1. n. Language spoken in Rome and, by extension, in the Roman Empire, between the 8th century BC and 5th AD. Latin is usually divided into classical, vulgar, medieval and modern. Classical Latin is that used in the great literary works of ancient Rome; vulgar was the Latin spoken by the popular classes of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Empire (476 AD), vulgar Latin transformed into the Romances, and classical Latin gave rise to medieval, used until the 18th century in scientific, juridical and religious texts. Finally, one calls modern Latin that which is currently used by the Vatican and also in the scientific nomenclature of zoology and botany. 2. adj. Belonging to the Latin language; Romanic.