duodecimvirate en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌdjuːəʊdɛˈsɪmvɪɹət/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- dyo͞o'ōdĕsĭmʹvĭrət (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Latin duodecimvirātus, from duodecimvir + -ātus. Equivalent to duodecimvir + -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office, here the group of people involved with it).
Meanings
-
(uncommon) A group of twelve people, especially (politics) a council of twelve men sharing office or rule, particularly such groups of magistrates in ancient Rome.
The Tricameron…comprised…a “Senate”…and a “Praetorate,” a sort of quadruple troika or duodecimvirate: twelve men and women who implemented the Senate’s decrees, declared war or peace, and…spent most of the time squabbling amongst themselves for power.
1984, Diane Duane, My Enemy, My Ally, page 22:It is essential to [Stalin] and to his duodecimvirate that open war shall be avoided or postponed for as long as possible.
1948, The Contemporary Review, CLXXIV, page 184:The logs of each member of the covert duodecimvirate displayed identical readouts.
2008, Michael Somers, Galactic Exodus, page 73:Strabo ſeems to ſay, there were fronting theſe halls, (which Diodorus likewiſe ſeems to diſtinguiſh from the labyrinth, ſtyling it the work of the Duodecimvirate) 27 other halls.
1789, William Williams, Primitive History, from the Creation to Cadmus, page 482:It would appear that the duodecimvirate was held after the praetorship, but before the consulate.
1996, Michael Peachin, Iudex vice Caesaris, page 135:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| duodecemvirate | alternative | lexicographic |