curule chair

curule chair
(in ancient Rome) a folding seat with curved legs and no back, often ornamented with ivory, used only by certain high officials.
[1775-85]

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Latin  Sella Curulis,  

      a style of chair reserved in ancient Rome for the use of the highest government dignitaries and usually made like a campstool with curved legs. Ordinarily made of ivory, with or without arms, it probably derived its name from the chariot (currus) in which a magistrate was conveyed to a place of judgment; it served early as a seat of judgment. Subsequently it became a sign of office of all higher (“curule”) magistrates, or officials, including the consul, praetor, curule aedile (see aedile), dictator, master of the horse, interrex, censor, and, later, the emperor.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Curule chair — According to Livy the curule chair originated in Etruria, and it has been used on surviving Etruscan monuments to identify magistrates, [Thomas Schäfer, Imperii insignia: Sella Curulis und fasces. Zur Repräsentation römischer Magistrate , (Mainz) …   Wikipedia

  • curule chair — (in ancient Rome) a folding seat with curved legs and no back, often ornamented with ivory, used only by certain high officials. [1775 85] * * * curule chair, a special seat, inlaid with ivory and shaped like a campstool with curved legs,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • curule chair — cu′rule chair n. anq (in ancient Rome) a folding seat with curved legs, used as a chair of state by higher magistrates • Etymology: 1775–85 …   From formal English to slang

  • CURULE CHAIR —    a kind of ivory camp stool, mounted on a chariot, on which a Roman magistrate, if consul, prætor, censor, or chief edile, sat as he was conveyed in state to the senate house or some public function …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Curule — Cu rule (k[=u] r[udd]l), a. [L. curulis, fr. currus a chariot: cf. F. curule.] 1. Of or pertaining to a chariot. [1913 Webster] 2. (Rom. Antiq.) Of or pertaining to a kind of chair appropriated to Roman magistrates and dignitaries; pertaining to …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Curule dignity — Curule Cu rule (k[=u] r[udd]l), a. [L. curulis, fr. currus a chariot: cf. F. curule.] 1. Of or pertaining to a chariot. [1913 Webster] 2. (Rom. Antiq.) Of or pertaining to a kind of chair appropriated to Roman magistrates and dignitaries;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • curule — [kyo͞o′ro͞ol΄] adj. [L curulis < currus, chariot; akin to currere, to run: see CURRENT] 1. designating a chair like an upholstered campstool with heavy curved legs, in which only the highest civil officers of Rome were privileged to sit 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • Curule seat — Two pairs of bronze legs, belonging to sellae curules, preserved in the museum at Naples (Museo Borbonico, vol. vi. tav. 28); and a sella curulis, copied from the Vatican collection.[1] …   Wikipedia

  • chair — Synonyms and related words: Eames chair, Hitchcock chair, TV chair, administer, administrate, anoint, armchair, armless chair, authority, ax, back seat, banquette, bar stool, barber chair, barrel chair, basket chair, batwing chair, be master, bed …   Moby Thesaurus

  • curule — /kyoor oohl/, adj. 1. privileged to sit in a curule chair. 2. of the highest rank. [1590 1600; < L curulis] * * * …   Universalium

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