Romanic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the Romance languages derived from Latin ; connected to the cultural and literary traditions influenced by ancient Rome ; characteristic of styles echoing medieval Romance art and architecture
2. Pertaining to the family of languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin ; associated with the heritage and historical aspects of Roman civilization ; descriptive of medieval artistic forms inspired by Roman motifs
3. Concerning the languages originating from Latin including Spanish and French ; linked to Roman history and its lasting influences ; reflective of the medieval European artistic style rooted in Roman designs

Etymology: "Romanic" entered English as a borrowing of Latin "rōmānicus," meaning "Roman" or "of Rome." The Latin adjective was built on "Rōmānus," the Roman, so the English word is a close cousin of "Roman" that took a different route into the language. Its sense is narrower than its parent: it is most often used for the languages that grew out of Latin, such as French, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian, which is why "Romance" and "Romanic" are used almost interchangeably in linguistics. The same stem also produced the broader family of terms about Roman-derived culture. Where "Roman" points to the city and its people, "Romanic" tends to point to the lasting linguistic and stylistic inheritance of that civilization, including the architecture and art that scholars later grouped under the Romanesque label. The word therefore moved from a plain statement of origin toward a description of anything that carries that heritage forward.

Synonyms: Romanesque, Romance, Romantic