virgil

English - English

Definition of virgil in English English dictionary

A male given name, of mostly American usage

Pūblius Vergilius Marō (70-19 B.C.), Roman epic writer from the Augustan period, best known for writing the Aeneid

{i} male first name; family name; Publius Vergilius Maro (70-19 B.C.) ancient Roman poet who wrote the epic "Aeneid"; city in Kansas (USA); town in South Dakota (USA); village in Illinois (USA)

Vergil (70-19 BC) an ancient Roman poet whose best-known poem is The Aeneid, a long epic poem telling the story of how Aeneas left the city of Troy and eventually arrived in Italy. or Vergil orig. Publius Vergilius Maro born Oct. 15, 70, Andes, near Mantua died Sept. 21, 19 BC, Brundisium Greatest of Roman poets. The well-educated son of a prosperous provincial farmer, Virgil led a quiet life, though he eventually became a member of the circle around Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) and was patronized by Maecenas. His first major work, the 10 pastoral Eclogues (42-37), may be read as a prophecy of tranquility, and one has even been read as a prophecy of Christianity. The Georgics (37-30) point toward a Golden Age in the form of practical goals: the repopulation of rural lands and the rehabilitation of agriculture. His great epic, the Aeneid (begun 29, but unfinished at his death), is one of the masterpieces of world literature. A celebration of the founding of Rome by the legendary Aeneas at the request of Augustus, whose consolidation of power in 31-30 unified the Roman world, it also explores the themes of war and the pathos of unrequited love. In later centuries his works were regarded in the Roman Empire as virtually sacred. He was taken up reverently by Christians as well, including Dante, who, in his poem The Divine Comedy, made Virgil his guide through hell and purgatory

mostly, US, given name, male

a Roman poet; author of the epic poem `Aeneid' (70-19 BC)

Vergil

Related Terms

Virgil Thomson

born Nov. 25, 1896, Kansas City, Mo., U.S. died Sept. 30, 1989, New York, N.Y. U.S. composer and critic. He attended Harvard University, intending to become a pianist and organist. Studying in Paris with Nadia Boulanger (1921), he met the French composers known as Les Six and their circle and began to compose. While residing in Paris (1925-40), he met Gertrude Stein, with whom he wrote the operas Four Saints in Three Acts (1928) and The Mother of Us All (1946), affecting a charmingly naïve style. Back in New York City, he served as music critic of the Herald Tribune (1940-54); his gracefully written criticism was respected for its concern with music rather than performers. His other works include the film scores The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) and The Louisiana Story (1949, Pulitzer Prize)

Hyphenation

Vir·gil

Turkish pronunciation

vırcıl

Pronunciation

/ˈvərʤəl/ /ˈvɜrʤəl/

Etymology

() Latin Virgilius, from the Roman clan name Vergilius, of unknown meaning.