Illyricus

Illyricus is a Latin term meaning "Illyrian" or "of Illyria." It functions as both an adjective and a surname-like epithet in Latin literature. The word derives from Illyria, the ancient western Balkan region that roughly corresponds to parts of present-day Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia; in Roman times the area was organized as the province of Illyricum. In classical and medieval Latin, Illyricus was used to identify people, textual references, or things associated with Illyria. In scholarly and bibliographic contexts, authors of Illyrian origin or works about Illyria could be labeled as “Illyricus” in references or as a descriptive designation in citations, though the usage varied and was not uniform.

In taxonomy and natural history, Latin epithets such as illyricus are employed to signal geographic origin of a species or subspecies, reflecting historical naming practices based on place. In modern scholarship, the term Illyricus is encountered primarily in historical or philological texts; contemporary terminology tends to prefer precise ethnonyms and modern geographic identifiers.

See also: Illyria; Illyrian languages; Illyricum; Dalmatia.

Notes: Illyricus is not a single individual but a descriptor that may appear as an epithet or designation; disambiguation relies on context to determine whether it refers to a person, a place, or a work pertaining to Illyria.