sesterce

American  

[ses-turs] / ˈsɛs tɜrs /

noun

1. a silver coin of ancient Rome, the quarter of a denarius, equal to 2½ asses: introduced in the 3rd century b.c.

---

sesterce British  

/ ˈsɛstɛːs /

noun

1. a silver or, later, bronze coin of ancient Rome worth a quarter of a denarius

---

Etymology

Origin of sesterce

1590–1600; < Latin sēstertius, equivalent to sēs- half-unit ( see sesqui-) + tertius third (i.e., 2 units and half a 3rd one equal 2½ asses)

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sesterce

She had always provided for his necessities, but had always insisted on scrutinizing every item in his accounts, and on being convinced of his need for every sesterce she gave him.

From The Unwilling Vestal by Edward Lucas White

I find I spend every sesterce I have, and all I can borrow.

From A Friend of Caesar A Tale of the Fall of the Roman Republic. Time, 50-47 B.C. by William Stearns Davis

I'll keep order and I will not waste a sesterce.

From The Unwilling Vestal by Edward Lucas White

The Roman silver sesterce, worth about 21/8 pence or 4.2 American cents, was no doubt used by Agricola merely to indicate an infinitesimal quantity.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola

Her vast estates she managed herself and she knew to a sesterce the value of every piece of property, the justifiable expenses of maintaining each, and the income each should yield.

From The Unwilling Vestal by Edward Lucas White

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---