Jump To:

• et tu, Brute
  et tu, Brute

  and thou, Brutus!: alleged dying words of Julius Caesar uttered as his friend Brutus stabbed him.
• Et tu, Brute?
  Et tu, Brute?

  A Latin sentence meaning “Even you, Brutus?” from the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Caesar utters these words as he is being stabbed to death, having recognized his friend Brutus among the assassins.

et tu, Brute

American  

[et too broo-tey] / ɛt ˈtu ˈbru teɪ /

Latin.

1. and thou, Brutus!: alleged dying words of Julius Caesar uttered as his friend Brutus stabbed him.

---

Et tu, Brute? Cultural  

1. A Latin sentence meaning “Even you, Brutus?” from the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Caesar utters these words as he is being stabbed to death, having recognized his friend Brutus among the assassins.

---

Discover More

“Et tu, Brute?” is used to express surprise and dismay at the treachery of a supposed friend.

Example Sentences

Representing the et tu, Brute wing of Davis' party is his Lieutenant Governor, Cruz Bustamante.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Francis,” I said weakly, and was silenced by a glare of hatred: et tu, Brute.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

“Oh no, et tu, Brute? You were my last hope. With By and Joey and your mother popping up every few minutes asking ‘Are we there yet?’ it’s been like a stuck record.”

From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis

It would have been a sure-enough case of et tu, Brute, if you hadn’t been.

From Aladdin & Co. A Romance of Yankee Magic by Quick, Herbert

Int. thank you for nothing!, thanks for nothing!, et tu Brute!

From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark