ultima ratio regum

American  

[ool-ti-mah rah-tee-oh rey-goom, uhl-tuh-muh rey-shee-oh ree-guhm] / ˈʊl tɪˌmɑ ˈrɑ tiˌoʊ ˈreɪ gʊm, ˈʌl tə mə ˈreɪ ʃiˌoʊ ˈri gəm /

Latin.

1. the final argument of kings (a resort to arms): motto engraved on the cannon of Louis XIV.

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Example Sentences

It appeals to the primal instinct of men, self-preservation, and is the ultima ratio regum, the last argument of kings—and not only of kings, but of all other living things as well.

From The Navy as a Fighting Machine by Fiske, Bradley A. (Bradley Allen)

"Charles de Bourbon, Compte d'Eu, ultima ratio regum."

From The Colored Cadet at West Point Autobiography of Lieut. Henry Ossian Flipper, first graduate of color from the U. S. Military Academy by Flipper, Henry Ossian

The ultima ratio regum prevailed; and when we had destroyed their whole fishing fleet, the affair appeared much clearer than in the ingenious volumes of Grotius or Selden.

From Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 2 by Disraeli, Isaac

The ultima ratio regum proceeds upon a very different plea.

From Table Talk Essays on Men and Manners by Hazlitt, William