praenomen

or pre·no·men

[ pree-noh-muhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural prae·nom·i·na [pree-, nom, -, uh, -n, uh, -, noh, -m, uh, -], prae·no·mens.

the first or personal name of a Roman citizen, as “Gaius” in “Gaius Julius Caesar.”

praenomen

/ priːˈnəʊmɛn; priːˈnɒmɪnəl /

See nomen, cognomen, agnomen
an ancient Roman's first or given name See also agnomen cognomen nomen

1655–65; < Latin praenōmen, equivalent to prae- prae- + nōmen name

C18: from Latin, from prae- before + nōmen name

His person more than justified his praenomen, for Mr. Harper Freeman, Jr., was undeniably fat.

Titus is here the first name (praenomen) which was given sons on the ninth day after their birth.

The name of the month in which he was born was changed to Julius, from his praenomen, and we still retain the name.

The name by which the poet designates himself is Propertius simply; the praenomen Sextus rests on the authority of Donatus.

He therefore changed his praenomen to that of his adoptive father, and put his former nomen among his cognomina.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Browse