vi et armis
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of vi et armis
literally: by force and arms
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.
A lion is his crest, you know, Columbia stooping to caress it, With vi et armis writ below, Nemo impune me lacessit; His motto, as you've read already, Semper paratus—always Teddy!
From Misrepresentative Men by Graham, Harry
Squatters have camped on the land, and cling to it and hold it vi et armis; and these have to be ejected before peaceful settlement is possible.
From Expositions of Holy Scripture St. Mark by Maclaren, Alexander
We fought our way round that corner, yelling defiance at the water, and dealt with succeeding corners on the vi et armis plan, breaking, ever and anon, a pole.
From Travels in West Africa by Kingsley, Mary H.
Elvira was not in the least shy, and only wanted to be safely Mrs. Allen Brownlow before the Goulds should arrive, as she expected, in the next steamer to pursue her vi et armis.
From Magnum Bonum by Yonge, Charlotte Mary
I could not enforce the law vi et armis against Crasweller.
From The Fixed Period by Trollope, Anthony
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.
