Jedem das Seine Jedem das Seine "" () is the literal German translation of Latin "suum cuique", a fundamental juridical concept meaning "to each his own" or "to each what he deserves". During World War II the phrase was cynically used by the Nazis as a motto displayed over the entrance of Buchenwald concentration camp. This has resulted in use of the phrase being considered controversial in modern Germany. "Jedem das Seine" has been an idiomatic German expression for several centuries. For example, it is found in the works of Martin Luther and contemporaries. It appears in the title of a cantata by
Latin influence in English Old English scribes and christened to become the word "bless". Similarly "fullwiht" (literally, "full-being") and the verb "fullian" came to mean "baptism" and "to baptize" respectively, but probably originally referred to some kind of rite of passage. Whenever a suitable Old English substitute could not be found, a Latin word could be chosen instead, and many Latin words entered the Old English lexicon in this way. Such words include: "biscop" "bishop" from Latin "episcopus", Old English "teped" "carpet" from Latin "tapetum", and Old English "sigel" "brooch" from Latin "sigillum". Other words came in, even though an adequate Old English term