Rambus (RMBS)

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Illegitimi non carborundum is a mock-Latin aphorism jokingly taken to mean "don't let the bastards grind you down". There are many variants of the phrase, such as

* Non illegitimis carborundum.
* Illegitimi nil carborundum.
* Nil bastardo illegitimi carborundum.
* Nil bastardo carborundum.
* Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

None are correct Latin. Carborundum is not a Latin word but the brand name of a commercial abrasive originating in the 19th century (see silicon carbide article). The ending -undum suggests a Latin gerund form, but the name of the product is actually a portmanteau of carbon and corundum, the latter a Hindi word.

Illegitimi suggests illegitimate to the English speaker, or bastardo likewise, but the Latin for bastard is actually nothus. The forms with nil may be formed partly on the pattern of the genuine Latin phrase Nil desperandum.

The phrase originated during World War II. Lexicographer Eric Partridge attributes it to British army intelligence very early in the war (in the plural illegitimis). The phrase was adopted by US Army general "Vinegar" Joe Stillwell as his motto during the war.