toga virilis

American  

[toh-guh vi-rahy-lis, -ree-, taw-gah wi-ree-lis] / ˈtoʊ gə vɪˈraɪ lɪs, -ˈri-, ˈtɔ gɑ wɪˈri lɪs /

noun

plural

togae viriles

1. the white toga assumed by boys in ancient Rome at the end of their 14th year.

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toga virilis British  

/ vɪˈraɪlɪs /

noun

1. (in ancient Rome) the toga assumed by a youth at the age of 14 as a symbol of manhood and citizenship

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Etymology

Origin of toga virilis

1590–1600; < Latin toga virīlis; toga, virile

Example Sentences

It is worn also by all youths and boys from twelve years to seventeen, at which latter period they can assume the toga virilis or swallowtail.

From The Complete Bachelor Manners for Men by Germain, Walter

Of these boys, until they took the toga virilis, he says hardly anything in his letters to Atticus, though Atticus was the uncle of the elder boy.

From Social life at Rome in the Age of Cicero by Fowler, W. Warde

The way of the youth today is tame, empty, and selfish as compared with the Spartan road to manhood and the Roman ceremonies attendant upon the assumption of the toga virilis.

From The Minister and the Boy A Handbook for Churchmen Engaged in Boys' Work by Hoben, Allan

He had already assumed the toga virilis, cp. chap.

From The Apologia and Florida of Apuleius of Madaura by Butler, Harold Edgeworth

For boys who do not go to college, departure from home is commonly recognized as a fit occasion for putting on that dangerous garment, the toga virilis.

From The Teacher Essays and Addresses on Education by Palmer, Alice Freeman