Strenuis ardua cedunt, Latin, "Heights yield to efforts," sometimes rephrased as "hard work is what leads to success," this phrase is the motto of the University of Southampton, formerly Hartley University College, in England. One Professor Mason, who taught English and mathematics from 1902 to 1920, is attributed as the originator of the motto, which was assigned to the College in 1902.
The use of strenuis in this motto is a substantive adjective, one which serves as a placeholder for a noun. Here it is in the plural dative case, which does not differentiate between different grammatical genders in Latin. This means that the motto could mean "Heights yield to active or vigourous men, women, or/and things," in any combination. The choice to use a substantive, instead of the abstract noun strenuitas, itself meaning vigour, endeavour, or effort, is a peculiar one. More peculiar still is the choice of dative case: the verb cedo, cedere, as used here, strictly uses the accusative case to state that something is submitting or yielding to something else, in the sense of being conquered by it. The dative case is used for yielding to a replacement or substitution, such as an incumbent politician stepping aside to allow a successor to ascend to office. The "heights" in this quote are not being replaced by the "efforts," but instead are conceding defeat to them - a difference in sense which perhaps was less known to the Latinists of 1902 (though I hesitate to speculate, and only do so to give Professor Mason the benefit of doubt), but which sticks out like a sore thumb today.
Similarly, ardua is a substantive adjective, and as the official English form of the motto gives it as "heights," in the plural (which the plural form of the verb cedunt confirms), we know it to be a neuter adjective. This incites the question: the high whats? Places? That would be loci, a masculine noun, requiring ardui instead of ardua. There are numerous feminine nouns which would work perfectly well, such as those which translate as "ambition" and "aspiration" and "road," but The best we can really do with this usage is "high things," due to the plurality of both the subject noun and the verb. There is frankly less room to offer the Professor the benefit of doubt; this is a straightforward instance of poorly executed Latin, an attempt at the pageantry and gravitas of age and tradition that tends to accompany such things.
Iron Noder 2023, 4/30