clivus
9.9
A sloping street that goes up a hill, often used in ancient Rome
- noun
- /ˈklɪvəs/
- Specialized
:
clivus
- Archaeologists discovered remnants of a Roman clivus beneath the modern street.
Examples
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Pilgrims walked up the steep clivus to reach the temple at the top of the hill.
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The ancient clivus was lined with statues and led directly to the city gate.
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The clivus is steep.
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Look at that clivus!
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The ancient clivus was lined with statues and led directly to the city gate.
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Pilgrims walked up the steep clivus to reach the temple at the top of the hill.
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Archaeologists discovered remnants of a Roman clivus beneath the modern street.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Clivus in Latin meant 'slope' or 'hill', and Romans used the word for streets that climbed up a hill. So a Roman clivus was simply a sloping street, which explains the word's use for an incline.
