lustrum

[ luhs-truhm ]
See synonyms for: lustrumlustralustrums on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural lus·trums, lus·tra [luhs-truh]. /ˈlʌs trə/.
  1. a period of five years.

  2. Roman History. a lustration or ceremonial purification of the people, performed every five years, after the taking of the census.

Origin of lustrum

1
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin lūstrum; cf. luster1

Words Nearby lustrum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lustrum in a sentence

  • One of the British novels with the highest sales hopes before Christmas is lustrum by Robert Harris.

    The Best of Brit Lit | Peter Stothard | September 30, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • This review was called the closing of the lustrum, because it was accompanied with sacrifices and purifications named lustrations.

    History of Julius Caesar Vol. 1 of 2 | Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873.
  • The term lustrum was applied to the interval of five years between two censuses.

    History of Julius Caesar Vol. 1 of 2 | Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873.
  • Then I sicken at the idea of having Strauss in my head and on my hands for a lustrum, instead of saying good-bye to him in a year.

  • A meditative man in his sixth lustrum can be very happy with pruning-hook and shears among his young trees.

    The Fat of the Land | John Williams Streeter

British Dictionary definitions for lustrum

lustrum

lustre

/ (ˈlʌstrəm) /


nounplural -trums or -tra (-trə)
  1. a period of five years

Origin of lustrum

1
C16: from Latin: ceremony of purification, from lustrāre to brighten, purify

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