Yes. The Medieval adjective brutalis was derived from the Latin brutus (heavy, stupid, insensible, dull), and there lies the root to brutal. The famous Brutus who took a role in Caesar's assassination was called Marcus Junius Brutus. read more
Yes. The Medieval adjective brutalis was derived from the Latin brutus (heavy, stupid, insensible, dull), and there lies the root to brutal. The famous Brutus who took a role in Caesar’s assassination was called Marcus Junius Brutus. read more
A. The story is more complicated than that. In ancient Latin, the adjective "brutus" meant, literally, "heavy," a sense that eventually was extended to "dull, stupid" as well. The first person named "Brutus" was Lucius Junius Brutus, a legendary Roman hero who established Republican government at Rome in the 6th century B.C. read more
According to Livy, Brutus had a number of grievances against his uncle the king, amongst them was the fact that Tarquin had put to death a number of the chief men of Rome, including Brutus' brother. Brutus avoided the distrust of Tarquin's family by feigning slow-wittedness (in Latin brutus translates to dullard). read more