Pliny
Americannoun
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the ElderGaius Plinius Secundus, a.d. 23–79, Roman naturalist, encyclopedist, and writer.
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his nephew (“the Younger,” Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus ) a.d. 62?–c113, Roman writer, statesman, and orator.
noun
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known as Pliny the Elder. Latin name Gaius Plinius Secundus. 23–79 ad , Roman writer, the author of the encyclopedic Natural History (77)
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his nephew, known as Pliny the Younger. Latin name Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus. ?62–?113 ad , Roman writer and administrator, noted for his letters
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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.
“We thought that in the words of Pliny the Younger, ‘their lives were worthy of our memory.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Pliny the Elder judged that the hare “is born to be all creatures’ prey.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
During the late 2000s, when Pliny the Younger became the most sought-after ale in North America, Brouwer’s had kegs of the triple IPA squirrelled away.
From Seattle Times ● May 28, 2024
Pliny the Elder, Plutarch, and others wrote about black henbane, along with its closely related but less potent relatives, white and yellow henbane.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 7, 2024
As Pliny the Naturalist saith, “No man is wise in every hour. ”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
