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Tempora Mutantur

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 Latin phrase meaning "times change," often completed as "and we change with them," reflecting on the relentless passage of time.

Detailed Definition
“Tempora mutantur” states the continual alteration of customs, fortunes, landscapes, and human selves. In verse it can introduce nostalgia, cultural criticism, or a recognition that the past cannot be recovered unchanged. The phrase is powerful when paired with recurring natural images, because the poem can show both continuity and transformation: rivers remain, yet no traveler meets quite the same river twice.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poet can use “Tempora mutantur” to mark the changing fortunes of a family or nation; the phrase, meaning “times change,” works well as a refrain between historical scenes; in a poem about new technology, it can express both wonder and unease; followed by “and we change with them,” it becomes a clear meditation on adaptation
Additional Notes
“Tempora Mutantur” means “Times change,” often from the longer proverb “Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis,” meaning “Times change, and we change with them.” The phrase may signal historical change, shifting customs, personal growth, or nostalgia. Its compact form works well as an epigraph or refrain.
Also Known As
Times Change Times Are Changed
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