novus ordo seclorum

[ noh-woos -ohr-doh se-kloh-room; English noh-vuhs -awr-doh se-klawr-uhm, -klohr- ]

/ ˈnoʊ wʊs ˈoʊr doʊ sɛˈkloʊ rʊm; English ˈnoʊ vəs ˈɔr doʊ sɛˈklɔr əm, -ˈkloʊr- /

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a new order of the ages (is born): motto on the reverse of the great seal of the United States (adapted from Vergil's Eclogues IV:5).

QUIZZES

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

The Claudia aqueduct was 46 miles in length and the Anio Novus 58 miles in length.
History of Sanitation|John Joseph Cosgrove
The Anio Novus was the largest of all Roman aqueducts, discharging nearly three hundred thousand cubic meters per day.
Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 7|Various
Homo novus means the man without ancestors who is worthy to be added to the ranks of the nobly born.
The Cult of Incompetence|Emile Faguet
This was the hope which was entertained of this Mundus Novus of Vespucius,—not a new world in the sense of a new continent.
Christopher Columbus and How He Received and Imparted the Spirit of Discovery|Justin Winsor

They exhibit the three indispensable gifts of the finest authorship: "simplicitas munditiis," "lucidus ordo," "curiosa felicitas."
The Reign of Tiberius, Out of the First Six Annals of Tacitus|Tacitus