Editing Classical Latin (section)

===Classical===
"Good Latin" in [[philology]] is known as "classical" [[Latin literature]]. The term refers to the canonical relevance of literary works written in Latin in the late [[Roman Republic]], and early to middle [[Roman Empire]]. "[T]hat is to say, that of belonging to an exclusive group of authors (or works) that were considered to be emblematic of a certain genre."{{Sfn|Citroni|2006|p=204}} The term ''classicus'' (masculine plural ''classici'') was devised by the Romans to translate Greek ἐγκριθέντες (encrithentes), and "select" which refers to authors who wrote in a form of Greek that was considered model. Before then, the term ''classis'', in addition to being a naval fleet, was a social class in one of the diachronic divisions of Roman society in accordance with property ownership under the Roman constitution.{{Sfn|Citroni|2006|p=205}} The word is a transliteration of Greek κλῆσις (clēsis, or "calling") used to rank army draftees by property from first to fifth class.

''Classicus'' refers to those in the ''prima classis'' ("first class"), such as the authors of polished works of ''Latinitas'', or ''sermo urbanus''. It contains nuances of the certified and the authentic, or ''testis classicus'' ("reliable witness"). It was under this construct that [[Marcus Cornelius Fronto]] (an [[Africa]]n-[[Ancient Rome|Roman]] lawyer and language teacher) used ''scriptores classici'' ("first-class" or "reliable authors") in the second century AD. Their works were viewed as models of good Latin.{{Sfn|Citroni|2006|p=206|ps =, reported in [[Aulus Gellius]], 9.8.15.}} This is the first known reference (possibly innovated during this time) to Classical Latin applied by authors, evidenced in the authentic language of their works.{{Sfn|Citroni|2006|p=207}}