Etymology

Maecenas

Mae·ce·nas
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Today it means: A generous benefactor; specifically, a patron of literature or art. Full definition →

Middle French mecenas ← Latin Maecēnās
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromMaecēnās“literary patron”
  2. Middle French · derived frommecenas
  3. English todayMaecenas

Derived from Middle French mecenas, and its source, Latin Maecēnās (“literary patron”), from the name of Gaius Maecenas (c. 70–8 BCE), Roman statesman and patron of Horace and Virgil.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.