Aeneid
/ɪˈniː.ɪd/noun
An epic poem by Virgil about the Trojan hero Aeneas and the legendary founding of Rome.
Did you know?Virgil built the title from Aeneas’s name plus a Greek epic suffix, so the word itself means “the story of Aeneas,” not some abstract literary label.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Αἰνείας (Aineías)
“The name Aeneas, the Trojan hero of myth.”
Latin
Latin
Aenēās
“Aeneas, the legendary Trojan ancestor of the Romans.”
1st Century BCE
Latin
Aenēis / Aeneid
“Virgil’s epic poem about Aeneas.”
Middle English
English
Aeneid
“Virgil’s epic poem, known in English by its Latinized title.”
Modern English
English
Aeneid
“Virgil’s epic poem about Aeneas and the founding of Rome.”
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