locus classicus

[loh-koos klahs-si-koos, loh-kuhs klas-i-kuhs]

noun

Latin.

plural

loci classici 

1. classical source: a passage commonly cited to illustrate or explain a subject or word.

locus classicus

/ ˈklæsɪkəs /

noun

1. an authoritative and often quoted passage from a standard work

Word History and Origins

Origin of locus classicus¹

Latin: classical place

Example Sentences

Samuel R. Delany’s “Dhalgren” is perhaps the most famous recent example, but the locus classicus remains David Lindsay’s “A Voyage to Arcturus.”

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In 2003, as an actual politician, Johnson disavowed this insight into his behavior as a young man: “I think my essay remains the locus classicus of the English genre of bogus self-deprecation.”

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This “bad mother,” “oversharenting” rendition of the mommy blog is one of the most popular, the locus classicus of the genre.

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He supported the auto bailout, the locus classicus of unwarranted state interference in private markets.

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But Schubert's might-have-been was written in the shadow of Mozart's six movement Divertimento in E flat, K563, the locus classicus of the string trio repertoire and the work with which, inevitably, the Leopolds bowed out.

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