LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum

Omnia mūtantur, nihil interit

“Everything changes, nothing perishes”

OMNIA · MVTANTVR · NIHIL · INTERIT

Classical: the author's own words

Ovid, Metamorphoses 15.165

Pythagoras's teaching in the last book of the Metamorphoses.

Word by word

  1. Omniaomnis -eall, every, as a wholepl. nom. n.
  2. mūtanturmūtō -ārechange3rd pl. pres. pass. ind.
  3. nihilnihilnothing; not at allnom. n.
  4. interitintereō -īreto go among, become lost in3rd sg. pres. act. ind.

Using it as a motto or tattoo

Latin endings carry gender and number, so a saying about one person may need changing for another. Check your own version, or have three new ones composed, on the motto desk.

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Quick answers

What does “Omnia mutantur, nihil interit” mean?
“Omnia mūtantur, nihil interit” means “Everything changes, nothing perishes”. Pythagoras's teaching in the last book of the Metamorphoses.
Who said “Omnia mutantur, nihil interit”?
Ovid, Metamorphoses 15.165.