[aw-guhs-tuh
s, uh-guhs-] 
| 1. | Also called Octavian (before 27 b.c.) (Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus; Augustus Caesar), 63 b.c.–a.d. 14, first Roman emperor 27 b.c.–a.d. 14: reformer, patron of arts and literature; heir and successor to Julius Caesar. |
| 2. | a title of office given to rulers of the Roman Republic after Octavianus. |
| 3. | a male given name. |
| Au·gus·tus (ô-gŭs'təs) First emperor of Rome (27 BC-AD 14) and grandnephew of Julius Caesar. Born Gaius Octavius, he took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus—often referred to simply as Octavian in English texts—in 44 after Caesar's assassination. He defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 31 and subsequently gained control over the empire. In 27 he was named emperor and given the honorary title Augustus. |
Augustus
the cognomen of the first Roman emperor, C. Julius Caesar Octavianus, during whose reign Christ was born (Luke 2:1). His decree that "all the world should be taxed" was the divinely ordered occasion of Jesus' being born, according to prophecy (Micah 5:2), in Bethlehem. This name being simply a title meaning "majesty" or "venerable," first given to him by the senate (B.C. 27), was borne by succeeding emperors. Before his death (A.D. 14) he associated Tiberius with him in the empire (Luke 3:1), by whom he was succeeded.