LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
proper noun · masculinethird declension

Maecēnās

Maecēnās m (genitive Maecēnātis)
Classical[mae̯ˈkeː.naːs]Ecclesiastical[meˈt͡ʃɛː.nas]

Meaning

  1. a Roman cognomen — famously held by
  2. Gaius Cilnius Maecenas, a Roman patron
  3. broadlyMaecenas (any person who is a generous benefactor, particularly of the arts)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeMaecēnāsMaecēnātēs
genitiveMaecēnātisMaecēnātum
dativeMaecēnātīMaecēnātibus
accusativeMaecēnātemMaecēnātēs
ablativeMaecēnāteMaecēnātibus
vocativeMaecēnāsMaecēnātēs

Maecēnas, ātis, m. Tuscan, perh. Maecnatial; v. Sil. 10, 40; Müll. Etrusk. 1, p. 404; 415: C. Cilnius Maecenas,
I. a Roman knight, descended, on the mother's side, from the Arretinian gens of the Maecenates (and on the father's side from that of the Cilnii; v. Müll. l. c. p. 416 sq.), the friend of Augustus and the patron of Horace and Virgil, Prop. 4, 8 (9), 1; Hor. C. 1, 1, 1; Verg. G. 1, 2; Vell. 2, 88, 2; Tac. A. 6, 11; Sen. Prov. 3, 9 sq.; id. Ep. 19, 8 sq.; 114, 4; Quint. 9, 4, 28.—
B. Transf., to denote, in gen.,
1. A patron of literature: sint Maecenates, non deerunt, Flacce, Marones, Mart. 8, 56, 5; Sen. Prov. 3, 10: quis tibi Maecenas erit? Juv. 7, 94.—
2. A person of distinction: vestem Purpuream teneris quoque Maecenatibus aptam, Juv. 12, 39. —
3. A luxurious, effeminate person: multum referens de Maecenate supino, Juv. 1, 66.—Hence,
II. Maecēnātĭānus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Mæcenas: turris, Suet. Ner. 38: horti, id. Tib. 15: vina, named after him, Plin. 14, 6, 8, § 67.

Origins

Ultimately from Etruscan.

Descendants
  • Frenchmécène
  • GermanMäzen
  • Spanishmecenas
  • Dutchmecenas

In English words that came into English from Maecēnās

  • MaecenasMaecēnās

Quick answers

What does Maecēnās mean in Latin?
Maecēnās, a proper noun, means “a Roman cognomen — famously held by; Maecenas (any person who is a generous benefactor, particularly of the arts)”.
What is the genitive of Maecēnās?
The genitive singular is Maecēnātis. Maecēnās is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce Maecēnās?
In classical Latin, [mae̯ˈkeː.naːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [meˈt͡ʃɛː.nas].