Fluctuat nec mergitur

Fluctuat nec mergitur is a Latin phrase meaning "Tossed but not sunk". The motto has been used since at least 1358 by the city of Paris.

Fluctuat nec mergitur is the motto of Paris, France, translated "Il est battu par les flots, mais ne sombre pas": "She is tossed by the waves but does not sink". This motto is present in the city coat of arms depicting a ship floating on a rough sea. Both motto and city arms have their origins in the river Seine boatsman's corporation; this powerful guild ruled the city's trade and commerce as early as the Roman era.

Although this corporation through the centuries became an entity resembling more a municipal government than a trade organization, they maintained their original arms and motto, and it is for this that the Mairie de Paris bears them still today. It was made official on November 24, 1853 by Baron Haussmann.

The motto appears on the coat of arms of the City of Paris, as well as on the official livery of the Paris Fire Brigade. Following the November 2015 Paris attacks, the Latin-language motto had a surge in popularity and was used in social media as a symbol of Paris' resistance in the face of terrorism.

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