Roman

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Roman of, pertaining to, or characteristic of (ancient) Rome.
Roman alphabet the alphabet used for writing Latin, English, and most European languages, developed in ancient Rome.
Roman Britain Britain during the period ad 43–410, when most of Britain was part of the Roman Empire. The frontier of the Roman province of Britain was eventually established at Hadrian' Wall; the more northerly Antonine Wall was breached and abandoned (c.181).
Roman Catholic Church the part of the Christian Church which acknowledges the Pope as its head, especially as it has developed since the Reformation, and which is the largest Christian Church, dominant particularly in South America and southern Europe. Roman Catholicism differs from Protestantism in the importance it grants to tradition, ritual, and the authority of the Pope as successor to the Apostle St Peter, and especially in its doctrines of papal infallibility (formally defined in 1870) and of the Eucharist (transubstantiation), its celibate male priesthood, its emphasis on confession, and the veneration of the Virgin Mary and other saints.
Roman Empire the empire established by Augustus in 27 bc, which was divided after the death of Theodosius I (ad 395) into the Western Empire and the Eastern or Byzantine Empire (centred on Constantinople). At its greatest extent Roman rule or influence extended from Armenia and Mesopotamia in the east to the Iberian peninsula in the west, and from the Rhine and Danube in the north to Egypt and provinces on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. Eventually, the sheer extent of the territories led to the collapse of the Western Empire: Rome was sacked by the Visigoths under Alaric in 410, and the last emperor of the West, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed in 476. The Eastern Empire, which was stronger, lasted until 1453.
Roman holiday an occasion on which entertainment or profit is derived from injury or death; originally a holiday for a gladiatorial combat, as in Byron' Childe Harold' Pilgrimage (1812–18), ‘Butchered to make a Roman holiday.’
Roman law the law code of the ancient Romans forming the basis of civil law in many countries today.
Roman numeral any of the letters representing numbers in the Roman numerical system: I = 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500, M = 1,000. In this system a letter placed after another of greater value adds (thus XVI or xvi is 16), whereas a letter placed before another of greater value subtracts (thus XC is 90).
Roman republic the ancient Roman state from the expulsion of the Etruscan monarchs in 509bc until the assumption of power by Augustus (Octavian) in 27 bc. The republic was dominated by a landed aristocracy, the patricians, who ruled through the advisory Senate and two annually elected chief magistrates or consuls; the plebeians or common people had their own representatives, the tribunes, who in time gained the power of veto over the other magistrates. Dissatisfaction with the Senate's control of government led to civil wars, which culminated in Julius Caesar's brief dictatorship. This established the principle of personal autocracy, and after Caesar's assassination another round of civil war ended with Octavian' assumption of authority.
Roman road one following the line of one made under the Roman empire; typically of military origin, and where possible following the straight route of marching legions.
Roman type a plain upright kind of type used in ordinary print, especially as distinguished from italic and Gothic.

See also Romans, Rome.

Ro·man / ˈrōmən/ • adj. 1. of or relating to ancient Rome or its empire or people: an old Roman road. ∎  of or relating to medieval or modern Rome: the Roman and Pisan lines of popes. 2. dated short for Roman Catholic: the Roman Church's instructions to its clergy. 3. denoting the alphabet (or any of the letters in it) used for writing Latin, English, and most European languages, developed in ancient Rome. ∎  (roman) (of type) of a plain upright kind used in ordinary print, esp. as distinguished from italic. • n. 1. a citizen or soldier of the ancient Roman Republic or Empire. ∎  a citizen of modern Rome. 2. dated a Roman Catholic. 3. (roman) roman type.

ROMAN.
1. Both with and without an initial capital: relating to the upright style of typeface that dominates texts in English (of which this volume is an example) and many other languages, and that derives from the LETTER shapes used in ancient Rome; Roman type or lettering: a text printed in Times Roman; a mixture of Roman and Gothic; substituting italic for roman.

