Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • Emperor of Rome (117–138) who sought to end distinctions between Rome and the Roman provinces. During his visit to Britain (122), he ordered the construction of Hadrian's Wall.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun historical The Roman emperor Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus.
  • proper noun A male given name; a rare variant of Adrian

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun Roman Emperor who was the adoptive son of Trajan; travelled throughout his empire to strengthen its frontiers and encourage learning and architecture; on a visit to Britain in 122 he ordered the construction of Hadrian's Wall (76-138)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the Latin Hadrianus, meaning from the Roman harbour Hadria (Adria).

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Examples

  • Part of the mastery of "Memoirs of Hadrian" is in its reminder that the emperor, like the rest of us, remains imprisoned in a perishable human body.

    Portrait of Power Embodied in a Roman Emperor Joseph Epstein 2010

  • So Rome sent their finest general, a young man by the name of Hadrian, who responded with a level of brutality that earned him a reputation throughout the empire.

    Gold of Kings Davis Bunn 2009

  • So Rome sent their finest general, a young man by the name of Hadrian, who responded with a level of brutality that earned him a reputation throughout the empire.

    Gold of Kings Davis Bunn 2009

  • So Rome sent their finest general, a young man by the name of Hadrian, who responded with a level of brutality that earned him a reputation throughout the empire.

    Gold of Kings Davis Bunn 2009

  • Aurelius Victor (in Traj. 348, ed. Artzen) says that Hadrian first received this title on his adoption; but as the adoption of Hadrian is still doubtful, and besides this, as Trajan, on his death-bed, was not likely to have created a new title for his successor, it is more probable that Aelius Verus was the first who was called Caesar when adopted by Hadrian.

    The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 1206

  • 117 Whatever might be the success of his prayer, or the accidents of his future life, the period of a few years levelled in the grave the minister and the poet: but the name of Hadrian is almost sunk in oblivion, while

    The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 1206

  • A famous bearer of the name was Publius Aelius Hadrianus, better known as Hadrian, a 2nd-century Roman emperor who built a wall across northern Britain.

    Neth Space Neth 2006

  • Pictured: ancient Roman border security in England, aka Hadrian's Wall.

    Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc . . . And The Border 2006

  • Pictured: ancient Roman border security in England, aka Hadrian's Wall.

    Archive 2006-08-01 2006

  • She remembered the builder of Antinoe, a Roman covered with sores and full of sickness called Hadrian.

    Lilith’s Dream: A Tale of the Vampire Life Whitley Strieber 2002

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