what do unicorns have to do with an American national motto?

I do love sitting around the dinner table with family to play a chuckle-filled game of UNO (though I somehow always get mixed up on the relatively simple rules — too many colors and numbers all at once overwhelms my daltonic, non-mathematical brain, I suppose). The objective of this immensely popular American card game is to be the first player to rid themselves of all their cards. 

But beware: You must yell “UNO!” at the moment you are down to your last card. If someone catches you forgetting to utter this word, you’ll be forced to draw another 2 cards as a penalty. Or at least I think that’s what it is.

Of course, in Spanish and Italian, uno is the number “one,” originating from the Latin ūnus. There are a ton of words in English that contain this prefix, all related to the concept of oneness. For instance, the word UNIverse literally means “turned into one.” The idea here is that all things on this plane of existence are “turned” or rolled up into one whole, which includes even us spec-sized humans.

And yes, that word relates to UNIversity, short for the Latin phrase universitas magistrorum et scholarium or “a community of masters and scholars,” all working to advance human knowledge together, that is, as one.

Okay, here are some other examples. Human fingerprints are UNIque because they’re “one of a kind” — unlike anyone else’s in the world. When an individual or country behaves UNIlaterally, it means it’s taking “one-sided” action rather than consulting with others (gotta love egos). By contrast, a UNanimous opinion is when everyone is “of one mind” or in agreement about something (rare considering how much we as a species like to bicker and snicker). Oh, and a UNIcycle is like a bicycle except that it has just “one wheel” — not for amateurs, mind you.

That brings us to UNIcorn, a mythical horse-like animal with “one horn” sprouting out of its forehead. This stunning specimen seems to have first been depicted several thousand years ago in early Mesopotamian art. Unicorns also feature in ancient legends from India and China. People thought their horns contained powerful magical properties, including neutralizing poison and purifying water. A creature so rare must also be of high purity and virtue, the logic went.

Speaking of magic, I believe it was the Wizard of Oz who once said to the Scarecrow: “They have one thing you haven’t got: a diploma. Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitartus Committiartum E Pluribus Unum, I hereby confer upon you the honorary degree of ThD” (ThD stands for the very official degree of “Doctor of Thinkology”).

Well, there’s that good ol’ de facto motto of the United States: E Pluribus UNum meaning “out of many, one.” It’s a reminder that even in diversity, there can be UNIty. By the way, the official motto of the U.S. is “In God We Trust,” which is also nice, but you can’t deny the gravitas of the Latin version.

On that note, time for me to google “Why is there a unicorn on the Scottish coat of arms?” This could turn into a long, winding rabbit hole…