Aeneid

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A classical epic poem composed by Virgil that details the journey and struggles of a Trojan hero A monumental literary work from ancient times that examines concepts of destiny and obligation within its plot A vital piece of Western literary heritage that narrates the establishment of Italy led by a heroic figure from Troy
2. A renowned epic poem from antiquity crafted by Virgil, chronicling the trials and tribulations of a Trojan protagonist
3. An ancient Latin epic recounting the adventures and founding exploits of a Trojan hero destined to establish Italy

Etymology: The title of Virgil's epic is named after its hero, not after the poem's subject matter alone. Aeneas, the Trojan prince who escapes the burning of Troy and sails west to found the line that will become the Romans, gives his name to the poem in Latin, where "Aeneis" was formed from his name with a Greek-style ending. The Greek third-declension pattern explains the genitive "Aeneidos," which English dropped in favour of a simple form ending in -id. The ending itself is the key to the word's structure. The suffix "-is" marks the Greek pattern used for works named after a person, so the title means roughly "the story of Aeneas." English speakers who see "-id" today often read it as a family-name suffix, as in "Iliad," which is a Greek poem about Ilium, not a person, showing how the ending came to be used for epic titles more generally.