2. The Roman ALPHABET: Malay can be written in both Roman and Arabic. When the characters of another WRITING system are transliterated into Roman, they are said to be Romanized or, more commonly, romanized. Systems of romanization include Wade–Giles and Pinyin (‘classifying sound’) for Chinese and Hepburn and romaji (‘Roman letters’) for Japanese. See CHINA, JAPAN, TRANSLITERATION.

Roman ♂ (Russian) , Polish, and Czech: from the Late Latin personal name Romanus, originally an ethnic name meaning ‘Roman’ (a derivative of Roma; compare Romolo). This name was borne by a large number of early saints, and in the 10th century was given as a baptismal name to Boris, son of Vladimir, the ruler who Christianized Kievan Russia. Boris and his brother Gleb were murdered by their brother Svyatopolk and canonized as martyrs. Use of the name in the English-speaking world is recent, influenced perhaps by the film director Roman Polanski (b. 1933 as Raimund Liebling).

Roman pert. to (native or inhabitant of) ancient Rome XIII; pert. to (adherent of) the Roman Catholic Church XVI; (typogr.) based on the characteristic form of the ancient Roman inscriptions. ME. Romein, -ain — (O)F. Romain — L. Rōmānus, f. Rōma Rome; later assim. in sp. to L.; preceded by OE. Romane, -an sb. pl.; see -AN.
So R. Catholic XVII. Based on the official L. title of the Roman Church, Ecclesia Romana Catholica ęt Apostolica, ‘Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church’.

Roman town (1990 pop. 78,749), NE Romania, in Moldavia, at the confluence of the Prut and Siretul rivers. Sugar refining and the manufacture of building materials are the chief industries. The town was founded in the late 14th cent. by the ruling prince of Moldavia.

Roman, Bulgaria, Romania Romania: founded by, and named after, Roman Musat, the ruling prince of Moldavia (1392–4).

Roman ♂ (Russian) From Latin Romanus ‘Roman’. This was the baptismal name of St Boris.

Román ♂ (Spanish) From Late Latin Romanus ‘Roman’.

roman see type .

