# What's Latin For "Onward And Upward"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041 "2007-12-23T20:06:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/1 "2007-12-23T20:06:36Z")
We’re scattering my father’s ashes in a few days. He always said farewell with “Onward and upward” then repeat it in Latin. I know it was something like ‘Exus oquiamus’. What is the proper phrase? It seems appropriate to say it when we scatter the ashes, but I can’t remember the words. Thanks in advance. Please forgive me if I don’t respond to this thread right away, but I do not have regular internet access at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/2 "2007-12-23T20:31:42Z")
Excelsior? “Ever Upward” is the translation given by the [NY state motto](http://www.netstate.com/states/mottoes/ny_motto.htm) people, but I have also seen it translated as “onward and upward.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/3 "2007-12-23T20:56:06Z")
It might have been _excelsior_, which literally means “higher,” but often gets translated as “onward and upward.” _Porro et sursum_ literally means “Onward and upward.” Neither of those sound phonetically like what you remember, though. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/4 "2007-12-23T20:57:34Z")
Unfortunately, “Excelsior” as a motto sounds like you are extolling the virtues of packing materials. ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/5 "2007-12-23T20:58:14Z")
_Ad astra_, means “To the stars” ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/6 "2007-12-23T21:01:09Z")
_Exi seque occulemus_. ("You go away and we’ll hide). Okay, seriously, the phrase doesn’t seem familiar to me. I agree that the first element might be some form of _excelsus_ such as _excelse_ (“upward”) or _excelsior_ (“very much upward”) or the whole thing might possibly be _excelsissime_ (“upward to the highest degree”). The -mus ending makes me think it could be a related verb form like _excellamus_ (“may we excel”), even though that doesn’t sound much like what you remember. “Forward” would normally be _porro_ or something similar, which doesn’t agree with your transcription. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/7 "2007-12-23T22:37:11Z")
_sic itur ad astra_: Thus do we reach the stars. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/8 "2007-12-23T22:56:06Z")
[QUOTE=DocCathode] ‘Exus oquiamus’ [/QUOTE] My Latin is almost non-existent, but could the second word be the first person plural of some verb? Maybe someone who actually knows Latin can take a guess…? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/9 "2007-12-23T23:40:47Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] My Latin is almost non-existent, but could the second word be the first person plural of some verb? Maybe someone who actually knows Latin can take a guess…? [/QUOTE] -amus is indeed a first person plural ending but the “oqui” part doesn’t mean anything to me, nor can I find anything similar in my dictionaries. Perhaps the word was _agiamus_ (“let us go”) or _exeamus_ (“let us go out”)? ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/10 "2007-12-24T00:09:23Z")
_ **Prorsus et sursum** _ means “Forward and upward”. My source gives no direct translation for “onward”. We had both of our parents cremated and interred in the family plot on the highest point in town, overlooking the harbor. May your dad _Requiescat in pace!_ (Rest in peace.) I couldn’t find my Latin textbooks. My source : [http://www.tranexp.com:2000/Translate/result.shtml](http://www.tranexp.com:2000/Translate/result.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/11 "2007-12-24T00:15:04Z")
“Exus” means “burn down” and my above source gave no translation for “oquiamus”, ---
**Author:** ![rpbauer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@rpbauer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rpbauer)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/12 "2013-12-24T15:03:04Z")
means “onward and upward.” ---
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-latin-for-onward-and-upward/431041/13 "2013-12-24T20:39:13Z")
The RAF, Royal Air Force motto is : “Per Ardua ad Astra” see here: [http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/theroyalairforcemotto.cfm](http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/theroyalairforcemotto.cfm) Although strictly speaking it’s not exactly what you may be looking for, it has the advantage of not having a direct English translation. Peter