mare nostrum
- noun
- Archaic
:
mare nostrum
- The Romans proudly referred to the Mediterranean Sea as mare nostrum, meaning 'our sea'.
The Mediterranean was its center, referred to often as Mare Nostrum, as our sea.
- The Mediterranean was its center, referred to often as Mare Nostrum, as our sea.
Examples
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The Mediterranean, or as the Romans called it, Mare Nostrum, our sea, was always the heart of the classical world.
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The Mediterranean was its center, referred to often as Mare Nostrum, as our sea.
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Ancient sailors navigated the waters of mare nostrum, the heart of their empire.
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In Roman times, the mare nostrum was vital for trade and cultural exchange.
Synonyms
73
2.8
A sea between southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia
8
2.3
A large sea between Europe, Africa, and Asia that connects to the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar
Surface Forms
Morphology
mare + nostrum
This is a Latin proper name (literally 'our sea') rather than an English compositional phrase, and B1 learners will not reliably know the Latin constituents or derive the sense 'Italian search‑and‑rescue operation' from them. As a fixed proper noun referring to a specific operation and historical concept, its meaning is referential and not predictable from the constituent forms, so it is opaque.
Etymology
Mare nostrum literally means mare 'sea' and nostrum 'our' in Latin. Romans used it to say the Mediterranean was 'their' sea, so today the phrase is used to mean 'the Mediterranean Sea' in historical contexts.