Cinna

Cinna is a name with multiple uses in classical and scientific contexts. In ancient Rome, Cinna was a Latin personal name used as a cognomen by several individuals in historical sources.

In literature, Cinna the poet is a notable character in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. He is a friend of the conspirators but is not involved in their plot. A mob later mistakes him for one of the conspirators because of his name and kills him, making Cinna a memorable example of dramatic irony and mistaken identity in the play.

In botany, Cinna is also a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae. The genus comprises several species commonly known as woodreeds, found in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Members of Cinna are typically small to medium-sized grasses that inhabit moist or woodland habitats.

Overall, Cinna illustrates how a single term can appear in diverse contexts—classical onomastics, literature, and plant taxonomy—without a unified modern usage beyond these distinct domains.