Roman

See also: roman, román, Román, român, róman, and Rómán

English

Etymology

From Old French Romain, from Latin Rōmānus. In reference to the Byzantine Empire, via the Byzantine Greek endonym Ῥωμαῖος (Rhōmaîos). By surface analysis, Rome +‎ -an. Doublet of Romano.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɹəʊ.mən/
• (US) enPR: rōmən, IPA^(key): /ˈɹoʊ.mən/
• Hyphenation: Ro‧man
• Homophone: roamin' (some accents)
• Rhymes: -əʊmən

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

Roman (comparative more Roman, superlative most Roman)

1. Of or from Rome.
2. (historical) Of or from the Roman Empire.
3. (historical, historiography) Of or from the Byzantine Empire.
4. Of noble countenance but with little facial expression.
   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Influence of an Invitation”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 16:

     "Yes, I feel that I ought; and with me, to feel that I ought to do a thing, is to do it!" added he, looking quite Roman with excess of virtue.

5. (of type or text) Supporting the characters of the Latin alphabet.
6. (law, colloquial) Used to distinguish a Roman numeral from an Arabic numeral in oral discourse.

   You will find the term defined at the end of Roman one.

7. (typography) A font that is upright, as opposed to oblique or italic. (See roman font.)
8. Of or pertaining to the Roman Catholic Church or the Holy See.
9. (architecture) Of a style characterised by the size and boldness of its round arches and vaults, and having baths, aqueducts, basilicas, amphitheatres, etc.

Synonyms

• (Byzantine Roman): Rhomaian, Romaic, Romaean

Derived terms

• non-Roman
• pre-Roman
• Roman candle
• Roman Catholic
• Roman charity
• Roman-Dutch law
• Roman Empire
• Romanesque
• Roman font
• Roman font
• Romanism
• Romanist
• Roman numeraled
• Roman numeral, roman numeral
• Roman River
• Roman road
• Roman snail
• Times New Roman

 

Related terms

• Romaean

Translations

of or from Rome

• Albanian: roman (sq)
• Arabic: رُومِيّ (rūmiyy), رُومَانِيّ (rūmāniyy)

  Hijazi Arabic: روماني (rōmāni)

• Armenian: հռոմեական (hy) (hṙomeakan)
• Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܪܗ݇ܘܿܡܵܝܵܐ m (rōmāyā), ܪܗ݇ܘܿܡܵܝܬ݂ܵܐ f (rōmāyṯā)
• Belarusian: ры́мскі (rýmski)
• Bengali: রোমান (bn) (rōman), রূমী (bn) (rumi)
• Bulgarian: ри́мски (rímski)
• Catalan: romà (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 羅馬／罗马 (zh) (Luómǎ)

• Czech: římský (cs)
• Danish: Romer, romersk
• Dutch: Romeins (nl), Romeinse (nl)
• Esperanto: Romia
• Estonian: rooma
• Finnish: roomalainen (fi)
• French: romain (fr)
• Galician: romano (gl)
• Georgian: რომელი (ka) (romeli), რომული (romuli)
• German: römisch (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: Ῥωμαϊκός (Rhōmaïkós)

  Modern: ρωμαϊκός (el) (romaïkós)

• Hebrew: רוֹמִי (he) m (rómi), רוֹמָאִי (he) m (romaí)
• Hindi: रोमक (hi) (romak), रोमन (hi) (roman), रूमी (hi) (rūmī)
• Hungarian: római (hu)
• Indonesian: Romawi
• Irish: Rómhánach, Na Róimhe
• Italian: romano (it) m, romana (it) f
• Japanese: ローマの (ja) (Rōma no)
• Kazakh: римдік (rimdık)
• Korean: 로마 (ko) (Roma)
• Latin: Romanus (la)
• Latvian: Romanum
• Lithuanian: Romas
• Low German: Römsche, (Germany) röömsch
• Luxembourgish: réimesch
• Macedonian: римски (rimski)
• Malay: Rom, Rumi (ms)
• Marathi: रोमन (roman)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: romersk (no)

  Nynorsk: romersk

• Old Armenian: հռովմայեցի (hṙovmayecʻi)
• Old Church Slavonic: римьскъ (rimĭskŭ)
• Old English: Rōmānisċ
• Persian: رومی (fa) (rumi)
• Polish: rzymski (pl) m
• Portuguese: romano (pt)
• Romanian: roman (ro)
• Russian: ри́мский (ru) (rímskij)
• Sanskrit: रौमक (sa) (raumaka)
• Scottish Gaelic: Ròmanach (gd)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ри̑мскӣ

