curia

American  

[kyoor-ee-uh] / ˈkjʊər i ə /

noun

curiae plural

1. one of the political subdivisions of each of the three tribes of ancient Rome.

2. the building in which such a division or group met, as for worship or public deliberation.

3. the senate house in ancient Rome.

4. the senate of an ancient Italian town.

5. (sometimes initial capital letter) Curia Romana.

6. the papal court.

7. the administrative aides of a bishop.

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curia British  

/ ˈkjʊərɪə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) the papal court and government of the Roman Catholic Church

2. 1. any of the ten subdivisions of the Latin, Sabine, or Etruscan tribes

   2. a meeting place of such a subdivision

   3. the senate house of Rome

   4. the senate of an Italian town under Roman administration

3. (in the Middle Ages) a court held in the king's name See also Curia Regis

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• curial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• curiae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of curia

1590–1600; < Latin cūria, perhaps < *coviria, equivalent to co- co- + vir man + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curia curiae

He helped promote clerics in his and John Paul II’s mold in the Roman curia, the bureaucracy that runs the church, as well as in dioceses and orders around the world.

From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2022

“When big names come out — the Vatican and the curia — the shield comes down. It’s incredible.”

From Washington Post ● Oct. 17, 2022

The curia owns the building at 12 Wislna St. that has housed the magazine since 1945.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 5, 2021

Not to mention the free-form press conferences, the reinvigorated synod of bishops, which is devolving power to the regions, and the council of cardinal advisers tasked with reforming the curia.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 10, 2016

The Catholic prelates were now simply paid servants of the state, and thus their double connexion with the curia and the state brought with it in later times endless entanglements and complications.

From Church History, Vol. 3 of 3 by Kurtz, J. H.

Third parties can also file briefs with the court to assert their own arguments; these are known as “friend of the court” or amicus curiae briefs.

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026

Cady filed an application for an amicus curiae brief this week to oppose the resentencing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2024

The briefs submitted by the Moores and their fleet of 26 amici curiae help answer that question.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2023

Snohomish, King and Pierce counties were represented as amicus curiae or friends of the court and complained that DSHS’ failures have affected local criminal legal systems across the state.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 16, 2023

He was subsequently named an amicus curiae in Fischer’s case and sat in on and participated in all of the legal proceedings.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady