Help--The literal translation of Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit is: "The versatile grape becomes a grape by living". The phrase is from "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurty. McMurty gives it this translation: "A grape matures by looking at another grape".

Posted by Joe Malmberg on June 04, 2001

In Reply to: posted by Michael S. on September 11, 2000

: : can you help me translate;

: : Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit

Found this on www.traditio.com/ tradlib/phrases.txt

UVA UVAM VIDENDO VARIA FIT. A grape by seeing a grape
becomes varied [in color]. (The sense is that the grape darkens, to the
point of spoilage. The old proverb, which is used in the Lonesome Dove,
is more or less equivalent to our "one bad apple spoils the bunch." The
source is a scholiast's comment on a line from Juvenal's second satire.)

• Pie hole gysgt hartman 07/31/01