Herodian

American  

[huh-roh-dee-uhn] / həˈroʊ di ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Herod the Great, his family, or its partisans.

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noun

1. a partisan of the house of Herod.

2. a member of a political group that supported the dynasty of Herod and opposed Jesus.

Etymology

Origin of Herodian

< Late Latin (Vulgate) Hērōdiānī (plural); Herod, -ian

Example Sentences

Jesus opposed not only the Roman overlords, Mr. Aslan writes, but also their representatives in Palestine: “the Temple priests, the wealthy Jewish aristocracy, the Herodian elite.”

From New York Times • Aug. 5, 2013

A massive Ionic capital hanging from the hall's ceiling and a chunk of limestone on the floor—a typical Herodian "brick" the size of a small refrigerator—explain why Herod was called "the great."

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2013

The harmony with Rome stretched Herodian Judea's borders into current-day Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2013

As a Herodian, she will eventually drain her lake bed dry.

From Time Magazine Archive

But Caracalla, in imitation of antiquity, composed a λόχος Πιτανάτης of Spartans, Herodian.

From The History and Antiquities of the Doric Race, Vol. 2 of 2 by Müller, Karl Otfried