# Latin for "forget your mortality"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-for-forget-your-mortality/588907>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 13, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-for-forget-your-mortality/588907 "2011-07-13T19:25:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-for-forget-your-mortality/588907/1 "2011-07-13T19:25:25Z")

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So, “memento mori” basically means “remember your mortality”. Could any Latin scholars out there tell me how to say “forget your mortality” in Latin? Thanks in advance.

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**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-for-forget-your-mortality/588907/2 "2011-07-13T19:29:26Z")

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I looked it up so I’m not sure. (And I am certainly not a Latin scholar.)  
Never = UMQUAM in Latin  
So, Umquam mori?

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**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-for-forget-your-mortality/588907/3 "2011-07-13T20:19:05Z")

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Try this:

“Mors obliviscenda est.” (“Death must be forgotten.”)

or

“Mortis obliti este.” (The Latin word for “forget” is a strange verb, in that it’s passive and its object is in the genetive case. Hence, death is genitive, but we use the masculine plural “obliti” because we’re presumably talking to EVERYONE.)

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**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-for-forget-your-mortality/588907/4 "2011-07-13T20:53:35Z")

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Hmmm… I was hoping for something of the form “blahblah-o mori”… that is, close enough in structure to “memento mori” that the parallel between the two phrases would be clear. Maybe I should say I don’t require an exact translation (i.e., doesn’t have to be “forget”, could be “ignore” or “disregard” etc.) or perfect grammar.

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**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-for-forget-your-mortality/588907/5 "2011-07-13T21:20:19Z")

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Perhaps “Flee Death” is close enough? That would be Fugītṓte Mori, if I’m not mistaken. (That’s pronounced foo - gi - TOE - tae, with a hard g)

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**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-for-forget-your-mortality/588907/6 "2011-07-14T03:12:27Z")

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Well, the closest we come to that phrasing will be:

“Nolite meminisse mori.” (“Do not remember mortality.”)

But since the infinitive of the verb is very different from “memento,” it still may not suit you.