classical Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun traditional genre of music conforming to an established form and appealing to critical interest and developed musical taste
    classical music; serious music.
  2. adjective of or relating to the most highly developed stage of an earlier civilisation and its culture
    classic.
    • classic Cinese pottery
  3. adjective satellite of recognized authority or excellence
    authoritative; definitive; classic.
    • the definitive work on Greece
    • classical methods of navigation
  4. adjective of or relating to the study of the literary works of ancient Greece and Rome
    • a classical scholar
  5. adjective satellite (language) having the form used by ancient standard authors
    • classical Greek
  6. adjective satellite of or pertaining to or characteristic of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures
    Hellenic; Graeco-Roman; Greco-Roman; classic.
    • classical mythology
    • classical

WordNet

Clas"sic, Clas"sic*al adjective (Also<
  • Classic
  • Classical
)
Etymology
L. classicus relating to the classes of the Roman people, and especially to the frist class; hence, of the first rank, superior, from classis class: cf. F. classique. See Class, n.
Definitions
  1. Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.
    Give, as thy last memorial to the age, One classic drama, and reform the stage. Byron.
    Mr. Greaves may justly be reckoned a classical author on this subject [Roman weights and coins]. Arbuthnot.
  2. Of or pertaining to the ancient Greeks and Romans, esp. to Greek or Roman authors of the highest rank, or of the period when their best literature was produced; of or pertaining to places inhabited by the ancient Greeks and Romans, or rendered famous by their deeds.
    Though throned midst Latium's classic plains. Mrs. Hemans.
    The epithet classical, as applied to ancient authors, is determined less by the purity of their style than by the period at which they wrote. Brande & C.
    He [Atterbury] directed the classical studies of the undergraduates of his college. Macaulay.
  3. Conforming to the best authority in literature and art; chaste; pure; refined; as, a classical style.
    Classical, provincial, and national synods. Macaulay.
Clas"sic noun
Definitions
  1. A work of acknowledged excellence and authrity, or its author; -- originally used of Greek and Latin works or authors, but now applied to authors and works of a like character in any language.
    In is once raised him to the rank of a legitimate English classic. Macaulay.
  2. One learned in the literature of Greece and Rome, or a student of classical literature.

Webster 1913