Augustan [aw-guhs-tuh n, uh-guhs-] ExamplesWord Origin adjective
- of or relating to Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor, or to the age (Augustan Age) in which he flourished, which marked the golden age of Latin literature.
- of or relating to the neoclassic period, especially of 18th-century English literature.
noun
- an author in an Augustan age.
Origin of Augustan From the Latin word Augustānus, dating back to 1695–1705. See Augustus, -an Related formspost-Au·gus·tan, adjectivepre-Au·gus·tan, adjective Related Words for augustan classic, humanistic, academic, attic, Latin, Hellenic, Doric, Greek, roman, scholastic, Ionic, Grecian, bookish, canonical, Augustan, Homeric, Virgilian, belletristic Examples from the Web for augustan Historical Examples of augustan
The Augustan Age was comical enough, if we may trust some of Horaces satires.
Percival Leigh
In his later works, Pope took Augustan satire about as far as it could go.
Evan Lloyd
It must recognize that there is little hope in going back to lofty Augustan ideals.
Evan Lloyd
Churchill and Robert Lloyd are explicit in their wish to break from Augustan style.
Evan Lloyd
It may be that we have here a pair of poets, the two most prominent of the Augustan Age.
August Mau
British Dictionary definitions for augustan Augustan adjective
- characteristic of, denoting, or relating to the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar (63 bc –14 ad), his period, or the poets, notably Virgil, Horace, and Ovid, writing during his reign
- of, relating to, or characteristic of any literary period noted for refinement and classicism, esp the late 17th century in France (the period of the dramatists Corneille, Racine, and Molière) or the 18th century in England (the period of Swift, Pope, and Johnson, much influenced by Dryden)
noun
- an author in an Augustan Age
- a student of or specialist in Augustan literature
Word Origin and History for augustan Augustan adj.
1640s, from Latin Augustanus, “pertaining to Augustus (Caesar),” whose reign was connected with “the palmy period of Latin literature” [OED]; hence, “period of purity and refinement in any national literature” (1712).