dicast

American  

[dahy-kast, dik-ast] / ˈdaɪ kæst, ˈdɪk æst /

noun

1. (in ancient Athens) a citizen eligible to sit as a judge.

---

dicast British  

/ ˈdɪkæst /

noun

1. (in ancient Athens) a juror in the popular courts chosen by lot from a list of citizens

---

Other Word Forms

• dicastic adjective

Etymology

Origin of dicast

1700–10; < Greek dikastḗs a juryman, equivalent to *dikad-, base of dikázein to judge, determine (derivative of díkē right, law, order) + -tēs agentive suffix

Example Sentences

The chance to hear a speech prepared by that famous oration-monger is enough to bring every dicast out early, and to summon a swarm of loiterers up from the not distant Agora.

From A Day in Old Athens; a Picture of Athenian Life by Davis, William Stearns

Here, Demos, feast on this dish; it is your salary as a dicast, which you gain through me for doing naught.

From The Eleven Comedies, Volume 1 by Aristophanes

At the same time, your Athenian dicast is a remarkably shrewd and acute individual.

From A Day in Old Athens; a Picture of Athenian Life by Davis, William Stearns

A juror or dicast would receive the same sum for attendance, and the courts or juries often consisted of 500 persons.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 8 "Chariot" to "Chatelaine" by Various