ecce
[ˈɛk.kɛ]
The Latin phrase ecce translates to 'behold' or 'look' in English.
ecce is an interjection used to call attention to a specific person, object or event that is about to be presented to the listener.
Did you know?
- In medieval Latin manuscripts, scribes sometimes used a small, stylized hand icon, known as a 'manicule', instead of writing ecce to physically point the reader toward important text.
- The famous phrase Ecce Homo, meaning 'Behold the Man', was used by Pontius Pilate in the New Testament to present a scourged Jesus to a crowd.
- The word has a distant relative in the Oscan language, an extinct Italic language, as the form ekkum, showing that this specific way of calling attention was a regional standard in ancient Italy.
Examples in context
- Ecce! Venit magnus imperator!Behold! The great emperor is coming!
- Ecce homo!Behold the man!
- Ecce signum!Behold the sign!
- Ecce veritas!Behold the truth!
- Ecce monumentum!Behold the monument!
- Ecce, via est.Look, there is the road.
- Ecce, amicus meus!Behold, my friend!
Example conversation
Julia and Marcus are walking through a garden.
- JuliaEcce, flos pulcher!Look, a beautiful flower!
- MarcusVerum est, Julia.It is true, Julia.
- JuliaEcce, avis in arbore.Look, a bird in the tree.
- MarcusVideo eam, est laeta.I see her, she is happy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ecce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ecce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
