DECEMVIR

Etymology

Noun

decemvir (plural decemvirs or decemviri)

(historical) Any of two groups of 10 men selected in 451 and 450 B.C. to wield complete power over Rome and establish the laws of the Twelve Tables.

Any member of a decemvirate, a council or ruling body of 10 people, as the Venetian Council of Ten.

Source: Wiktionary


De*cem"vir, n.; pl. E. Decemvirs, L. Decemviri. Etym: [L., fr. decem ten + vir a man.]

1. One of a body of ten magistrates in ancient Rome.

Note: The title of decemvirs was given to various bodies of Roman magistrates. The most celebrated decemvirs framed "the laws of the Twelve Tables," about 450 B. C., and had absolute authority for three years.

2. A member of any body of ten men in authority.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

16 May 2024

INDEXATION

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Coffee Trivia

Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.

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