denarius
Americannoun
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denarii
plural
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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:
Ms Hardy said they range "across the reign of 14 Emperors and 1 Empress and include a previously unrecorded coin - a denarius of Emperor Tetricus I".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2023
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
The denarius, after all, had a human face.
From The Guardian ● May 22, 2012
In Augustus’s time, a silver coin called a denarius was in use throughout the empire.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012
But it has taken every denarius I own, and more too.
From A Friend of Caesar A Tale of the Fall of the Roman Republic. Time, 50-47 B.C. by William Stearns Davis
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
The denarii, believed to have been placed in the ground in about AD 69 to 70, were found in Gobowen, Shropshire.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2022
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
“But you’ve spent your hard-earned denarii to get the VIP tour, and so you shall! Come with me!”
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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