Rostratus (masculine), rostrata (feminine) or rostratum (neuter) is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

adjective meaning "beaked, curved, hooked, with a crooked point, or with a curved front". MCR - colonna rostrata di C Duilio 1150130

In marine warfare, the term ''beak'' (''rostrum'') referred to the

ram bow A ram on the bow of ''Olympias'', a modern reconstruction of an ancient Athenian trireme A naval ram is a weapon fitted to varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon comprised an underwater prolongation of the bow of the sh ...

s on warships, which were metal or metal-covered beams projecting from ships' bows, used to pierce enemy vessels by ramming.

Roman usage

Columna rostrata (

Rostral column A rostral column is a type of victory column originating in ancient Greece and Rome, where they were erected to commemorate a naval military victory. Its defining characteristic is the integrated prows or Naval ram, rams of ships, representing ...

) After the

Battle of Mylae The Battle of Mylae took place in 260 BC during the First Punic War and was the first real naval battle between Carthage and the Roman Republic. This battle was key in the Roman victory of Mylae (present-day Milazzo) as well as Sicily itself. ...

in 260 BC during the

First Punic War The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years, in the longest continuous conflict and grea ...

, a ''columna rostrata'' (a

victory column A victory column, or monumental column or triumphal column, is a monument in the form of a column, erected in memory of a heroic commemoration, including victorious battle, war, or revolution. The column typically stands on a base and is crowned ...

), was placed in the

Roman Forum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, alon ...

in honour of

Gaius Duilius Gaius Duilius ( 260–231 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. As consul in 260 BC, during the First Punic War, he won Rome's first ever victory at sea by defeating the Carthaginians at the Battle of Mylae. He later served as censor in 258, a ...

. It was so called because it was adorned with the beaks (ram bows) of the captured Carthaginian vessels. The ''columna rostrata'' became a favourite site for speeches. Corona rostrata A ''corona rostrata'' was a golden wreath, decorated with small golden prow and beak of a ship. These were awarded to commanders who were victorious in naval warfare.

Modern usage

In modern usage the adjective is used in

Linnaean taxonomy Linnaean taxonomy can mean either of two related concepts: # The particular form of biological classification (taxonomy) set up by Carl Linnaeus, as set forth in his ''Systema Naturae'' (1735) and subsequent works. In the taxonomy of Linnaeus th ...

to refer to a wide variety of species because of the beaked form of part of their anatomy. Examples include: * '' Abrotanella rostrata'' is a species of cushion plant in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

whose white florets produce distinctively beaked cypselae (fruiting bodies). * ''

Bembix rostrata ''Bembix rostrata'' is a species of sand wasp native to Central Europe. The genus ''Bembix'' - of which ''B. rostrata'' is among the most distinctive species - has over 340 species worldwide and is found mostly in warm regions with open, sandy s ...

'' is a species of sand wasp native to Central Europe whose labrum is extended into a narrow beak. * ''

Canthigaster rostrata ''Canthigaster rostrata'', commonly known as the Caribbean sharp-nose puffer, is a pufferfish from the Western Central Atlantic. The Caribbean sharp-nose puffer is a small fish with a maximum length of 12 cm or approximately 4.7 inches. It c ...

'', known as the Caribbean sharpnose-puffer fish, lives in the Western Central Atlantic and is a puffer fish in the fish family

Tetraodontidae Tetraodontidae is a family of marine and freshwater fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, ...

* '' Carex rostrata'', known as beaked sedge or bottle sedge, is a large waterside grasslike perennial whose fruits have a beaked shape * '' Helicina rostrata'' is a species of tropical land snail with a small beak-like projection on one side of the aperture of its shell (see image) * ''

Heliconia rostrata ''Heliconia rostrata'', the hanging lobster claw or false bird of paradise, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to El Salvador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, and naturalized in Puerto Rico. It is found in tropica ...

'', known as Patujú or lobster claw, is a herbaceous perennial native to north west South America, with characteristic claw-shaped or beak-shaped flowers (see image) * ''

Yucca rostrata ''Yucca rostrata'' also called beaked yucca, is a tree-like plant belonging to the genus '' Yucca''. The species is native to Texas, and the Chihuahua and Coahuila regions of Mexico. This species of ''Yucca'' occurs in areas that are arid with ...

'', the beaked yucca, is a tree-like plant belonging to the genus ''

Yucca ''Yucca'' ( , YUCK-uh) is both the scientific name and common name for a genus native to North America from Panama to southern Canada. It contains 50 accepted species. In addition to yucca, they are also known as Adam's needle or Spanish-bayon ...

'' in southern U.S. and northern Mexico. * ''

Zebrasoma rostratum ''Zebrasoma rostratum'', the longnose surgeonfish, longnose tang or black tang, is a species of marine (ocean), marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Acanthuridae, which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tan ...

'', known as the longnose surgeonfish or black tang, is a marine reef tang in the fish family

Acanthuridae Acanthuridae are a family of ray-finned fish which includes surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 86 extant species of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brigh ...

. It is so called because of its protruding snout.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web, url=http://www.dl.ket.org/latin2/mores/military/coronae.htm, title=Crowns and Laurels, author=Catherine McMullen, date=December 2000, access-date=2009-03-27 {{cite web, url=http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/latin_rus/37653/rostratus, title=rostratus, work=Словари и энциклопедии на Академике, access-date=2009-03-27 {{cite web, url=http://www.modelshipbuilder.com/resources/nautical-terms-for-the-model-ship-builder.pdf, title=Nautical Terms For The Model Ship Builder, date=11 January 2007, work=Model Ship Builder, access-date=2009-03-29, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704173151/http://www.modelshipbuilder.com/resources/nautical-terms-for-the-model-ship-builder.pdf, archive-date=2008-07-04 {{cite web, title=An Elementary Latin Dictionary, author=Charlton T. Lewis, url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0060%3Aentry%3D%2314302, year=1890, access-date=2009-03-27 {{cite web, url=http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=25802, title=Zebrasoma rostratum - Longnose surgeonfish, work=FishBase, year=2009, access-date=2009-03-29

External links

Image of the Columna Rostrata of C. Duilius
taken from

A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'' is an English language encyclopedia first published in 1842. The second, improved and enlarged, edition appeared in 1848, and there were many revised editions up to 1890. The encyclopedia covered law ...

. William Smith, LLD. William Wayte. G. E. Marindin. Albemarle Street, London. John Murray. 1890 Latin words and phrases

Roman usage

Modern usage

See also

References

External links