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Glite Dictionary
Rea Silvia

Rea Silvia

9.9
A Roman priestess said to be the mother of Romulus and Remus by Mars
  • proper noun
  • Literature
: Rea Silvia
  • According to legend, Rea Silvia was the mother of Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus.

Examples

  • According to legend, Rea Silvia was a vestal virgin.

  • Many ancient artworks depict Rea Silvia at the moment she encounters the god Mars.

  • The story of Rea Silvia highlights the importance of myth in Roman cultural identity.

  • Did Rea Silvia really give birth to Romulus and Remus?

  • According to legend, Rea Silvia was the mother of Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus.

  • Many ancient artworks depict Rea Silvia at the moment she encounters the god Mars.

  • The story of Rea Silvia highlights the importance of myth in Roman cultural identity.

Synonyms

Rhea Silvia
vsRea Silvia
  • Literature
1 9.9

A Vestal virgin in Roman myth who became mother of Romulus and Remus by Mars

has identical meaning but uses the other spelling

Surface Forms

Rea Silvia main

Morphology

Rea + Silvia

This is a proper name referring to a specific mythological person; its meaning is referential (identity and story) rather than compositional. The elements 'Rea' and 'Silvia' are not ordinary lexical items with transparent meanings (dictionary entries are missing), so a B1 learner who knows the word-forms would not be able to infer the vestal-mother-of-Romulus-and-Remus meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Rea Silvia is a figure from Roman myth who became the mother of the twins Romulus and Remus. One popular story says she was a priestess who had to stay a virgin, but the god Mars came to her and she gave birth to the twins, so her story explains the 'founding' of Rome.