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Plautus

American  
[plaw-tuhs] / ˈplɔ təs /

noun

  1. Titus Maccius c254–c184 b.c., Roman dramatist.


Plautus British  
/ ˈplɔːtəs /

noun

  1. Titus Maccius (ˈtaɪtəs ˈmæksɪəs). ?254–?184 bc , Roman comic dramatist. His 21 extant works, adapted from Greek plays, esp those by Menander, include Menaechmi (the basis of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors ), Miles Gloriosus, Rudens, and Captivi

"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

Example Sentences

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That was followed in 1962 by A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, an adaptation of farces by ancient Roman playwright Plautus, for which he wrote both music and lyrics.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2021

One of its earliest appearances is in works such as the plays of second-century B.C. writer Plautus.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2021

The ancient Roman dramatists Plautus and Terence, whose plays are the oldest-surviving Latin comedic texts, used social commentary to upset traditional Roman expectations and political figures.

From Slate • May 25, 2018

Inspired by the ancient Roman comedies of Plautus, it is populated by such popular stock characters as the lecherous old man, the braggart soldier and a crafty servant or two.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2017

Lucretius and Catullus are excellently represented: as in the field of Roman drama are Plautus and Terence, with fragments of elder playwrights.

From The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879 by Various