[MR] "Vivat"

[Dave Montuori]

Scripsit Lie du Bosc:
> It was nice to finally get to an event other than my local fighter 
> practice in my new home of Atlantia.  Just a curiosity question...where 
> does "Vivat" (spelling a guess) come from... I'm used to "Huzzah."

You got the spelling right, milady.

It's Latin -- third person singular subjunctive of "vivo,vivere" meaning 
"to live". Used in the subjunctive it carries the connotation of "*long* 
may he/she/it live", so the usual colloquial English equivalent is "Long 
live..." THe French still use their verb for "to live" in this sense.

Latin geek note to everyone: when cheering a group of people as multiple 
individuals, proper usage would require the third person *plural* 
subjunctive -- hence "Vivant!" (which you will hear a few of us saying in 
court if you listen really carefully).

Evan, Latin and grammar geek