quaestor
Americannoun
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one of two subordinates of the consuls serving as public prosecutors in certain criminal cases.
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(later) one of the public magistrates in charge of the state funds, as treasury officers or those attached to the consuls and provincial governors.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of quaestor
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English questor, from Latin quaestor, equivalent to quaes-, base of quaerere “to seek” + -tor noun suffix; see -tor
Vocabulary lists containing quaestor
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.
When he returned from his first political posting, as quaestor in Sicily, for instance, he imagined his fame would have spread far and wide.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
We next hear of him serving as centurion in Sardinia, where he attracted the attention of Cato, then quaestor, and accompanied him to Rome, 204 B.C.
From Helps to Latin Translation at Sight by Luce, Edmund
He had been quaestor under Mucius Scaevola, in 98 B. C. governor of Asia, where both had sternly checked any unjust exactions by the agents of the publicani.
From A History of Rome to 565 A. D. by Boak, Arthur Edward Romilly
He had been quaestor in a division of the province for a year six years before, and had won golden opinions by his moderation and integrity.
From Roman life in the days of Cicero by Church, Alfred John
In Sardinia he made the acquaintance of M. Porcius Cato, then quaestor, who induced him to come to Rome B.C.
From The Student's Companion to Latin Authors by Middleton, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
