Vertumnus

/ vɜːˈtʌmnəs /

noun

1. a Roman god of gardens, orchards, and seasonal change

Word History and Origins

Origin of Vertumnus¹

from Latin, from vertere to turn, change

Example Sentences

Of all that sought her Vertumnus was the most ardent, but he could make no headway.

From Literature

There’s also that hovering green apple revisited again and again by René Magritte; Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s whimsical Vertumnus, which depicts Roman emperor Rudolf II as a Roman god made out of fruit and veg; and even Maurizio Cattelan’s banana, which was duct-taped to a wall and sold for $120,000, before being eaten by another artist at Art Basel in Miami last month.

From The Guardian

After the sturm und drang of Paul’s life, the Deadly Sins and scenes from the life of Joshua, the exhibition’s relatively serene final gallery covers the last decade of Coecke’s life. His preoccupation with plants and architecture converge in three tapestries depicting the story of Vertumnus, the Roman god of the seasons, and his attempts to woo Pomona, the goddess of orchards, by assuming various disguises.

From New York Times

In the large "Jewish Wife," in "Bathsheba receiving David's Message," in the long lost "Vertumnus and Pomona," Saskia, the beloved Saskia, is always the model.

From Project Gutenberg

At its entrance was the bronze statue of Vertumnus, the god of Etruria, and patron of the quarter.

From Project Gutenberg