Definition

Noun: - A specific day in the Roman calendar: The "ides" refers to the 15th day of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th day of all other months in the ancient Roman calendar.

Usage

The word "ides" is used historically to denote a fixed point in the Roman month. It is most famously associated with the Ides of March (March 15), the date of Julius Caesar's assassination. - The term is almost exclusively used in historical or literary contexts when referring to the Roman calendar or to that specific date in March.

Examples

• (A famous warning from William Shakespeare's play .)

Advanced Usage

• "The Ides": When capitalized and used with a month name (e.g., "the Ides of March"), it refers specifically to that calendar date and often carries a portentous or fateful connotation due to its Shakespearean association.

Variants and Related Words

• Calends (or Kalends): The first day of the month in the Roman calendar.
• Nones: The 7th day of March, May, July, and October, and the 5th day of other months, occurring eight days before the ides.

Synonyms

• Mid-month (in context): While not a direct synonym, it describes the approximate timing of the ides in the longer months.
• Fixed date: A general term for a specific, recurring day.

Notes

• The word "ides" itself is always plural in form but singular in construction (e.g., "The ides is coming").
• It is not used in modern timekeeping or contemporary calendars.

Noun

1. in the Roman calendar: the 15th of March or May or July or October or the 13th of any other month