Remus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Remus is the legendary twin brother of Romulus, whose story tells of the two being raised by a she-wolf before they founded Rome
2. In Roman legend, the twin of Romulus who was suckled by a she-wolf and later killed after mocking the walls of the city
3. A figure from Roman mythology, the brother of Romulus, whose tale of abandonment and rivalry is tied to the founding of Rome

Etymology: Remus is the twin brother of Romulus in Roman legend, and the story of their birth is the one most readers half-remember: abandoned as infants on the Tiber, suckled by a she-wolf, and later raised by a shepherd. In the tradition that gave Rome its founding myth, Romulus went on to found the city and give it his name, while Remus was killed after mocking the new walls, or after jumping over them, depending on the version told. The English word is a learned borrowing from Latin "Remus," the Latin form of the name, so it arrived through scholarly and literary channels rather than everyday speech. Its use is confined to classical references and to allusions to the twins themselves, and it has no sense beyond the proper name. Its meaning is therefore fixed to that single mythological figure.