Pliny
Americannoun
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the ElderGaius Plinius Secundus, a.d. 23–79, Roman naturalist, encyclopedist, and writer.
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his nephew (“the Younger,” Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus ) a.d. 62?–c113, Roman writer, statesman, and orator.
noun
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known as Pliny the Elder. Latin name Gaius Plinius Secundus. 23–79 ad , Roman writer, the author of the encyclopedic Natural History (77)
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his nephew, known as Pliny the Younger. Latin name Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus. ?62–?113 ad , Roman writer and administrator, noted for his letters
Other Word Forms
- Plinian adjective
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Craft beer drinkers know Pliny the Elder as the inspiration for his namesake double IPA.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026
His uncle, Pliny the Elder, sailed across the Bay of Naples in a bid to take a closer look and save lives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
Two thousand years ago, the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder described a man named Pomponius who could not belch.
From Salon • Sep. 8, 2024
During the late 2000s, when Pliny the Younger became the most sought-after ale in North America, Brouwer’s had kegs of the triple IPA squirrelled away.
From Seattle Times • May 28, 2024
According to Pliny, there were Romans considered sideratio, “planet-struck.”
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