Roman •Alabaman, Amman, Ammon, Drammen, gammon, Mammon, salmon •Bradman, Caedmon, madman, madmen •flagman, flagmen •trackman, trackmen •hangman, hangmen •chapman, chapmen •cragsman, cragsmen •cracksman, cracksmen, Flaxman •batsman, batsmen •batman, batmen •Tasman •clansman, clansmen, Klansman, Klansmen, landsman, landsmen •backgammon •barman, barmen, Brahman, Carman, Carmen, shaman, Sharman, Tutankhamen •craftsman, craftsmen, draftsman, draftsmen, draughtsman, draughtsmen, raftsman, raftsmen •marksman, marksmen •atman •guardsman, guardsmen •leman, Lemmon, lemon, Yemen •headman, headmen, Stedman •Beckmann •bellman, bellmen, Hellman •gentleman, gentlemen •penman, penmen •Helpmann •pressman, pressmen •freshman, freshmen •Welshman, Welshmen •Frenchman, Frenchmen, henchman, henchmen •desman •headsman, headsmen •helmsman, helmsmen •lensman, lensmen •airman, airmen, chairman, chairmen •Bremen, caiman, Damon, Eamon, layman, laymen, stamen •railman, railmen •brakesman, brakesmen •statesman, statesmen •tradesman, tradesmen •salesman, salesmen •gamesman, gamesmen •plainsman, plainsmen •railwayman, railwaymen •highwayman, highwaymen •cacodemon, daemon, demon, Freeman, freemen, Philemon, Riemann, Schliemann, seaman, seamen, semen •Friedman •liegeman, liegemen •Eastman, policeman, policemen •beadsman, beadsmen, seedsman, seedsmen •fieldsman, fieldsmen •wheelsman, wheelsmen •persimmon, Rimmon •pitchman, pitchmen •Bridgman • milkman • Hillman •signalman, signalmen •Lippmann •pitman, pitmen, Whitman •guildsman, guildsmen •kinsman, kinsmen •Betjeman • regimen •clergyman, clergymen •tallyman, tallymen •talisman •Englishman, Englishmen •businessman, businessmen •Cornishman, Cornishmen •journeyman, journeymen •cavalryman, cavalrymen •ferryman, ferrymen •vestryman, vestrymen •dairyman, dairymen •Irishman, Irishmen •quarryman, quarrymen •Orangeman, Orangemen •congressman, congressmen •countryman, countrymen •infantryman, infantrymen •nurseryman, nurserymen •liveryman, liverymen •midshipman, midshipmen •harvestman, harvestmen •serviceman, servicemen •Hyman, Simon •Eichmann •rifleman, riflemen •Feynman, lineman, linemen •Weismann • Wiseman •tribesman, tribesmen •linesman, linesmen •exciseman, excisemen •common, Roscommon •watchman, watchmen •Godman, hodman, hodmen •Hoffman •frogman, frogmen •stockman, stockmen •dolman, dolmen •Scotsman, Scotsmen, yachtsman, yachtsmen •Boltzmann • Cotman •bondsman, bondsmen •Bormann, doorman, doormen, foreman, foremen, Mormon, Norman, storeman, storemen •Kauffmann • Walkman •horseman, horsemen, Norseman, Norsemen •sportsman, sportsmen •oarsman, oarsmen, outdoorsman, outdoorsmen •swordsman •longshoreman, longshoremen •bowmen, cowman, cowmen, ploughman (US plowman), ploughmen (US plowmen) •councilman, councilmen •Hauptmann • Housman •groundsman, groundsmen, roundsman, roundsmen, townsman, townsmen •warehouseman, warehousemen •Bowman, Oklahoman, Oman, omen, Roman, showman, showmen, yeoman, yeomen •coachman, coachmen •Coleman, Goldman •nobleman, noblemen •postman, postmen •spokesman, spokesmen •boatman, boatmen •lifeboatman, lifeboatmen •dragoman •crewman, crewmen, energumen, human, ichneumon, Newman, numen, Schumann, subhuman, Trueman •woman •woodman, woodmen •bookman, bookmen •Pullman •Bushman, Bushmen •footman, footmen •woodsman, woodsmen •ombudsman, ombudsmen •clanswoman •backwoodsman, backwoodsmen •charwoman •craftswoman, draughtswoman •gentlewoman • Welshwoman •Frenchwoman •airwoman, chairwoman •laywoman • stateswoman •saleswoman • policewoman •kinswoman • Englishwoman •businesswoman • Irishwoman •congresswoman • countrywoman •jurywoman • servicewoman •tribeswoman •Scotswoman, yachtswoman •forewoman • horsewoman •sportswoman • oarswoman •townswoman • spokeswoman •Dutchwoman • frontierswoman •alderwoman • anchorwoman •washerwoman • Ulsterwoman •churchwoman • acumen • summon •Dutchman, Dutchmen •gunman, gunmen •busman, busmen, dustman, dustmen •huntsman, huntsmen •Newcomen • Layamon •privateersman, privateersmen, steersman, steersmen •frontiersman, frontiersmen •fireman • Dobermann • lumbermen •abdomen • Omdurman •alderman, aldermen •Turkoman •cellarman, cellarmen, telamon •cyclamen •Highlandman, Highlandmen •Solomon • trawlerman • cinnamon •Chinaman, Chinamen •trencherman, trenchermen •fisherman, fishermen, militiaman, militiamen •washerman, washermen •ottoman •waterman, watermen •Ulsterman, Ulstermen •Burman, firman, German, Herman, sermon, Sherman •churchman, churchmen •turfman, turfmen •Bergman •kirkman, kirkmen, workman, workmen •Perelman •herdsman, herdsmen