decurion
Americannoun
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the head of a decury.
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a member of the senate of an ancient Roman colony or municipality.
noun
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a local councillor
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the commander of a troop of ten cavalrymen
Etymology
Origin of decurion
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin decuriōn- (stem of decuriō ), equivalent to decuri ( a ) a division of ten ( dec ( em ) ten + -uria -ure ) + -iōn- -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was born, son of a Roman decurion, in 387 A. D. in Kilpatrick.
From Time Magazine Archive
Cicero said that it was easier to be a Senator at Rome than a decurion at Pompeii.
From The Wonders of Pompeii by Monnier, Marc
Nor have they any reverence for the villa of the civic decurion or the Roman official.
From Callista : a Tale of the Third Century by Newman, John Henry
"Numidians!" exclaimed the decurion, following his finger with his speech, while the veins in Hostilius' forehead began to swell and grow dark.
From The Lion's Brood by Osborne, Duffield
A decurion stepped out beneath a splashing arch, the lamplight gleaming on his wetted bronze and crimson.
From Caesar Dies by Mundy, Talbot
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
