Medici

American  

[med-i-chee, me-dee-chee] / ˈmɛd ɪ tʃi, ˈmɛ di tʃi /

noun

1. Catherine de'. Catherine de Médicis.

2. Cosmo or Cosimo de' the Elder, 1389–1464, Italian banker, statesman, and patron of art and literature.

3. Cosmo or Cosimo de' the Great, 1519–74, duke of Florence and first grand duke of Tuscany.

4. Giovanni de' Leo X.

5. Giulio de' Clement VII.

6. Lorenzo de' Lorenzo the Magnificent, 1449–92, poet and patron of the arts and literature: ruler of Florence 1478–92 (father of Leo X).

7. Maria de' Marie de Médicis.

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Medici British  

/ ˈmɛdɪtʃɪ, ˈmɛːditʃi, məˈdiːtʃɪ /

noun

1. an Italian family of bankers, merchants, and rulers of Florence and Tuscany, prominent in Italian political and cultural history in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, including

2. Catherine de' (kaˈtriːn de). See Catherine de' Medici

3. Cosimo I (ˈkɔːzimo), known as Cosimo the Great. 1519–74, duke of Florence and first grand duke of Tuscany (1569–74)

4. Cosimo de' , known as Cosimo the Elder. 1389–1464, Italian banker, statesman, and patron of arts, who established the political power of the family in Florence (1434)

5. Giovanni de', (dʒoˈvanni de). See Leo X

6. Giulio de' (ˈdʒuːljo de). See Clement VII

7. Lorenzo de' (loˈrɛntso de), known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. 1449–92, Italian statesman, poet, and scholar; ruler of Florence (1469–92) and first patron of Michelangelo

8. Maria de' (maˈriːa de). See Maria de' Medici

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Medici Cultural  

1. A family of skilled politicians and patrons of the arts who lived in Florence, Italy, during the Renaissance. (See Lorenzo de Medici.)

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Discover More

The family produced two queens of France: Catherine, in the sixteenth century, and Marie, in the seventeenth.

Other Word Forms

• Medicean
  adjective

Example Sentences

In his description of Giotto’s naturalistic painting of the 14th century, Vasari hailed a “rebirth” of the arts, beginning then and carrying into the age of his own Medici patrons.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Florence's Uffizi Gallery said a tourist fell backwards while trying to "make a meme in front" of a portrait of Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, by Anton Domenico Gabbiani.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2025

From the Medici and the Rockefellers to the Castors and the Gandhis, many powerful families throughout history have hitched their fortunes to those of the ruling class— or even transcended to become rulers themselves.

From Salon • Dec. 31, 2024

Told during a Zoom interview that Sofia seemed more like Lucrezia Borgia and Catherine de’ Medici than a comic book character, Milioti matter-of-factly says, “That’s certainly incredible company to be in.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2024

With almost a dozen immortal emperors jostling for position, high-level Inka society was characterized by ramose political intrigue of a scale that would have delighted the Medici.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann