praenomen

American  

[pree-noh-muhn] / priˈnoʊ mən /

Or prenomen

noun

• praenomina,
  plural
• praenomens
  plural

1. the first or personal name of a Roman citizen, as “Gaius” in “Gaius Julius Caesar.”

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praenomen British  

/ priːˈnəʊmɛn, priːˈnɒmɪnəl /

noun

1. an ancient Roman's first or given name See also agnomen cognomen nomen

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• praenominal
  adjective
• praenominally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• praenomens
  plural
• praenomina
  plural

Etymology

Origin of praenomen

1655–65; < Latin praenōmen, equivalent to prae- prae- + nōmen name

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

praenomen praenomina

From the praenomen imperator is derived the term emperor, commonly used in modern times to designate Augustus and his successors.

From A History of Rome to 565 A. D. by Arthur Edward Romilly Boak

He clothed himself with the powers and the badges of the consuls, the praenomen of imperator, the functions of perpetual dictator.

From The Old Roman World, : the Grandeur and Failure of Its Civilization. by John Lord

From that time forward, his only praenomen was "Rough."

From Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field Southern Adventure in Time of War. Life with the Union Armies, and Residence on a Louisiana Plantation by Thomas Wallace Knox

There is a gentleman of the same name--I chanced to meet him in London--cultivating literature in the Temple; his praenomen, I bethink me, is Edmund.

From In Clive's Command A Story of the Fight for India by Herbert Strang

Roscius was a native of Solonium, a Latin town, his praenomen was Quintus; Aesopus appears to have been a freedman of the Claudia gens.

From The History of Roman Literature From the earliest period to the death of Marcus Aurelius by Charles Thomas Cruttwell

Finally it is of considerable historical importance to observe that a great mass of the praenomina used for this purpose are clearly of Italic origin, e.g.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 8 "Ethiopia" to "Evangelical Association" by Various