august en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ɑˈɡʌst/ (cot-caught-merger)
- /ə-/ (General-American)
- /ɔːˈɡʌst/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɔˈɡʌst/ (General-American)
- (General-American) audio
Etymology
From French auguste (“noble, stately; august”) or Latin augustus (“majestic, venerable, august; imperial, royal”), from augeō (“to augment, increase; to enlarge, expand, spread”). Doublet of August and Augustus.
Meanings
-
Awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable.
an august patron of the arts
[W]e shall not, I think, be able to find language which can convey in few words more fully the idea we should always have impressed on our minds of the august character of our Lord, than the expression, "the word of life."
1837 August 31, William Sollis, A Sermon, Preached in Holsworthy Church on Thursday, August 31, 1837, at the Anniversaries of the Societies for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts. […], Launceston, Cornwall: Penheale-Press, Rev. H. A. Simcoe, →OCLC, page 7:For once the story was not about Jamie Vardy, unable to equal Jimmy Dunne's top-flight record of scoring in a dozen consecutive games, but about his august deputy Riyad Mahrez.
2015 December 5, Alan Smith, “Leicester City back on top as Riyad Mahrez hat-trick downs Swansea City”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 29 Mar 2017:—Inconsciously to the augustest end / Thou hast arisen: second not in rank / So much as time, to him who first ordained / That Florence, thou art to destroy, should be— […]
1846, Robert Browning, “Luria”, in Bells and Pomegranates, volumes VIII (Luria; and A Soul’s Tragedy), London: Edward Moxon, →OCLC; republished in Poems … In Two Volumes, new edition, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], 1849, →OCLC, act IV, page 192:The story of “Strangers” is a cliché of well-to-do Manhattan: Husband makes gobs of money. Wife, despite her august educational pedigree, stays at home to raise the kids, relinquishing career and otherwise idling in the make-work realm of school boards and volunteering.
2026 January 11, Alex Kuczynski, “Her Life Was an Old-Money Dream. It Collapsed in a Moment.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:The commands of the august sovereign are the imperial commands, or the phœnix (the incomparable) mandate.
1841, E[lijah] C[oleman] Bridgman, “Governmental Affairs”, in A Chinese Chrestomathy in the Canton Dialect, Macao: S[amuel] Wells Williams, →OCLC, section second (Imperial Titles), page 558:In the book of Pſalms there are many things ſaid of David, which ſeem capable of a much auguſter ſenſe than can be pretended to be anſwered by any thing that befel himſelf.
1796, Gilbert Bishop of Sarum [i.e., Gilbert Burnet], “Article VII. Of the Old Testament.”, in An Exposition of the XXXIX Articles of the Church of England, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 123:Countless proposals flooded in, sent by sources as august as the World Academy of Sciences and as humble as elementary schools.
2016, Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu, Death's End, Tor, translation of 死神永生, →ISBN, page 280:The foolish dog […] flew at the cat, who in her fright and consternation took refuge behind the screen of the breakfast-room where his Majesty then was. The Mikado was greatly shocked and agitated. He took the cat into his august bosom, and summoning the chamberlain Tadataka, gave orders that Okinamaro should have a good thrashing and be banished to Dog Island at once.
1899, Sei Shōnagon, “Makura Zōshi [The Attack of the Dog Okinamaro upon the Cat Miyōbu no Otodo]”, in W[illiam] G[eorge] Aston, A History of Japanese Literature, London: William Heinemann, →OCLC, page 111:
-
Of noble birth.
A branch of the house of Lorraine, in comparison with which even the royal race of Capet was mean, the Guises traced back their august lineage through a long line of warrior princes to the Imperial figure of Charlemagne.
1873, Walter Fitz Patrick, chapter I, in The Great Condé and the Period of the Fronde: A Historical Sketch, volume I, London: T[homas] Cautley Newby, publisher, […], →OCLC, page 7:an august lineage
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more august | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| auguster | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| augustest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| most august | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
August Thearch · unaugust · augustly · augustness
Relateds
augment · auction · August · Augustinian · Augustine
Translations (38)
mk вели́чествен (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · ru августе́йший (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · pt nobre (of noble birth) · es augusto (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · fr auguste (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · grc σεβαστός (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · io augusta (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · sv upphöjd (of noble birth) · cmn 尊貴的 /尊贵的 (of noble birth) · cmn 出身顯赫的 /出身显赫的 (of noble birth) · cmn 威嚴的 /威严的 (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · ru ца́рственный (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · pt nobre (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · bg вели́чествен (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · gl augusto (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · sv majestätisk (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · fr auguste (of noble birth) · pt augusto (of noble birth) · bg благоро́ден (of noble birth) · es noble (of noble birth) · gl nobre (of noble birth) · cmn 威風凜凜的 /威风凛凛的 (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · ru вели́чественный (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · es majestuoso (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · pt majestoso (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · ru велича́вый (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · mk благо́роден (of noble birth) · es hidalgo (of noble birth) · pt fidalgo (of noble birth) · de illuster (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · pt augusto (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · fi ylhäinen (of noble birth) · cmn 高貴的 /高贵的 (of noble birth) · ru благоро́дный (of noble birth) · bg ца́рствен (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · mk ца́рствен (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · fi kunnianarvoisa (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable) · fi ylevä (awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable)