Roman
Also used as slang
View on the slang dictionary page →Catholic Gothic, cusped window or panel heads in the Perpendicular architecture ; (2) — jessamine, the syringa, Philadelphus coronarius ; (3) — plant, («) the Good King Henry, Chenopodium Bonus-Henricus ; (b) the sweet Cicely, Myrrhis odorata ; (4) — willow, the lilac, Syringa vulgaris.
"Roman" means catholic gothic, cusped window or panel heads in the perpendicular architecture ; (2) — jessamine, the syringa, philadelphus coronarius ; (3) — plant, («) the good king henry, chenopodium bonus-henricus ; (b) the sweet cicely, myrrhis odorata ; (4) — willow, the lilac, syringa vulgaris. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"Roman" is informal English meaning catholic gothic, cusped window or panel heads in the perpendicular architecture ; (2) — jessamine, the syringa, philadelphus coronarius ; (3) — plant, («) the good king henry, chenopodium bonus-henricus ; (b) the sweet cicely, myrrhis odorata ; (4) — willow, the lilac, syringa vulgaris. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "catholic gothic" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "Roman" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing.
“1/3 Roman altar with bilingual inscriptions dedicated to Sol, the sun god, AD 50-100. Latin translates: Sacred to the divine Sol. Tiberius Claudius Felix, Claudia Helpis and their son Tiberius Claudius Alypus, members of the third cohort… #EpigraphyTuesday #Archaeology 📷 my own”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Shoppers are loving this Roman floral midi dress for spring and summer, praising it as 'perfect' for weddings, holidays and work (Contains affiliate links)”
— Bluesky· May 2026“It took me a while to figure out what the blue particle fountains in Saros were but if you kill something with the weird blue blast power weapon it turns everything it touches into a Roman candle when they die.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Aujourd'hui sur Blog à part – « Translation State », d’Ann Leckie Rechercher une personne disparue depuis deux siècles n’a rien d’évident. C’est pourtant la mission qui échoit à Eane Axthur, dans Translation State, d’Ann Leckie. #ScienceFiction #Roman”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Another CounterPoint many don’t know of: CSTO as USSR. Guess who comes after Ukraine? (It’s probably Poland, Germany and Russia has had this thing with Poland since the fall of the Roman Empire; bonus points if you know about Western Rome’s Predecessor’s Full Legal Name.)”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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