duumvir

[ doo-uhm-ver, dyoo- ]

/ duˈʌm vər, dyu- /

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noun, plural du·um·virs, du·um·vi·ri

[doo-uhm-vuh-rahy]. /duˈʌm vəˌraɪ/. Roman History.

one of two officers or magistrates jointly exercising the same public function.

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Origin of duumvir

1590–1600; <Latin, back formation from duumvirōrum, genitive plural of duovirī two men, equivalent to duo-duo- + virī, plural of vir man, cognate with Old English wer (see werewolf)

Words nearby duumvir

duty-bound, duty-free, duty-free shop, duty officer, duty to retreat, duumvir, duumvirate, Duvalier, Duve, Duveneck, duvet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use duumvir in a sentence

Probably a consular personage, a duumvir, since lictors lead the line.
The Wonders of Pompeii|Marc Monnier
The elder, Rufus, was duumvir for the fourth term in 3-2 B.C.
Pompeii, Its Life and Art|August Mau
He was, with Csar, the year after, one of the judges (duumvir perduellionis) in the trial of C. Rabirius.
History of Julius Caesar Vol. 2 of 2|Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873.
The name of Privatus appears twice with seal, under that of each duumvir.
Pompeii, Its Life and Art|August Mau

This is generally interpreted as meaning that Apuleius himself had become duumvir.
The Apologia and Florida of Apuleius of Madaura|Lucius Apuleius

British Dictionary definitions for duumvir

duumvir

/ (djuːˈʌmvə) /

noun plural -virs or -viri (-vɪˌriː)

Roman history one of two coequal magistrates or officers

either of two men who exercise a joint authority

Word Origin for duumvir

C16: from Latin, from duo two + vir man

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012