'Semper fi' is short for 'semper fidelis'.
'Semper' is an adverb meaning 'always'.
'Fidelis' is an adjective meaning 'faithful, honest'.

Semper Fidelis !

The motto of the Marine Corps is Semper Fidelis, Latin
for "always faithful" .Until 1871 it was "First to Fight",
a motto that still applies. Through the years, Marines have shortened it to Semper Fi, and "Semper Fi, Mac" is the universal Marine Greeting.

True to allegiance; firmly adhering to organization with which one is united and duty; of true fidelity. In defense of G-d and one's country or something to that effect.

Semper fidelis - always faithful.

Marine Corps Emblem and Seal

The history of the Marine Corps emblem is a story related to the history of the Corps itself. The emblem of today traces its roots to the designs and ornaments of early Continental Marines as well as British Royal Marines. The emblem took its present form in 1868. Before that time many devices, ornaments, and distinguishing marks followed one another as official marks of the Corps.

In 1776, the device consisted of a "foul anchor" of silver or pewter. The foul anchor still forms a part of the emblem today. (A foul anchor is an anchor which has one or more turns of the chain around it). In 1834 it was prescribed that a brass eagle be worn on the hat, the eagle to measure 3 ½ inches from wingtip to wingtip.

During the early years numerous distinguishing marks were prescribed, including "black cockades", "scarlet plumes," and "yellow bands and tassels."

The emblem ... consisted of a globe (showing the Western Hemisphere) intersected by a foul anchor, and surmounted by a spread eagle. On the emblem itself, the device is topped by a ribbon inscribed with the Latin motto "Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful).

The general design of the emblem was probably derived from the British Royal Marines' "Globe and Laurel." The globe on the U.S. Marine emblem signifies service in any part of the world. The eagle also indirectly signifies service worldwide, although this may not have been the intention of the designers in 1868. The eagle which they selected for the Marine emblem is a crested eagle, a type found all over the world. On the other hand, the eagle pictured on the great seal and the currency of the United States is the bald eagle, strictly a North American variety. The anchor, whose origin dates back to the founding of the Marine Corps in 1775, indicates the amphibious nature of Marines' duties.

On 22 June 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an Executive Order, which approved the design of an official seal for the United States Marine Corps. ..The new seal consisted of the traditional Marine Corps emblem in bronze; however, an American bald eagle replaced the crested eagle depicted on the 1868 emblem, and is depicted with wings displayed, standing upon the western hemisphere of the terrestrial globe, and holding in his beak a scroll inscribed with the Marine Corps motto "Semper Fidelis" (Ever Faithful) with the hemisphere superimposed on a foul anchor. The seal is displayed on a scarlet background encircled with a Navy blue band edged in a gold rope rim and inscribed "Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps" in gold letters. Coincident with the approval of this seal by the President, the emblem centered on the seal was adopted in 1955 as the official Marine Corps Emblem.

http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Customes_Tradit...


http://www.usmc.mil/


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Origine et étymologie des prénoms. Guide des noms
FIDÈLE (Saint), Fidelis (à qui l'on peut se fier, qui a la foi, en latin), capucin, martyr en suisse au dix-septième siècle, honoré le 24 avril.
Fidèle était originaire de Sigmaringen, petite ville d'Allemagne. Aussi distingué par son savoir que par sa piété, il exerça pendant quelque temps en Alsace les fonctions de magistrat, et son zèle à prendre toujours en main la cause des indigents et des malheureux le fit surnommer l'avocat des pauvres. Toutefois, désirant se consacrer entièrement à Dieu, il se retira chez les capucins de Fribourg, où il prit l'habit, et il s'imposa des austérités plus rudes que celles qui étaient prescrites par les règles de son ordre. Chargé d'aller prêcher l'Évangile chez les grisons, il remplit cette mission avec un zèle infatigable et opéra de nombreuses conversions. Un jour qu'il se rendait dans une petite ville pour y exercer son saint ministère, il fut arrêté sur la route par des soldats calvinistes qui, après l'avoir accablé d'outrages, le mirent à mort ; c'était en l'année 1662. Saint Fidèle a été canonisé par Benoît XIV.
http://www.e-prenoms.com/f/fi.htm

USD/SDSU Semper Fi's Home Page
... those aspiring to become Marine Corps Officers. Semper Fidelis is the Marine Corps
motto and is Latin for “Always Faithful”, an attribute required of ...
http://www.acusd.edu/battalion/clubs/semperfi/

Semper Fi Newzs - Marine Motto
... Fidelis, Latin for "always faithful" .Until 1871 it was "First to Fight", a motto
that still applies. Through the years, Marines have shortened it to Semper Fi ...
http://www.semperfinews.com/motto.htm [More results from www.semperfinews.com]