Hannibal

7 8.9

A Carthaginian general who led his army and elephants across the Alps to fight Rome

proper noun
/ˈhænɪbəl/

: Aníbal

The Carthaginian general Hannibal demonstrated incredible strategic skill during the Second Punic War.
Hannibal crossed the Alps
Hannibal's invasion of Italy
Hannibal's army

So he does invade North Africa and he forces Hannibal to leave Italy.

Autoplay Next

Examples

After a series of victories, Hannibal hoped that other Italian city-states would join his fight.

Academic text (2007)
The Romans, worried about Hannibal's arrival, sent their own envoys trying to sow discord between the king and the exile.
Do you know who Hannibal was?

The Postman (1997)
The elephant was certainly the first one seen in Europe, probably since Hannibal and his attempt to, well, his invasion of Italy.

YaleCourses
But even with a small, weakened force, Hannibal repeatedly defeated the Romans.

Academic text (2007)
As much as a third of Hannibal's men died during the weeklong Alpine expedition.

Academic text (2007)
Some years ago, there was an attempt to discredit Polybius' account of Hannibal's invasion of Italy.

Academic text (1991)
But the gambit failed, and over time the Romans slowly ground down Hannibal's army through bloody attrition.

Academic text (2007)
On the barren plain of Zama... there stood the invincible armies... of the barbarian Hannibal.

Gladiator (2000)
Hannibal was a brilliant military leader who famously crossed the Alps with elephants to attack Hannibal.

Compounds

Hannibal Lecter mask

1 8.7

A face cover like the one Hannibal Lecter wears that covers the lower face and looks scary

Surface Forms

Hannibal main

Etymology

Hannibal comes from an old Carthaginian name made of Hanni (like the name Hannah, 'grace') and Baal, the local god. So Hannibal originally meant 'Baal is gracious' or 'favored by Baal', which helps you remember his North African background and the meaning of his name.