˈwiː.dit/ foresee.3SG.PERF
56.26a Rūmōrēs the-rumours dē about Britannīs the-Britons nihilī at-nothing faciō I-value
56.26b Rūmōrēs /ruːˈmoː.reːs/ rumour.ACC.M.PL dē /deː/ about.PREP+ABL Britannīs /briˈtan.niːs/ Briton.ABL.M.PL nihilī /ˈni.hi.liː/ nothing.GEN.N.SG faciō /ˈfa.ki.oː/ make.1SG.PRES
56.27a Sī if nihil nothing acciderit shall-have-happened crās tomorrow iterum again scrībam I-shall-write
56.27b Sī /siː/ if.CONJ nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL acciderit /akˈki.de.rit/ happen.3SG.FUT.PERF crās /kraːs/ tomorrow.ADV iterum /ˈi.te.rum/ again.ADV scrībam /ˈskriː.bam/ write.1SG.FUT
56.28a Ā from tē you nihil nothing petō I-ask nisi except calceōs boots et and frūmentum grain
56.28b Ā /aː/ from.PREP+ABL tē /teː/ you.ABL.SG nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.ACC.N.INDECL petō /ˈpe.toː/ ask.1SG.PRES nisi /ˈni.si/ except.CONJ calceōs /ˈkal.ke.oːs/ boot.ACC.M.PL et /et/ and.CONJ frūmentum /fruːˈmen.tum/ grain.ACC.N.SG
56.29a Nīl nothing dēspērandum is-to-be-despaired-of mīlitēs the-soldiers fortēs brave sunt are
56.29b Nīl /niːl/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL dēspērandum /deː.speːˈran.dum/ despair.GERUNDIVE.NOM.N.SG mīlitēs /ˈmiː.li.teːs/ soldier.NOM.M.PL fortēs /ˈfor.teːs/ brave.NOM.M.PL sunt /sunt/ be.3PL.PRES
56.30a Nihil nothing praetereā besides est there-is quod which scrībam I-should-write Valē farewell
56.30b Nihil /ˈni.hil/ nothing.NOM.N.INDECL praetereā /prae̯ˈte.re.aː/ besides.ADV est /est/ be.3SG.PRES quod /kʷod/ which.ACC.N.SG scrībam /ˈskriː.bam/ write.1SG.PRES.SUBJ Valē /ˈwa.leː/ fare-well.2SG.IMPER
Part B: Natural Sentences
56.16 Hodiē in castellō nihil novī est. → “Today there is nothing new at the fort.”
56.17 Vigilēs per noctem nihil audīvērunt. → “The sentries heard nothing during the night.”
56.18 Explōrātōrēs nihil nisi vestīgia equōrum invēnērunt. → “The scouts found nothing but the tracks of horses.”
56.19 Hostēs tamen nōn nihil mōliuntur. → “The enemy, however, are planning something.”
56.20 Nautae dē classe hostium nihil certī nūntiant. → “The sailors report nothing certain about the enemy fleet.”
56.21 In flūmine nihil nisi lintrēs piscātōrum vīdērunt. → “On the river they saw nothing but fishermen’s boats.”
56.22 Frūmentī nihil iam superest. → “There is no grain left now.”
56.23 Nihilō minus mīlitēs vallum cotīdiē reficiunt. → “All the same, the soldiers repair the rampart every day.”
56.24 Nihil enim tūtum est sine vigiliīs. → “For nothing is safe without watches.”
56.25 Praefectus nihil nōn prōvīdit. → “The prefect has foreseen everything.”
56.26 Rūmōrēs dē Britannīs nihilī faciō. → “I think the rumours about the Britons are worth nothing.”
56.27 Sī nihil acciderit, crās iterum scrībam. → “If nothing happens, I shall write again tomorrow.”
56.28 Ā tē nihil petō nisi calceōs et frūmentum. → “I ask nothing of you but boots and grain.”
