LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
proper noun · masculinesecond declension

Ennius

Ennius m sg (genitive Enniī or Ennī)
Classical[ˈɛn.ni.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɛn.ni.us]

Meaning

  1. masculinesingulara Roman nomen gentile, gens or "family name" famously held by
  2. masculinesingularQuintus Ennius, a Roman poet

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeEnnius—
genitiveEnniī
Ennī		—
dativeEnniō—
accusativeEnnium—
ablativeEnniō—
vocativeEnnī—

Ennĭus, i, m.
I. Q. Ennius, the most celebrated Roman poet of the ante-class. period, the father of Roman epic poetry, born at Rudiae, in Calabria, 515, died 585 A. U. C.; Ter. And. prol. 18; Cic. Brut. 18, 73 sq.; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 50.—Cf. respecting him, Teuffel's Gesch. der Röm. Lit. p. 157 sq., Bernhardy's Grundriss der Röm. Lit. pp. 188 sq., 360 sq., and the authorities cited by both.—
B. Derivv.
1. Ennĭā-nus, a, um, adj., Ennian: versus, Sen. Ep. 108; cf. Gell. 12, 2, 7: distichon, Mart. Cap. 1, § 42: Neoptolemus, id. 5, 15 fin.: populus, the admirers of Ennius's poetry, Sen. ap. Gell. 12, 2, 10.—
2. Ennĭānista, ae, m., an imitator of Ennius, Auct. ap. Gell. 8, 5, 3.—
II. L. Ennius, a Roman knight, Tac. A. 3, 70.

Origins

In Messapia/Iapygia in southern Italy such as Ennius, interpreted as a theophoric name: "the one dedicated to En". (Lambertz 1973 p476) (Treimer 1971 p32)

Descendants
  • ItalianEnnio
  • Ancient GreekἜννιος

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

Biography & mythologyEnniusEnnius. whom the Romans ever regarded with a sort of filial reverence as the parent of their literature-- noster Ennius, our own Ennius, as he is styl…

Quick answers

What does Ennius mean in Latin?
Ennius, a proper noun, means “a Roman nomen gentile, gens or "family name" famously held by”.
What is the genitive of Ennius?
The genitive singular is Enniī. Ennius is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce Ennius?
In classical Latin, [ˈɛn.ni.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈɛn.ni.us].