Ennius, An olde Latine Poet, borne at Tarentum, a citie now in the Realme of Naples, as some suppose in a to wne called Rudiæ in Italie, and was brought to the citie of Rame by Cato the Censour. For his learning and most honest conditions, he was entirelie beloued of Scipio Affrican: wherfore he caused his ymage to be set on his sepulchre. Hee made many bookes in sundrie kindes of verses, but the stile that he vsed was verie auntient and homelie, but they contained graue and subsiantial sentences of great wisedome. He dyed at the age of Ixx. yeares.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
Ennĭus, i, m.I. Q. Ennius, the most celebrated Roman poet of the ante-class. period, the father of Roman epic poetry, born at Rudiae, in Calabria, 515, died 585 A. U. C.; Ter. And. prol. 18; Cic. Brut. 18, 73 sq.; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 50.—Cf. respecting him, Teuffel's Gesch. der Röm. Lit. p. 157 sq., Bernhardy's Grundriss der Röm. Lit. pp. 188 sq., 360 sq., and the authorities cited by both.—B. Derivv. 1. Ennĭā-nus, a, um, adj., Ennian: versus, Sen. Ep. 108; cf. Gell. 12, 2, 7: distichon, Mart. Cap. 1, 42: Neoptolemus, id. 5, 15 fin.: populus, the admirers of Ennius's poetry, Sen. ap. Gell. 12, 2, 10.—2. Ennĭānista, ae, m., an imitator of Ennius, Auct. ap. Gell. 8, 5, 3.—II. L. Ennius, a Roman knight, Tac. A. 3, 70.