Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Classical
{
Clas′sic
(klăs′sĭk)
, Clas′sic-al
, }Adj.
[L. ]
classicus
relating to the classes of the Roman people, and especially to the frist class; hence, of the first rank, superior, from classis
class: cf. F. classique
. See Class
, Noun.
1.
Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.
Give, as thy last memorial to the age,
One
One
classic
drama, and reform the stage. Byron.
Mr. Greaves may justly be reckoned a
classical
author on this subject [Roman weights and coins]. Arbuthnot.
2.
Of or pertaining to the ancient Greeks and Romans, esp. to Greek or Roman authors of the highest rank, or of the period when their best literature was produced; of or pertaining to places inhabited by the ancient Greeks and Romans, or rendered famous by their deeds.
Though throned midst Latium’s
classic
plains. Mrs. Hemans.
The epithet
classical
, as applied to ancient authors, is determined less by the purity of their style than by the period at which they wrote. Brande & C.
He [Atterbury] directed the
classical
studies of the undergraduates of his college. Macaulay.
3.
Conforming to the best authority in literature and art; chaste; pure; refined;
as, a
. classical
styleClassical
, provincial, and national synods. Macaulay.