Diocletian

American

[dahy-uh-klee-shuhn] / ˌdaɪ əˈkli ʃən /

noun

Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, a.d. 245–316, Illyrian soldier: emperor of Rome 284–305.

Diocletian British

/ ˌdaɪəˈkliːʃən /

noun

full name Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus. 245–313 _ad , Roman emperor (284–305), who divided the empire into four administrative units (293) and instigated the last severe persecution of the Christians (303)

"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

Other Word Forms

post-Diocletian

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But during the reign of Emperor Decius in 250, official empire-wide persecution noticeably increased, reaching its height under Emperor Diocletian in 303.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Finally, persecution under the emperor Diocletian in 303–311 focused on destroying churches in favor of restoring traditional Roman cults.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Turning back to Rome, the period of crisis that had made the eastern empire so vulnerable to Persian invasion ended with the ascension of the emperor Diocletian in 284 CE.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

State finances were in shambles when Diocletian came to power.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

“I mean,” the man said, “what did Diocletian ever do to you?”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023