Brutus
[broo-tuh s]
- Marcus Jun·ius [joon-yuh s] /ˈdʒun yəs/, 85?–42 b.c., Roman provincial administrator: one of the assassins of Julius Caesar.
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et tu, Brute
[et too broo-tey]
- and thou, Brutus!: alleged dying words of Julius Caesar uttered as his friend Brutus stabbed him.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for brutus
Contemporary Examples
Fearful that he might yet stab them in the back, the British gave him the codename “Brutus.”
Rarely is it ever a cause as noble or as poetic as it was when Brutus stabbed Caesar.
This is like Brutus complaining that he wanted to be invited to Caesar's funeral—and in this case he actually was.
Brutus Cohn, traveling under the passport name of John Lamb, tracked the wheelchair down the sidewalk.
Historical Examples
If these letters influenced Brutus—and they must be taken to have done so, or else why were they introduced?
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
And now everything that Brutus does or says is Shakespeare's best.
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
There is some matter for surprise in the fact that Brutus is an ideal portrait of Shakespeare.
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
These instructions Brutus carried out with speed and fidelity.
The Trampling of the LiliesRafael Sabatini
Fortunately, he was able to give the orations of Brutus and Antony in full.
David ElginbrodGeorge MacDonald
Brutus
- Lucius Junius (ˈluːʃəs ˈdʒuːnɪəs). late 6th century bc, Roman statesman who ousted the tyrant Tarquin (509) and helped found the Roman republic
- Marcus Junius (ˈmɑːkəs ˈdʒuːnɪəs) ?85–42 bc, Roman statesman who, with Cassius, led the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar (44): committed suicide after being defeated by Antony and Octavian (Augustus) at Philippi (42)
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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
Word Origin and History for brutus
Brutus
A surname of the Junian gens. Association with betrayal traces to Marcus Junius Brutus (c.85 B.C.E.-42 B.C.E.), Roman statesman and general and conspirator against Caesar.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Brutus
A character in the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare; one of the assassins of Julius Caesar. (See “Brutus is an honorable man,” “Et tu, Brute?” and “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”)
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Brutus
An ancient Roman politician who helped assassinate his friend Julius Caesar.
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Note
Note
Caesar is said to have addressed Brutus with the words Et tu, Brute? (“Even you, Brutus?”) as Brutus stabbed him. This sentence has become a proverbial response to betrayal.
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.