Publius Vergilius Maro

1 9.9

A Roman poet who wrote the Aeneid, the Eclogues and the Georgics

proper noun

: Publio Virgilio Marón

Many scholars regard Publius Vergilius Maro as the greatest poet of ancient Rome.

Examples

The influence of Publius Vergilius Maro can be seen throughout Western literature.
Students read selections from Publius Vergilius Maro in their Latin classes.
Publius Vergilius Maro is famous.
The works of Publius Vergilius Maro are studied in many literature courses.
Many scholars regard Publius Vergilius Maro as the greatest poet of ancient Rome.
Students read selections from Publius Vergilius Maro in their Latin classes.
The influence of Publius Vergilius Maro can be seen throughout Western literature.

Synonyms

Virgil

vsPublius Vergilius Maro

Literature

4 6.6

A Roman poet who wrote the long poem the Aeneid

is the same figure but given by the full formal classical name

Surface Forms

Publius Vergilius Maro main

Morphology

Publius + Vergilius + Maro

This is a proper name (a Latin three-part name) rather than a compositional phrase; the meanings 'Publius', 'Vergilius', and 'Maro' are personal name elements and do not combine to yield the information 'a Roman poet who wrote the Aeneid'. Identifying the referent requires world knowledge or prior exposure, so a B1 learner who simply knows the constituent name-words would not be able to derive the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Publius Vergilius Maro is often called Vergil and wrote the long poem 'Aeneid' about Aeneas's journey from Troy to the land that became Rome, and he also wrote poems about farming ('Georgics') and country life ('Eclogues'). Because his stories helped people imagine Rome's past and he was so famous, his name is now used to mean 'one of the greatest Roman poets'.