56.29 Nīl dēspērandum: mīlitēs fortēs sunt. → “There is no cause for despair: the soldiers are brave.”
56.30 Nihil praetereā est quod scrībam. Valē. → “There is nothing more for me to write. Farewell.”
Part C: Latin Text Only
56.16 Hodiē in castellō nihil novī est.
56.17 Vigilēs per noctem nihil audīvērunt.
56.18 Explōrātōrēs nihil nisi vestīgia equōrum invēnērunt.
56.19 Hostēs tamen nōn nihil mōliuntur.
56.20 Nautae dē classe hostium nihil certī nūntiant.
56.21 In flūmine nihil nisi lintrēs piscātōrum vīdērunt.
56.22 Frūmentī nihil iam superest.
56.23 Nihilō minus mīlitēs vallum cotīdiē reficiunt.
56.24 Nihil enim tūtum est sine vigiliīs.
56.25 Praefectus nihil nōn prōvīdit.
56.26 Rūmōrēs dē Britannīs nihilī faciō.
56.27 Sī nihil acciderit, crās iterum scrībam.
56.28 Ā tē nihil petō nisi calceōs et frūmentum.
56.29 Nīl dēspērandum: mīlitēs fortēs sunt.
56.30 Nihil praetereā est quod scrībam. Valē.
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The report uses every construction of the lesson. Nihil as subject: 56.16, 56.22, 56.24, 56.27, 56.30. Nihil as object: 56.17, 56.18, 56.19, 56.20, 56.21, 56.25, 56.28. The short form nīl: 56.29.
Partitive genitive: nihil novī (56.16), nihil certī (56.20), frūmentī nihil (56.22), where the genitive stands first for emphasis: “of grain, nothing.” Compare nihil iam frūmentī in 56.8.
Double negatives: nōn nihil, “something” (56.19), the most worrying sentence in the report; nihil nōn, “everything” (56.25), a polite word for the prefect.
Nihil nisi, “nothing but” (56.18, 56.21, 56.28). The word after nisi takes the case it would have without the nihil: vestīgia, lintrēs, calceōs and frūmentum are all objects of their verbs, so all are accusative.
The borrowed cases: nihilō minus (56.23), ablative of the degree of difference; nihilī faciō (56.26), genitive of value.
Agreement: in 56.24 tūtum is a predicate adjective and agrees with nihil as a neuter nominative; it is not a partitive genitive. Nihil tūtum est means “nothing is safe”; nihil tūtī est would mean “there is nothing (of) safe,” “there is no safety.”
Other points. Dēspērandum (56.29) is a gerundive used impersonally, “nothing is to be despaired of.” Acciderit (56.27) is future perfect: Latin is exact about time, so “if nothing happens (before I write)” is “if nothing shall have happened.” Quod scrībam (56.30) is a relative clause of characteristic with the subjunctive: “nothing of the sort that I should write.” Mōliuntur (56.19) is a deponent verb, passive in form and active in meaning: “they are working at, planning.” Linter, lintris (56.21) is a small river boat or skiff, usually feminine. Calceī (56.28) were ordinary shoes; the soldier’s hobnailed boot was the caliga, but a request for shoes is a request for footwear of any kind. Britannīs (56.26) sets the fort on the British frontier, the world of Agricola in 56.13 and 56.15.
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Two short vowels. Nihil is NI-hil, both i’s short; nīl has one long ī. The difference is audible in verse: nihil fills two short syllables, nīl one long one.
The weak h. In the classical period h between vowels was faint, and in everyday speech it was often lost. That is why nihil contracts to nīl and nihilum to nīlum. Do not stress or harden the h.
Spellings in manuscripts. Medieval scribes often wrote nichil, with ch for the h; modern editions print nihil. Nīl and nihil are both correct classical spellings; prose prefers nihil, poetry uses both.
Nihilō, nihilī. Stress the first syllable: NI-hi-lō, NI-hi-lī. The last vowel is long.
Sētius. Long ē: SĒ-ti-us. Some editions print sēcius; it is the same word.
Hostīs. In 56.13 Tacitus’ text has hostis, the old accusative plural in -īs. It is the same as hostēs, and the ī is long.
Gn and ng. Magnō (F.1) is written here /ˈmaɡ.noː/. Many scholars hold that Romans said [ŋn] (“mang-nō”); either pronunciation is acceptable in this course.
Capitalisation. Peoples and persons are capitalised (Allobrogēs, Helvētiī, Sēquanī, Britannī, Dīviciācus, Rōmānī). Nihil is never capitalised except at the start of a sentence.
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