Pompeii

P3O1M3P3E1I1I1
UK/pɒmˈpeɪ(i)/US/pɑːmˈpeɪ(i)/

proper noun

A ruined Roman town in Italy, destroyed by Vesuvius (a volcano) in AD 79.

OriginLatin Pompeiī ← Oscan *pompe →
Less commonScrabble 13
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A ruined Roman town in Italy, destroyed by Vesuvius (a volcano) in AD 79.
  2. A city and commune in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, Italy.

Origin

  1. Oscan*pompe“five”
  2. LatinPompeiī
  3. EnglishPompeii

Borrowed from Latin Pompeiī, of Oscan origin, from Oscan *pompe (“five”) + the Latin name-forming suffix -eiī, a reference to its five districts. Related to cinque, five, pimp (“five”), ponzu, punch (“beverage”), and sengi (“currency”).

More words from Latin, Oscan

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans Pompeii, Pompeji
  • Pompeiia historical city
  • Pompejia historical city
Arabic بُومْبِي, بومبي
  • بُومْبِي (bumbī)a historical city
  • بومبي (bumbī)the commune in Campania
Catalan Pompeia, Pompeia
  • Pompeiaa historical city
  • Pompeiathe commune in Campania
Chinese Mandarin 龐貝 /庞贝
  • 龐貝 /庞贝 (Pángbèi)a historical city
Dutch Pompeï
  • Pompeïa historical city
Esperanto Pompejo
  • Pompejoa historical city
Finnish Pompeji
  • Pompejia historical city
French Pompéi, Pompéi
  • Pompéia historical city
  • Pompéithe commune in Campania
German Pompeji, Pompei
  • Pompejia historical city
  • Pompeithe commune in Campania
  • Pompejithe commune in Campania
Greek Πομπηία
  • Πομπηία (Pompiía)a historical city
Italian Pompei, Pompei
  • Pompeia historical city
  • Pompeithe commune in Campania
Japanese ポンペイ, ポンペイ
  • ポンペイ (Ponpei)a historical city
  • ポンペイ (Ponpei)the commune in Campania
Latin Pompeiī, Pompeiī
  • Pompeiīa historical city
  • Pompeiīthe commune in Campania
Polish Pompeje, Pompeje
  • Pompejea historical city
  • Pompejethe commune in Campania
Portuguese Pompeios
  • Pompeiosa historical city
Russian Помпе́и
  • Помпе́и (Pompéi)a historical city
Spanish Pompeya
  • Pompeyaa historical city
Swedish Pompeji
  • Pompejia historical city
Cite this entry
APA

Pompeii. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pompeii

MLA

“Pompeii.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pompeii. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pompeii,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pompeii.

Source: Pompeii on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.