  Roman: rȋmskī (sh)

• Sicilian: rumanu (scn)
• Slovak: rímsky (sk)
• Slovene: Rimski (sl)
• Spanish: romano (es)
• Swedish: romersk (sv)
• Tajik: румӣ (rumi)
• Telugu: రోమను (rōmanu)
• Turkish: Romalı (tr)
• Ukrainian: ри́мський (rýmsʹkyj)
• Vietnamese: La Mã (vi)
• Walloon: Rominne
• Welsh: Rhufeinig, Rhufeinaidd
• West Frisian: Romein

of or from the Roman Empire

• Arabic: رُومِيّ (rūmiyy), رُومَانِيّ (rūmāniyy)
• Bengali: রোমান (bn) (rōman), রূমী (bn) (rumi)
• Catalan: romà (ca) m, romana (ca) f
• Danish: romersk
• Finnish: roomalainen (fi)
• Georgian: რომაული (romauli)
• German: römisch (de)
• Greek: ρωμαϊκός (el) (romaïkós)
• Hindi: रोमक (hi) (romak), रोमन (hi) (roman), रूमी (hi) (rūmī)
• Irish: Rómhánach, Na Róimhe
• Kazakh: римдік (rimdık)
• Malay: Rumi (ms), Rumawi
• Marathi: रोमन (roman)
• Middle Persian: 𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭬𐭠𐭣𐭩𐭪 (ḥlʿmʾdyk /⁠hrōmāyīg⁠/)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: romersk (no)

  Nynorsk: romersk

• Old English: Rōmānisċ
• Old Norse: valskr
• Persian: رومی (fa) (rumi)
• Polish: rzymski (pl) m
• Portuguese: romano (pt)
• Russian: ри́мский (ru) (rímskij)
• Sanskrit: रौमक (sa) (raumaka)
• Scottish Gaelic: Ròmanach (gd)
• Tajik: румӣ (rumi)
• Telugu: రోమను (rōmanu)
• Turkish: Romalı (tr)
• Ukrainian: ри́мський (rýmsʹkyj)

of Western character set

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 羅馬／罗马 (zh) (Luómǎ)

• Finnish: latinalainen (fi)
• German: lateinisch (de)
• Greek: λατινικός (el) m (latinikós)
• Hebrew: לָטִינִי m (latíni)
• Hindi: रोमक (hi) (romak), रोमन (hi) (roman)
• Japanese: ローマの (ja) (Rōma no)
• Korean: 로마 (ko) (Roma)
• Marathi: रोमन (roman)
• Old Church Slavonic: римьскъ (rimĭskŭ)
• Portuguese: romano (pt)
• Russian: лати́нский (ru) (latínskij), ри́мский (ru) (rímskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: Ròmanach (gd)

upright, as opposed to oblique or italic

• French: romain (fr)
• Hungarian: álló (hu)
• Portuguese: corpo redondo

Roman Catholic

• German: katholisch (de), römisch-katholisch (de)
• Greek: ρωμαιοκαθολικός (el) m (romaiokatholikós)
• Hindi: रोमन (hi) (roman), रोमन कैथलिक (roman kaithlik)
• Portuguese: católico (pt)
• Ukrainian: римо-като́лицький (rymo-katólycʹkyj)

Noun

Roman (plural Romans)

1. A native or resident of Rome.
2. (historical) A native or resident of the Roman Empire.
3. (historical, historiography) A native or resident of the Byzantine Empire.
   • 2010, John Wortley trans. John Skylitzes as A Synopsis of Byzantine History, 811–1057, p. 442, n. 192:

     Kars was the capital of the small Armenian kingdom of Vanand, ruled by Gagik (the same name as the sovereign of Ani) from 1029 to 1064, when he surrendered his kingdom to the Romans. In 1053 it was taken by the Seljoukids, probably under the command of Qutlumus...

4. (uncountable) The Roman script.
5. (printing, countable) A single letter or character in Roman type.
6. (dated) A Roman Catholic.
   • 2006, Sarah Waters, The Night Watch, Virago Press, page 151:

     ‘Is it like―I don’t know―Catholicism? One only spots the other Romans when one’s practised it oneself?’

