Revised 2012

status quo ante bellumnoun

Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Frequency
Compounds & derived words

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Factsheet

What does the phrase status quo ante bellum mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the phrase status quo ante bellum. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

See meaning & use

How common is the phrase status quo ante bellum?

About 0.02occurrences per million words in modern written English

1790	0.011
1800	0.01
1810	0.012
1820	0.012
1830	0.014
1840	0.014
1850	0.014
1860	0.014
1870	0.017
1880	0.018
1890	0.02
1900	0.021
1910	0.024
1920	0.027
1930	0.03
1940	0.031
1950	0.03
1960	0.028
1970	0.026
1980	0.024
1990	0.022
2000	0.02
2010	0.017

See frequency

How is the phrase status quo ante bellum pronounced?

British English

/ˌsteɪtəs ˌkwəʊ antɪ ˈbɛləm/

stay-tuhss-kwoh-an-tee-BEL-uhm

U.S. English

/ˌsteɪdəs ˌkwoʊ ˌæn(t)i ˈbɛləm/

stay-duhss-kwoh-an-tee-BEL-uhm

/ˌstædəs ˌkwoʊ ˌæn(t)i ˈbɛləm/

stad-uhss-kwoh-an-tee-BEL-uhm

See pronunciation

Where does the phrase status quo ante bellum come from?

Earliest known use

late 1700s

The earliest known use of the phrase status quo ante bellum is in the late 1700s.

OED's earliest evidence for status quo ante bellum is from 1791, in the writing of Edmund Burke, politician and author.

status quo ante bellum is probably a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: Latin in statu, quo ante bellum fuerant, in eum statum quo ante bellum fuerant.

See etymology

Nearby entries

status enquiry, n.1877–
status epilepticus, n.1866–
statusful, adj.1960–
status group, n.1902–
status grouping, n.1920–
statusless, adj.1899–
status lymphaticus, n.1896–
status nervosus, n.1801–
status quo, n.1719–
status quo ante, n.1800–
status quo ante bellum, n.1791–
status report, n.1883–
status seeker, n.1944–
status-seeking, adj. & n.1940–
status symbol, n.1955–
status symbolism, n.1957–
status system, n.1939–
status trophy, n.1964–
status update, n.1975–
statusy, adj.1962–
statutable, adj.1631–

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

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Entry history for status quo ante bellum, n.

Originally published as part of the entry for status quo, n.

status quo ante bellum, n. was revised in December 2012.

status quo ante bellum, n. was last modified in July 2023.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into status quo ante bellum, n. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1915)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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View status quo in OED Second Edition

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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .

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Citation details

Factsheet for status quo ante bellum, n.

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Nearby entries

status enquiry, n.1877–
status epilepticus, n.1866–
statusful, adj.1960–
status group, n.1902–
status grouping, n.1920–
statusless, adj.1899–
status lymphaticus, n.1896–
status nervosus, n.1801–
status quo, n.1719–
status quo ante, n.1800–
status quo ante bellum, n.1791–
status report, n.1883–
status seeker, n.1944–
status-seeking, adj. & n.1940–
status symbol, n.1955–
status symbolism, n.1957–
status system, n.1939–
status trophy, n.1964–
status update, n.1975–
statusy, adj.1962–
statutable, adj.1631–

Browse more nearby entries