Lucilium

Lucilium is the accusative singular form of the Latin proper name Lucilius. In Latin texts, Lucilium appears where the name Lucilius is the direct object (for example in the phrase ad Lucilium, meaning to Lucilius). The form is primarily encountered in classical literature and philological readings of Latin.

The most famous literary use of Lucilium occurs in the title of the collection Epistulae morales ad Lucilium, traditionally translated as Moral Letters to Lucilius. This work comprises letters written by Seneca the Younger, a Stoic philosopher and statesman of the early Roman Empire, to a correspondent identified in antiquity as Gaius Lucilius Junior. The precise identity and status of Lucilius are a matter of scholarly debate, but the letters are generally read as personalized moral guidance addressed to a high-ranking official or pupil of Stoic ethics.

Across these letters, Lucilius is the recipient of discussions on virtue, self-discipline, the proper use of time, wealth, death, and the pursuit of a meaningful life. The collection is a key source for understanding Roman Stoic thought and has influenced later ethical and philosophical writings in both antiquity and modern times.

Linguistically, Lucilium is primarily relevant to the study of Latin morphology and syntax, illustrating how proper names appear in the accusative case in classical prose. In broader literary contexts, Lucilium is closely associated with Seneca’s Epistulae morales and with the broader tradition of Roman philosophical letters. The form is rarely used outside such textual references, making it mainly a marker of Latin grammar and classical literature.