Synonyms

• (Byzantine Roman): Rhomaian, Romaean

Derived terms

• when in Rome, do as the Romans do

 

Translations

a native or resident of Rome

• Arabic: رُومِيّ m (rūmiyy), رُومَانِيّ m (rūmāniyy)

  Hijazi Arabic: روماني m (rōmāni)

• Armenian: հռոմեացի (hṙomeacʻi)

  Old Armenian: հռովմայեցի (hṙovmayecʻi)

• Belarusian: ры́млянін m (rýmljanin), ры́млянка f (rýmljanka)
• Bulgarian: ри́млянин m (rímljanin)
• Catalan: romà (ca) m, romana (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 羅馬人／罗马人 (lo⁴ maa⁵ jan⁴)

  Mandarin: 羅馬人／罗马人 (Luómǎ-rén)

• Czech: Říman (cs) m, Římanka (cs) f
• Dutch: Romein (nl) f, Romeinse (nl) f
• Esperanto: romano (man or woman), romanino (woman)
• Finnish: roomalainen (fi)
• French: Romain (fr) m, Romaine (fr) f
• Galician: romano (gl) m
• Georgian: რომელი (ka) (romeli)
• German: Römer (de) m, Römerin (de) f
• Gothic: 𐍂𐌿𐌼𐍉𐌽𐍃 m (rumōns)
• Greek: Ρωμαίος (el) m (Romaíos)

  Ancient: Ῥωμαῖος m (Rhōmaîos)

• Hebrew: רוֹמָאִי (he) m (romaí)
• Hindi: रोमक (hi) m (romak), रोमन (hi) m (roman), रूमी (hi) m (rūmī), रोमवासी m (romvāsī)
• Irish: Rómhánach m
• Italian: romano (it) m, romana (it) f
• Japanese: ローマ人 (Rōma-jin)
• Korean: 로마 사람 (Roma saram)
• Marathi: रोमन m (roman), रोमकर m (romkar)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: romer (no) m

  Nynorsk: romar m

• Old English: Rōmānisċ
• Persian: رومی (fa) (rumi)
• Polish: rzymianin (pl) m, rzymianka (pl) f
• Portuguese: romano (pt) m
• Romanian: roman (ro) m
• Russian: ри́млянин (ru) m (rímljanin), ри́млянка (ru) f (rímljanka)
• Sanskrit: रोमक (sa) m (romaka)
• Scottish Gaelic: Ròmanach (gd) m
• Spanish: romano (es) m, romana (es) f
• Swabian: Remer
• Swedish: romare (sv) c
• Telugu: రోమను (rōmanu)
• Turkish: Romalı (tr)
• Ukrainian: ри́млянин m (rýmljanyn), ри́млянка f (rýmljanka)
• Welsh: Rhufeiniad m or f

a native or inhabitant of the Roman Empire

• Armenian: հռոմեացի (hṙomeacʻi)

  Old Armenian: հռովմայեցի (hṙovmayecʻi)

• Belarusian: ры́млянін m (rýmljanin), ры́млянка f (rýmljanka)
• Catalan: romà (ca) m, romana (ca) f
• Chichewa: Mloma
• Dutch: Romein (nl) m
• Esperanto: romaniano (man or woman), romanianino (woman)
• Finnish: roomalainen (fi)
• Georgian: რომაელი (romaeli)
• German: Römer (de) m
• Greek: Ρωμαίος (el) m (Romaíos)

  Ancient: Ῥωμαῖος m (Rhōmaîos)

• Hebrew: רומאי (he) m (roma'í)
• Hindi: रोमक (hi) m (romak), रोमन (hi) m (roman), रूमी (hi) m (rūmī), रोमवासी m (romvāsī)
• Irish: Rómhánach m
• Italian: romano (it) m, romana (it) f
• Japanese: ローマ人 (Rōma-jin)
• Marathi: रोमन m (roman)
• Navajo: Roman dineʼé
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: romer (no) m

