Which Latin motto on the Great Seal of the United States means “Out of many, one”?

The Latin motto E pluribus unum on the Great Seal of the United States means “Out of many, one.”

The phrase appears on a scroll held in the bald eagle’s beak on the seal’s obverse. It expresses the idea that separate states and people form one nation, a theme closely associated with the early United States and its founding era.

E pluribus unum was proposed by the first Great Seal committee in 1776. Charles Thomson retained it when he assembled the final design in 1782. The motto also appeared on early American coins and remained a traditional national motto even after “In God We Trust” became the official national motto in 1956.

The other two Latin phrases on the Great Seal appear on the reverse. Annuit cœptis is commonly translated as “He has favored our undertakings,” while Novus ordo seclorum means “A new order of the ages.” The three phrases are sometimes confused because they all appear in discussions of the seal’s symbolism.