# What does "Adeste" mean?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 23, 2018, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593 "2018-12-23T23:27:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593/1 "2018-12-23T23:27:12Z")

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In the English translation of “Adeste Fidelis”, \*adeste \*is translated as “come”. But later on in the same song, we get _venite adoremus_, which gets translated as “come let us adore him”. What’s the difference between \*adeste \*and _venite_?

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**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593/2 "2018-12-23T23:41:34Z")

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Going by what I recall from my few years’ school Latin nearer sixty than fifty years ago: _Adeste_ is an imperative form of the verb which means “to be present / on the spot”: _Adsum_ from the same verb, means “I am here”. _Adeste_ can, I think, be seen as bidding the faithful to be where the “bidder” is: doesn’t the verse go on to say _Venite, venite in Bethlehem_? (_Venite adoremus_ comes later.) _Venite_: imperative form of the verb meaning “to come”; from being where the guy giving the instruction is, said guy is now bidding them to come with him from there to Bethlehem to worship the Christ Child. The wording “O come all ye faithful” is as it is, I would think in the interests of style and scansion rather than of strict linguistic accuracy.

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**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593/3 "2018-12-23T23:41:38Z")

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> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#):
>
> In the English translation of “Adeste Fidelis”, \*adeste \*is translated as “come”. But later on in the same song, we get _venite adoremus_, which gets translated as “come let us adore him”. What’s the difference between \*adeste \*and _venite_?

"_Venite_ definitely translates to “come” in English - I think\* adeste\* literally means something more like “be there”

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**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593/4 "2018-12-23T23:49:15Z")

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nm

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2018, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593/5 "2018-12-24T00:38:16Z")

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_adsum_ is the opposite of _absum_ (To be absent)

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593/6 "2018-12-24T00:53:45Z")

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So, more literally, “Present yourselves, faithful!” Under the circumstances, “O come, all ye faithful” isn’t so bad.

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593/7 "2018-12-24T01:01:01Z")

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> [@doreen](#):
>
> "_Venite_ definitely translates to “come” in English - I think\* adeste\* literally means something more like “be there”

Or be square?

I don’t see that in the carol anywhere … 😃

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-adeste-mean/826593/8 "2018-12-24T01:03:00Z")

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Be There or Be Square, All Ye Faithful

…ninjaed!