English Explanatory Dictionary

et tu, Brute

English dictionary entry

Meanings

phrase
  1. "You too, Brutus" or "even you, Brutus"; expressing a recognition of betrayal.

Pronunciation

/ɛt ˈtu ˌbɹuteɪ/

Word forms

et tu, Brute

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin et tū, Brūte (literally “and you, Brutus”). Used figuratively from 1591 (sometimes jocularly) to express shock and sadness at the treachery of a good friend. Although apparently an Elizabethan invention, a “genuine antique reproduction”, it appears to have been well known in England before its use in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

Derived words

et tu
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