roman
B2formal, academic, historical, typographical
Definition
Meaning
relating to ancient Rome or its empire, culture, or people; also, a type of upright, non-italic typeface.
Can refer to the Roman Catholic Church; in typography, denotes standard upright lettering; in literature, describes a narrative style; historically, a citizen of ancient Rome.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Capitalised ('Roman') when referring specifically to ancient Rome, the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church, or Roman type. Lowercase ('roman') in typography. Context heavily determines meaning.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use 'Roman' for historical/ecclesiastical contexts and 'roman' for typography. Slight preference in UK for 'Roman Catholic' over just 'Catholic' in formal distinctions.
Connotations
Similar historical and cultural connotations. In typography, 'roman' is the universal technical term for upright type.
Frequency
Comparable frequency. More common in academic/historical contexts than everyday speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[be] + Roman[adjective] + RomanRoman + [noun]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in branding or historical references.
Academic
Common in history, classics, archaeology, theology, and typography.
Everyday
Most common in phrases like 'Roman numerals' or references to ancient history.
Technical
Standard term in typography and printing ('use roman font, not italic').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Not applicable as a verb in modern English.
American English
- Not applicable as a verb in modern English.
adverb
British English
- Not applicable as an adverb.
American English
- Not applicable as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- The Roman conquest of Britain began in AD 43.
- Please format the body text in roman font.
American English
- Roman architecture heavily used the arch.
- The document should be printed in standard roman type.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I can read Roman numerals like I, V, and X.
- Rome is a Roman city.
- The Roman Empire was very large.
- In your essay, use italics for book titles and roman for the main text.
- Roman law has influenced many modern legal systems.
- The archaeologist specialised in Roman Britain.
- The pontiff's Roman authority was questioned during the schism.
- The text was set in a elegant old-style roman with true italics.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
ROMAN: Remembers Old Monuments And Nations. Think of the Colosseum in Rome.
Conceptual Metaphor
ROMAN AS FOUNDATION: Roman law is the foundation of many legal systems. ROMAN AS ENDURING/PERMANENT: Roman roads still exist.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'роман' (a novel).
- In Russian, 'римский' is the adjective, but the English word is a cognate, so false friends are less likely.
- Be careful with capitalisation: 'Roman' (person/empire) vs. 'roman' (typeface).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'roman' to mean 'novel'.
- Writing 'roman' instead of 'Roman' for the empire.
- Confusing 'roman numerals' with Arabic numerals.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'roman' typically written in lowercase?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Capitalise 'Roman' when referring to the people, empire, or church of Rome (e.g., Roman Empire). Use lowercase 'roman' for the typographical style (e.g., roman font).
'Roman' (capitalised) is a proper adjective relating to Rome. 'roman' (lowercase) is a common noun/adjective in typography meaning upright, non-italic lettering.
No, 'roman' is not used as a verb in contemporary English. It functions primarily as a noun (a person, a typeface) or an adjective.
Because the numeral system (I, V, X, L, C, D, M) was developed and used by the ancient Romans. It was the standard numbering system in Europe for centuries.
Explore