https://www.proz.com/kudoz/latin-to-english/idioms-maxims-sayings/4679932-in-somnifera-veritas-in-somnifera-aequitas.html
Feb 2, 2012 09:21
12 yrs ago
Latin term

In somnifera veritas In somnifera aequitas

FVA Not for points Latin to English Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Saw quote on a massage I believe is on Latin and it has to do with truth and justice
Change log

Feb 2, 2012 09:28: Björn Houben changed "Language pair" from "English" to "Latin to English" , "Field (specific)" from "Linguistics" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"

Proposed translations

+4
23 mins
Selected

In hypnotics/narcotics, truth. In hypnotics/narcotics, justice

It is Latin, though apparently dog-Latin. It is obviously playing with the well-known Latin tag "In vino veritas", meaning "In wine [is] truth", in other words that drinking alcohol brings out the truth, leads people to speak the truth.

It is dog-Latin because "in" should be followed by the ablative in Latin (as in "vino"). "Somnifera", from "somnifer" (sleep-inducing, lilterally bringing sleep), could be interpreted as a feminine singular in the ablative (referring to something of feminine gender that induces sleep), but it is almost certainly intended to be a neuter plural, "somnifera" ("things that induce sleep"), of which the singular would be "somniferum", in which case the correct form here would be "in somniferis".

"Things that induce sleep", that is, substances that make you sleep. are properly called "hypnotics" in English. It might just be referring to sleeping pills. However, given the implicit allusion to the wine tag, I think it's more likely that it refers to narcotics, the original meaning of "narcotic" being "sleep-inducing".

The Latin scientific name of the opium poppy is Papaver somniferum".

"Aequitas" is justice in the sense of "equity" or "fairness".
Peer comment(s):

agree Jim Tucker (X) : yes, dog Latin. Maybe it wants to be "in somnis", in dreams. Otherwise certainly "in somniferis" as you say.
9 mins
That's certainly a possibility. Thanks, Jim.
agree Luis Antonio de Larrauri
1 hr
Thanks, Luis Antonio!
agree Joseph Brazauskas
2 hrs
Thank you, Joseph!
agree Veronika McLaren
8 hrs
Thanks, Veronika!
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Comment: "First validated answer (validated by peer agreement)"
18 mins

In sleep there is truth, in sleep there is justice

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