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EnglishLatin scriptExpression: Verified

Rome was not built in a day.

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Meanings

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Patience and delayed outcomesReviewed 2026-08-24

Sense: Verified

Literal translation: Rome was not built in a day.
Natural translation: Rome was not built in a day.

Functional meaning: Reminds the listener that a large undertaking requires time.
Usage context: Used to defend gradual progress or moderate unrealistic expectations about completion.

Community: Unknown
Region: Unknown
Historical period: Recorded in English from 1546.
Register: widely recognizable proverb

What supports this meaning

Period

English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases: A Historical DictionaryG. L. Apperson1929Dictionary
Locator: p. 537, s.v. "Rome", no. 2
Recorded in English from 1546.
Claim: VerifiedHistorical or primary sourceAI data-completeness reviewer, 2026-08-24
Rights cleared. Only short proverb strings and factual bibliographic or locator metadata; attribute and link the work; do not reproduce scan pages or surrounding dictionary entries.

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How this record reached us: AI suggested. This describes provenance and does not raise confidence.

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