Medici

[ med-i-chee; Italian me-dee-chee ]

noun
  1. Catherine de'. Catherine de Médicis.

  2. Cos·mo or Co·si·mo de' [kawz-maw or kaw-zee-maw de], /ˈkɔz mɔ or ˈkɔ zi mɔ dɛ/, "the Elder", 1389–1464, Italian banker, statesman, and patron of art and literature.

  1. Cosmo or Cosimo de' "the Great", 1519–74, duke of Florence and first grand duke of Tuscany.

  2. Gio·van·ni de' [jaw-vahn-nee de]. /dʒɔˈvɑn ni dɛ/. Leo X.

  3. Giu·lio de' [joo-lyaw de]. /ˈdʒu lyɔ dɛ/. Clement VII.

  4. Lo·ren·zo de' [law-ren-tsaw de], /lɔˈrɛn tsɔ dɛ/, "Lorenzo the Magnificent", 1449–92, poet and patron of the arts and literature: ruler of Florence 1478–92 (father of Leo X).

  5. Ma·ri·a de' [muh-ree-uhduh; Italian mah-ree-ah de]. /məˈri ə də; Italian mɑˈri ɑ dɛ/. Marie de Médicis.

Other words from Medici

  • Med·i·ce·an [med-i-see-uhn, ‐chee-uhn], /ˌmɛd ɪˈsi ən, ‐ˈtʃi ən/, adjective

Words Nearby Medici

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Medici in a sentence

  • Notwithstanding its wealth, the house of the Medici was eclipsed on this occasion by the court of France.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
  • Nearly all the first Medici had natural children, whose careers were invariably brilliant.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
  • Her idolatry for Francois I. saved the house of the Medici from all suspicion when the dauphin was poisoned.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
  • He had seen the arrival at the French court of the young girl Catherine de' Medici, then scarcely fifteen years of age.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
  • Catherine de' Medici, seeing a chance of support to her policy in a national representation, joyfully agreed to it.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for Medici

Medici

/ (ˈmɛdɪtʃɪ, məˈdiːtʃɪ, Italian ˈmɛːditʃi) /


noun
  1. an Italian family of bankers, merchants, and rulers of Florence and Tuscany, prominent in Italian political and cultural history in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, including

  2. Catherine de' (kaˈtriːn de). See Catherine de' Medici

  1. Cosimo I (ˈkɔːzimo), known as Cosimo the Great. 1519–74, duke of Florence and first grand duke of Tuscany (1569–74)

  2. Cosimo de', known as Cosimo the Elder. 1389–1464, Italian banker, statesman, and patron of arts, who established the political power of the family in Florence (1434)

  3. Giovanni de', (dʒoˈvanni de). See Leo X

  4. Giulio de' (ˈdʒuːljo de). See Clement VII

  5. Lorenzo de' (loˈrɛntso de), known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. 1449–92, Italian statesman, poet, and scholar; ruler of Florence (1469–92) and first patron of Michelangelo

  6. Maria de' (maˈriːa de). See Maria de' Medici

  • French name: Médicis (medisis)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Medici

Medici

[ (med-uh-chee) ]


A family of skilled politicians and patrons of the arts who lived in Florence, Italy, during the Renaissance. (See Lorenzo de Medici.)

Notes for Medici

The family produced two queens of France: Catherine, in the sixteenth century, and Marie, in the seventeenth.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.