SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Tacitus

play

biographical name Tac·i·tus \ ˈta-sə-təs \

Definition of Tacitus

Cornelius circa a.d. 56–circa 120 Roman historian

—

Tacitean

play \ˌta-sə-ˈtē-ən\ adjective

Learn More about tacitus

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Tacitus

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Tacitus? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

anathematize

play

to curse or denounce

Words at Play

alt-59c94ad823f29

'Meat Sweats': The Competitive Eater's Worst Nightmare

They're real, but is meat the cause?

alt-59c919f342079

'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse'

Let us defuse the situation.

alt-59c52d6ee2f72

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106

Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz

Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game