brutus
brutus Lexical Profile
• noun
(Usually capitalized) Marcus Junius Brutus (85–42 BC), a Roman politician and orator who was the most famous of the conspirators who assassinated Julius Caesar; by extension, a person who betrays a close friend or benefactor, especially out of perceived patriotic duty.
"In Shakespeare's tragedy, Brutus struggles between his personal affection for Caesar and his devotion to the Roman Republic."
(Historical) A style of short, tousled men's haircut or wig brushed forward across the forehead, popularized in France and Britain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries in imitation of Roman busts of Brutus.
"The young Regency dandy wore his dark hair cropped in a fashionable brutus."
• Rhymes for brutus
Word Origin & Etymology
From the Latin cognomen Brutus (literally 'heavy, dull, or stupid'), borne by Marcus Junius Brutus, the Roman senator most famous for the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, and Lucius Junius Brutus, the traditional founder of the Roman Republic.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.