Page 235 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Classical Studies and International Languages

Pax Romana. In ancient Rome, a period of peace within the Roman Empire between 27 BCE and 180 CE.
polytheism. The belief in multiple gods. See also monotheism, pagan.
Pontifex Maximus. In ancient Rome, the head of the main college of priests, known as the Pontifical College. Today it also refers to the Pope.
Principate. The form of rule used in the early Roman Empire, which retained some of the features of a republican government.
psyche. The soul, spirit, or mind.
rhapsode. In classical Greece, one who recited epic poetry as a profession.
rhetoric. In the classical world, the art of using language to communicate effectively and persuasively. Students were trained by a rhetor, a teacher who specialized in rhetoric. Politicians used rhetoric to garner support for laws and policies.
root. A word or a word part from which other words are derived. For example, the root word bios, which means life in ancient Greek, appears as the word part or prefix bio- in such English words as biography and biology.
satire. (a) The use of irony, sarcasm, or other forms of humour to expose or criticize human folly or vice. (b) A genre or form in Latin literature (e.g., poem) that is characterized by satire.
Saturnalia. In ancient Rome, an annual festival to honour the god Saturn, held in December.
scansion. Analysis of a line of poetry to determine its metre or rhythm.
Sibylline books. A collection of prophetic books written in Greek rhyme and used for consultation in ancient Rome.
sight passage. A passage of text that students have not seen before.
strophe. A section of an ode. In ancient Greek theatre, it was the first part of the commentary sung by the chorus. See also chorus.
subjunctive. The mood of a verb that is used to express a variety of thoughts that are not state- ments of fact, such as wishes, fears, possibilities, indirect questions, indirect commands, suppos- itions, or uncertainty.
sympathetic magic. A type of magic based on the belief that there is an affinity between two objects or actions due to resemblance or symbolic association, so that one can affect another even at a distance.
syncretism. The union or attempted union
of different aspects of religious traditions, inflectional varieties in languages, or elements from different artistic traditions.
syntax. The predictable structure of a language and the ways in which words are combined to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax includes classes of words (e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives) and their functions (e.g., subject, object).
translate. Express the content of an oral or written text in another language.
unaspirated. See aspirated/unaspirated.
Vestal Virgin. In ancient Rome, a virgin girl or woman between the ages of six and thirty-six consecrated to the goddess Vesta as a priestess. Vesta was the goddess of the hearth, and her priestesses maintained a sacred fire on the altar in her temple.
voice. (a) The active or passive form of a verb. (b) The style or character of a written piece revealed through the author’s use of vocabulary, sentence structure, and imagery, for example, as well as the rhythm of the prose and the mood of the piece as a whole.
GLOSSARY
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