What does roman mean?
Roman is chiefly an adjective and noun associated with the ancient city of Rome and the Roman Empire. It describes the empire's people, institutions, language, law, architecture, military organization, and later the Christian church centered in Rome. A Roman noun means a person belonging to Rome or the Roman Empire, while the adjective can also be used more broadly for things strongly influenced by Roman culture. In typography, roman means upright, non-italic type, and lowercase roman specifically refers to the upright lowercase style of a typeface. As a verb, romanize means to convert text into letters of the Roman alphabet, especially by replacing letters from another writing system. The word has strong historical associations with law, government, engineering, and imperial power, but it can also carry a broader cultural sense: “Roman” qualities often imply classical rigor, order, or permanence.
A person belonging to ancient Rome or the Roman Empire.
"The novel follows a Roman family during the rise of the empire."
Usually capitalized when referring to an inhabitant of the ancient city or empire.
Relating to ancient Rome, the Roman Empire, or their people and culture; also denoting ordinary upright type.
"The ruins preserve evidence of Roman engineering and municipal organization."
Capitalized in historical and cultural senses. The typographic sense may be lowercase, as in “roman type,” although uppercase “Roman” is also used traditionally.
To convert writing from another script into letters of the Roman alphabet.
"The scholar romanized the medieval manuscript for publication."
Usually appears as romanize in American English; romanise is also common in British English.
The plural usually denotes the inhabitants or people of ancient Rome or the Roman Empire.
"The Romans built roads and aqueducts across much of their empire."
Roman numerals began with the seven simple strokes of the Roman counting system and still number films, clocks, and the Super Bowl.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does roman come from?
The word comes through Old French romain from Latin Romanus, meaning “of Rome” or “Roman.” The root was the name Roma, the Latin name associated with the city of Rome. Latin Romanus contributed to words such as Romance and romantic, which originally referred to the peoples and languages of the Roman world.
Related word forms
How roman is actually used
The capitalized form is standard when referring to the city, empire, people, religion, or culture of Rome. The lowercase form is chiefly a typographic term; in publishing, lowercase roman is distinguished from italic. As a verb, the form is usually romanize.
Easily confused with roman
Roman refers to Rome, its people, or its culture, whereas romantic refers to love, emotional attachment, or the literary and artistic tradition associated with the Middle Ages.