Canidia gens
Roman gens
The gens Canidia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome, first mentioned during the late Republic. It is best known from a single individual, Publius Canidius Crassus, consul suffectus in 40 BC, and the chief general of Marcus Antonius during the Perusine War. Other Canidii are known from inscriptions. The name Canidia was also used by Horace as a sobriquet for the perfumer, Gratidia.
Origin
The nomen Canidius belongs to a common class of gentilicia formed from cognomina ending in -idus. It is derived from the cognomen Canidus, "whitish" or "greyish", itself derived from the Latin adjective canus or kanus, "white, grey", typically referring to the color of a person's hair, also sometimes used as a cognomen. This was certainly the association that Horace intended; the name Gratidia suggests pleasant, winsome attributes, while the nickname Canidia suggests an elderly crone.
Members
This list includes abbreviated praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see filiation.
Publius Canidius, father of the consul Crassus.
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