The motto of the Arcioni family is "Virtus Ad Alta Volat". What is a good translation?

Question

https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/477586/shared-photo-stemma-arcioni

Comments

I think it means something such as virtue flies to the heights or summit. (but my schoolgirl latin may be wrong!)

(And virtue originally had a broader definition than today; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtus_(virtue)

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I agree with Helen’s translation.

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Agree:

Virtus = virtue, valor, strength flies high.

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Helen's translation seems right to me (but it's a very long time since I studied Latin!).

Answer 1

 

It flies at high power

Comments

Where did you get «it» and «power» from in this translation? I think the one given by Helen in the comments above is more accurate.

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By going to     translate to English

https://www.google.com/search?q=translate+to+english&rlz=1C1CHNV_enUS382&oq=translate+to+english&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i61j0l4.5769j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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I don’t think google understands Latin grammatical constructions. 

In addition to being virtue or power, virtus could also mean strength or courage, either of which could fit well in this motto.

Ad alta is to the summit or to the heights. The verb volat is flies. To translate to English we need to swap the sequence of the verb and adverb, so we get xxxxx flies to the summit.

So options if translating literally could include:

• Virtue flies to the summit 
• Courage flies to the summit
• Power flies to the summit

There could be other options too, but google’s suggestion of starting with it and ending with power is not consistent with the construction of the phrase.

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Thank you Helen, Frank and Lynda. This is very educational. Duke Giovanni Galeazzo Sforza gave the motto and the use of his Crest (crowned eagle) to Giovanni Arcioni as as recognition of his services. I think 'Virtue flies to the summit' is the most appropriate, since he was his secretary (clerk, minister).

 

Answer 2

Latin is a very free language.  Words can be rearranged in any way that looks good to the eye.  So, when translating to English which has a much stricter code, it can be difficult.  Basically, you've got "courage/strength/virtue flying to the heights" or "flying to the heights of/with courage/strength/virtue'..

Since it's a family motto, you can play with those words until it sounds catchy in English..

Comments

While words can be rather freely arranged in a Latin sentence, this is done to put emphasis on different parts of the sentence, it does not change the meaning of it.

Answer 3

"Nice guys finish first" ;)