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mare nostrum
MAR-ee NOS-truhm
noun
our sea; Roman nickname for the Mediterranean Sea
1870Jules Verne20,000 Leagues Under the SeaThe Mediterranean, the blue sea par excellence, 'the great sea' of the Hebrews, 'the sea' of the Greeks, the 'mare nostrum' of the Romans, bordered by orange-trees, aloes, cacti, and sea-pines; embalmed with the perfume of the myrtle, surrounded by rude mountains, saturated with pure and transparent air, but incessantly worked by underground fires; a perfect battlefield in which Neptune and Pluto still dispute the empire of the world!1919Vicente Blasco IbanezMare Nostrum (Our Sea) A NovelIn Ferragut's estimation the mare nostrum ['Mare Nostrum' (Our Sea), the classic name for the Mediterranean.] was a species of blue beast, powerful and of great intelligence—a sacred animal like the dragons and serpents that certain religions adored, believing them to be the source of life.2002Elizabeth MoonHeris SerranoLike Italy's central protrusion into the Mediterranean on old Earth (back when that body of water was known as Mare Nostrum), the Guerni Republic enjoyed a location both handy for trade and easy to defend.

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Entry By: CJ Cooney
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