Augustan
/ɔːˈɡʌstən/noun
Relating to Augustus Caesar, his reign, or the period of artistic and literary achievement associated with him.
Did you know?Augustus was not Octavian’s birth name: the Roman Senate granted him this honorific in 27 BCE, derived from Latin augēre, “to increase” or “make greater.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ewg-
“To increase, strengthen, or make greater”
Classical Latin
Latin
augēre
“To increase, enlarge, or make something prosper”
Classical Latin
Latin
augustus
“Venerable, majestic, or consecrated; an honorific title”
27 BCE
Latin
Augustus
“The title granted to Octavian when he became Rome’s first emperor”
Late Latin
Latin
Augustānus
“Relating to Augustus or his reign”
17th Century
English
Augustan
“Relating to Augustus or the classical Roman literary ideal”
Modern English
English
Augustan
“Connected with Augustus, his age, or a refined classical style”