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Glite Dictionary
Scipio Africanus Major

Scipio Africanus Major

9.9
A Roman general who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama
  • proper noun
: Escipión Africano Mayor
  • The victory of Scipio Africanus Major at Zama ended the Second Punic War.

Examples

  • Scipio Africanus Major is regarded as one of Rome's greatest military commanders.

  • Many historians credit Scipio Africanus Major with changing the course of Roman history.

  • Did Scipio Africanus Major really defeat Hannibal?

  • How did Scipio Africanus Major manage to outsmart Hannibal?

  • Scipio Africanus Major is remembered for his decisive victory over Hannibal at the Battle of Zama.

  • Historians often discuss how Scipio Africanus Major reshaped Roman military tactics during the Second Punic War.

  • The achievements of Scipio Africanus Major in Carthage played a crucial role in establishing Roman dominance.

Synonyms

Scipio
vsScipio Africanus Major
2 9.9

A Roman general who defeated Hannibal at Zama in the Second Punic War

is the fuller form that adds a distinguishing honorific
Scipio Africanus
vsScipio Africanus Major
1 9.9

A Roman general who beat Hannibal at the Battle of Zama during Rome's war with Carthage

is the fuller form that includes an added honorific
Scipio the Elder
vsScipio Africanus Major
9.9

A Roman general known for defeating Hannibal at Zama during the Second Punic War

is the fuller form that uses a formal distinguishing honorific

Surface Forms

Scipio Africanus Major main

Morphology

Scipio + Africanus + major

This is a historical proper name whose referent (a Roman general who defeated Hannibal) is not compositionally derivable from the parts. 'Africanus' is not a transparent common-word element and 'major' is likely to be misinterpreted as the military rank rather than the Latin epithet 'the elder', so a B1 learner who only knows the surface words would not reliably infer the MWE's meaning without prior cultural/historical knowledge.

Etymology

Scipio Africanus Major was a Roman general who beat Hannibal and won the war in Africa. The title Africanus was given to mean 'conqueror of Africa' and Major means 'the elder', so his name tells us he was the older Scipio who won in Africa.