in Roman Antiquity, a kind of fourth or honorary name, given to a person on account of some extraordinary action, virtue, or other accomplishments. Thus the agnomen Africanus was bestowed upon Publius Cornelius Scipio on account of his great achievements in Africa.—The agnomen was the third in order of the three Roman names: thus, in Marcus Tullius Cicero, Marcus is the praenomen, Tullius the nomen, and Cicero the agnomen.