cestus

[ ses-tuh s ]

/ ˈsɛs təs /

noun, plural ces·ti [ses-tahy] /ˈsɛs taɪ/.

a girdle or belt, especially as worn by women of ancient Greece.

Classical Mythology. the girdle of Venus, decorated with every object that could arouse amorous desire.

Nearby words

Also especially British, ces·tos.

Origin of cestus

1570–80; < Latin < Greek kestós a girdle, literally, (something) stitched, equivalent to kes- (variant stem of kenteîn to stitch; see center) + -tos verbal adjective suffix

cestus

[ ses-tuh s ]

/ ˈsɛs təs /

noun, plural ces·tus·es. Roman Antiquity.

a hand covering made of leather strips and often covered with metal studs, worn by boxers.

Origin of cestus

1725–35; < Latin cestus, caestus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cestus

Cestus, ses′tus, n. the girdle of Venus, which had power to awaken love: an ancient boxing-glove loaded with lead or iron.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
This cestus was a fine parti-coloured girdle, which, as Homer tells us, had all the attractions of the sex wrought into it.
The Tatler, Volume 3|Various
Her cestus or girdle holds all the magic of passion, and is borrowed even by Hera when she wishes to win her fickle lord.
Myth, Ritual And Religion, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Andrew Lang
He cared no more either for the prowess of two combatants who, wearing a cestus on the left arm, fought with sticks.
The Works of Theophile Gautier, Volume 5|Theophile Gautier

Jupiter might as soon keep awake when Juno came in best bib and tucker, and with the cestus of Venus, to get him to sleep.
Household Papers and Stories|Harriet Beecher Stowe

British Dictionary definitions for cestus

cestus

cestos (ˈsɛstɒs)

/ (ˈsɛstəs) /

noun

classical myth the girdle of Aphrodite (Venus) decorated to cause amorousness

Word Origin for cestus

C16: from Latin, from Greek kestos belt, from kentein to stitch

noun plural -tus or -tuses

(in classical Roman boxing) a pugilist's gauntlet of bull's hide loaded or studded with metal

Word Origin for cestus

C18: from Latin caestus, probably from caedere to strike, slay

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012