Englishified Greek for Come and get it. Pronounced Moh-lone Lah-Veh. Common context is in relation to firearms and firearm laws, as a declaration to be made to anyone that wishes to confiscate your gun(s).
Originates from King Leonidas of Sparta, in a message to King Xerxes of Persia, when an overwhelming Persian army demanded that 300 Spartan warriors drop their weapons. Leonidas replied Molon Labe (Come and get them) and 300 of his Spartans, and Leonidas himself, were killed, but in so doing killed took huge tolls on the enemy and stalled the Persian army for long enough to let the rest of Greece prepare themselves for the war.

]]>https://definedictionarymeaning.com/topic/38938/molon-labeRSS for NodeMon, 13 Jul 2026 15:54:50 GMTFri, 07 Apr 2017 17:56:36 GMT60Ancient Greek for come and take it. Tough-sounding phrase used by firearms devotees unaware of the irony that it was spoken by the leader of a society that considered ranged weapons to be cowardly and did so before he and his men were completely massacred with no survivors by the enemy in a delaying action.

]]>https://definedictionarymeaning.com/post/76231https://definedictionarymeaning.com/post/76231Sat, 29 May 2021 08:34:02 GMTIn 480 BC at the Battle of Thermopylae, the invading Persian king Xerxes demanded that the hopelessly outnumbered Spartans surrender their weapons. To this, the Spartan king Leonidas replied, Molon Labe! which means We lost them in a tragic boating accident!. The Persians then turned around and left.

]]>https://definedictionarymeaning.com/post/76230https://definedictionarymeaning.com/post/76230Thu, 27 May 2021 08:34:07 GMT