cedant arma togae

American

[key-dahnt ahr-mah toh-gahy, see-dant ahr-muh toh-jee] / ˈkeɪ dɑnt ˈɑr mɑ ˈtoʊ gaɪ, ˈsi dænt ˈɑr mə ˈtoʊ dʒi /

Latin.

let military power be subject to civil authority: motto of Wyoming.

Etymology

Origin of cedant arma togae

Literally, “let arms yield to the toga”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The truth is that in this age cedant arma togae: it is the civilian who rules on the throne or behind it, and who makes the fighting-men his mere agents.

From Women and the Alphabet A Series of Essays by Higginson, Thomas Wentworth

When the Romans said "cedant arma togae," they did not refer to civil officials and soldiers; the civil officials were then soldiers in their turn; professional soldiers did not exist.

From Battle Studies by Ardant du Picq, Charles Jean Jacques Joseph

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023