  Nynorsk: romar m

• Old East Slavic: волохъ m (voloxŭ)
• Old English: Rōmānisċ
• Persian: رومی (fa) (rumi)
• Polish: Rzymianin (pl) m, Rzymianka (pl) f
• Portuguese: romano (pt) m
• Romanian: roman (ro) m
• Russian: ри́млянин (ru) m (rímljanin), ри́млянка (ru) f (rímljanka)
• Sanskrit: रोमक (sa) m (romaka)
• Scottish Gaelic: Ròmanach (gd) m
• Swabian: Remer
• Swahili: Mrumi
• Telugu: రోమను (rōmanu)
• Turkish: Romalı (tr)
• Ukrainian: ри́млянин m (rýmljanyn), ри́млянка f (rýmljanka)
• Welsh: Rhufeiniwr m, Rhufeiniad m or f

the Roman script

• Arabic: لَاتِينِيَّة (ar) f (lātīniyya), رُومَانِيَّة (ar) f (rūmāniyya)

  Hijazi Arabic: لاتيني m (lātīni)

• Belarusian: лаці́нка f (lacínka) (Belarusian Latin script: łacinka f)
• Catalan: llatí (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 羅馬字／罗马字 (zh) (Luómǎzì)

• Czech: Latinka f
• Dutch: Latijn (nl) n
• Finnish: latinalainen aakkosto
• Georgian: ლათინური დამწერლობა (latinuri damc̣erloba), ლათინური (ka) (latinuri), რომაული ანბანი (romauli anbani), რომაული (romauli)
• German: Lateinisch (de) n, ABC (de) n
• Greek: λατινικό αλφάβητο (el) n (latinikó alfávito)
• Hindi: रोमक-लिपि f (romak-lipi), रोमन-लिपि f (roman-lipi)
• Japanese: ローマ字 (ja) (ろーまじ, Rōma-ji)
• Korean: 로마자 (ko) (Romaja)
• Marathi: रोमन f (roman)
• Polish: łacinka (pl) f
• Portuguese: latino (pt) m
• Russian: лати́ница (ru) f (latínica)
• Scottish Gaelic: aibidil Ròmanach f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: латѝница f

  Roman: latìnica f

• Slovene: latinica (sl) f
• Telugu: రోమను (rōmanu)
• Ukrainian: лати́нка f (latýnka), лати́ниця f (latýnycja)
• Vietnamese: chữ cái Latinh, chữ Latinh (vi)
• Welsh: teip Rhufeinig m

Proper noun

Roman (plural Romans)

1. A male given name from Latin recently borrowed from continental Europe.
2. A surname.
3. A city in Neamț, Romania

Translations

male given name

• Belarusian: Раман (Raman)
• Catalan: Romà m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 羅曼／罗曼 (Luómàn)

• Czech: Roman (cs)
• Dutch: Roman (nl) m, Romaan (nl) m
• Franco-Provençal: Reman
• French: Romain (fr) m
• German: Roman (de) m
• Hebrew: רוֹמָן (he) m (róman)
• Hungarian: Román (hu)
• Latvian: Romāns m
• Lithuanian: Ròmas／Rõmas
• Marathi: रोमन m (roman)
• Occitan: Roman (oc) m, Róman m, Roma (oc) m
• Polish: Roman (pl) m
• Portuguese: Romão (pt) m
• Russian: Рома́н (ru) m (Román)
• Slovak: Roman
• Spanish: Román (es) m
• Ukrainian: Роман m (Roman)
• Yakut: Арамаан (Aramaan)

Translations

Anagrams

• Armon, Manor, Maron, Moran, Narom, Nor Am, Nor-Am, NorAm, Norma, manor, moran, morna, norma

Cebuano

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: Ro‧man

Noun

Roman

1. a male given name

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Rōmānus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈroman]

Proper noun

Roman m anim

1. a male given name from Latin

Declension

Declension of Roman (hard masculine animate)

	singular	plural
nominative	Roman	Romané, Romani
genitive	Romana	Romanů
dative	Romanovi, Romanu	Romanům
accusative	Romana	Romany
vocative	Romane	Romané, Romani
locative	Romanovi, Romanu	Romanech
instrumental	Romanem	Romany

Estonian

Etymology

From Latin Rōmānus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈromɑn/

Proper noun

Roman

1. a male given name from Latin

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁoˈmaːn/

  • Audio:

    (file)

Etymology 1

From French roman.

Noun

Roman m (strong, genitive Romanes or Romans, plural Romane)

1. (literature) novel

Declension

Declension of Roman [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Roman	die	Romane
genitive	eines	des	Romanes, Romans	der	Romane
dative	einem	dem	Roman, Romane1	den	Romanen
accusative	einen	den	Roman	die	Romane

¹Now rare, see notes.

