denarius
Americannoun
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a silver coin and monetary unit of ancient Rome, first issued in the latter part of the 3rd century b.c., that fluctuated in value and sometimes appeared as a bronze coin.
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a gold coin of ancient Rome equal to 25 silver denarii; aureus.
noun
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a silver coin of ancient Rome, often called a penny in translation
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a gold coin worth 25 silver denarii
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of denarius
First recorded in 1565–85; from Latin dēnārius, originally an adjective: “containing ten (asses)”; see origin at denary
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.
See Examples For:
"I found two Roman brooches, then a Julius Caesar silver denarius dating from 46-47BC," he said.
From BBC ● May 21, 2022
Its production was also a proxy for a central economic activity, the use of silver in the Romans’ standard silver coin, the denarius.
From New York Times ● May 14, 2018
After 20 years digging up denarius coins on Time Team, he surely knows more than most about the Roman occupation of England.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 24, 2015
In Augustus’s time, a silver coin called a denarius was in use throughout the empire.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012
The Roman denarius is reckoned equal to sevenpence half-penny of our money; but obviously it was considered the ordinary rate of a labourer’s wages at the time.
From The Parables of Our Lord by Arnot, William
The rest of the coins show six emperors and two of their wives, with the most recent denarii dating to AD175-6.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2025
The denarii date from the late Roman Republic to the reign of Marcus Aurelius and his wife Faustina and were found at Barton Bendish, Norfolk.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2025
Most of the coins are silver denarii, minted in Rome and dating from the time of the Roman Republic in 157 BC up to Nero's reign between AD 54–68.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2024
But under the emperor Nero, starting in 64 A.D., the proportion of silver was reduced to 80 percent and the state made a tidy profit by recycling the all-silver denarii into debased ones.
From New York Times ● May 14, 2018
Kate scooped the three denarii out of Frank’s hand.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
