lustrum

[luhs-truh m]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lustrum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural lus·trums, lus·tra [luhs-truh] /ˈlʌs trə/.

Also luster; especially British, lustre. a period of five years.

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

Origin of lustrum

1580–90; < Latin lūstrum; cf. luster¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for lustrum

cinquefoil, pentangle, pentagram, quintuple, cinque, quinquennium, pentacle, quintuplet, pentagon, limerick, pentad, quincunx, quinquennial, quintuplicate

Examples from the Web for lustrum

Contemporary Examples of lustrum

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

Historical Examples of lustrum

But truly, as he avowed, he was entering the fifth lustrum beyond it.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
When the lustrum was finished, the consuls set out for their provinces.
The History of Rome, Books 37 to the End
Titus Livius
Why, you will have a million, not in a decade, but in a lustrum.
Montreal 1535-1914, Volume II (of 2)
William Henry Atherton
The death of Publius Furius prevented their completing the lustrum.
The History of Rome; Books Nine to Twenty-Six
Titus Livius
Your present lustrum is not a fortunate one; but it has nearly expired, and better days are at hand.
Chinese Sketches
Herbert A. Giles

British Dictionary definitions for lustrum

lustrum

lustre

noun plural -trums or -tra (-trə)

a period of five years

Word Origin for lustrum

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

Word Origin and History for lustrum

(plural lustra), "purification of the Roman people every five years," 1580s, from Latin lustrum, perhaps from root of luere "to wash," related to lavere (see lave). Or [Watkins, Klein] from PIE *leuk-stro-, from base *leuk- "light, brightness."