Synonyms

• umfangreiche erzählende Dichtung in Prosa (descriptive)

Hypernyms

• Prosagroßform
• Literatur

Derived terms

• Abenteuerroman
• Bildungsroman
• Briefroman
• Detektivroman
• Entwicklungsroman
• Fantasy-Roman
• Fortsetzungsroman
• Groschenroman
• Gruselroman
• Jugendroman
• Kindheitsroman
• Kriegsroman
• Kriminalroman
• Liebesroman
• Ritter- und Räuber-Roman, Ritter- und Räuberroman
• Ritterroman
• Schlüsselroman
• Spionageroman
• Staatsroman
• Trivialroman
• Unterhaltungsroman
• Zukunftsroman

 

Etymology 2

From Latin Rōmānus.

Proper noun

Roman

1. a male given name from Latin

Further reading

• “Roman” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Roman” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Roman” in Duden online

Nauruan

Proper noun

Roman

1. Romania

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin Rōmānus, from rōmānus (“Roman, of Rome”, adjective).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɔ.man/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔman
• Syllabification: Ro‧man

Proper noun

Roman m pers (diminutive Romek)

1. a male given name from Latin

Declension

Declension of Roman

	singular	plural
nominative	Roman	Romanowie/Romany (deprecative)
genitive	Romana	Romanów
dative	Romanowi	Romanom
accusative	Romana	Romanów
instrumental	Romanem	Romanami
locative	Romanie	Romanach
vocative	Romanie	Romanowie

Romanian

Etymology

Named after Roman I of Moldavia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈroman/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Roman m

1. A city in Neamț, Romania
2. (historical) A county of Romania

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	Roman	Romanul
genitive-dative	Roman	Romanului
vocative	Romanule

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈrɔman]

Proper noun

Roman m pers (genitive singular Romana, nominative plural Romanovia, declension pattern of chlap)

1. a male given name from Latin
2. a surname

Declension

Declension of Roman

	singular	plural
nominative	Roman	Romanovia
genitive	Romana	Romanov
dative	Romanovi	Romanom
accusative	Romana	Romanov
locative	Romanovi	Romanoch
instrumental	Romanom	Romanmi

Further reading

• “Roman”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Romani rromano. Cognate to English Romani. Not related to Rumen (“Romanian”) or Romalı (“a Roman”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɾomɑn/

Proper noun

Roman

1. a member of the Roma people, Rom, Romani

   Synonym: (offensive) çingene

2. novel

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	Roman
Definite accusative	Romanı
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	Roman	Romanlar
Definite accusative	Romanı	Romanları
Dative	Romana	Romanlara
Locative	Romanda	Romanlarda
Ablative	Romandan	Romanlardan
Genitive	Romanın	Romanların
Possessive forms Nominative Singular Plural 1st singular Romanım Romanlarım 2nd singular Romanın Romanların 3rd singular Romanı Romanları 1st plural Romanımız Romanlarımız 2nd plural Romanınız Romanlarınız 3rd plural Romanları Romanları Definite accusative Singular Plural 1st singular Romanımı Romanlarımı 2nd singular Romanını Romanlarını 3rd singular Romanını Romanlarını 1st plural Romanımızı Romanlarımızı 2nd plural Romanınızı Romanlarınızı 3rd plural Romanlarını Romanlarını Dative Singular Plural 1st singular Romanıma Romanlarıma 2nd singular Romanına Romanlarına 3rd singular Romanına Romanlarına 1st plural Romanımıza Romanlarımıza 2nd plural Romanınıza Romanlarınıza 3rd plural Romanlarına Romanlarına Locative Singular Plural 1st singular Romanımda Romanlarımda 2nd singular Romanında Romanlarında 3rd singular Romanında Romanlarında 1st plural Romanımızda Romanlarımızda 2nd plural Romanınızda Romanlarınızda 3rd plural Romanlarında Romanlarında Ablative Singular Plural 1st singular Romanımdan Romanlarımdan 2nd singular Romanından Romanlarından 3rd singular Romanından Romanlarından 1st plural Romanımızdan Romanlarımızdan 2nd plural Romanınızdan Romanlarınızdan 3rd plural Romanlarından Romanlarından Genitive Singular Plural 1st singular Romanımın Romanlarımın 2nd singular Romanının Romanlarının 3rd singular Romanının Romanlarının 1st plural Romanımızın Romanlarımızın 2nd plural Romanınızın Romanlarınızın 3rd plural Romanlarının Romanlarının