esse quam videri*: Meaning and Definition of

es•se quam vi•de•ri

Pronunciation: (es'se kwäm wi'de-rē Eng. es'ē kwam vi-dâr'ī), [key]
— Latin. Latin.
  1. to be rather than to seem: motto of North Carolina.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.