ipsissima verba
Americanadverb
noun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of ipsissima verba
First recorded in 1800–10; from Latin ipsissima, neuter plural of ipsissimus “the very same” (superlative of ipse “oneself, the very one”) + verba, plural of verbum “word”; cf. ipso facto ( def. ), verbal ( def. )
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.
We have the ipsissima verba, the exact words of Jesus.
From Time Magazine Archive
It is difficult to convey the peculiar intonation of the Worcestershire villager's voice, and the ipsissima verba I have given in my anecdotes lose a good deal in reading by anyone unacquainted with their method.
From Grain and Chaff from an English Manor by Savory, Arthur H.
Indeed, in respect of the ipsissima verba of Scripture, the evidence of Versions in other languages must be precarious in a high degree.
From The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels by Burgon, John William
And to me, the pleasure is doubled by the reflection that it is extremely probable that we have the actual terms, the ipsissima verba, used by Christ.
From De Profundis by Wilde, Oscar
Many an argument at the bar, however, is ruined by an excessive anxiety to repeat the ipsissima verba of some ancient opinion, when the soul of it is the only thing of value.
From The American Judiciary by Baldwin, Simeon E., LLD
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
