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Odi Et Amo

Latin Phrases
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A famous Latin phrase from Catullus meaning "I hate and I love," expressing the agonizing paradox of conflicting emotional passion.

Detailed Definition
“Odi et amo” compresses emotional contradiction into a memorable pair of verbs: the same person or object is both cherished and resented. In poetry it is useful for exploring divided desire, grief after intimacy, political ambivalence, or the push and pull of memory. Its balanced structure makes the conflict feel immediate, as though opposing emotions occupy the same breath.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Odi et amo” means “I hate and I love,” expressing emotional contradiction; Catullus famously begins a poem with “Odi et amo” to show the torment of divided desire; A modern love poem may repeat “odi et amo” as a refrain after each conflicting memory; A poet can place “odi et amo” beside images of fire and ice to dramatize ambivalence.
Additional Notes
“Odi et amo” means “I hate and I love.” The phrase is famous for expressing emotional contradiction, especially the torment of loving someone who also causes pain. Its compressed antithesis makes it useful in lyric poetry about conflicted desire. The wording is associated with Catullus, whose poem continues by asking why he feels this divided emotion.
Also Known As
I Hate and I Love
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