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Definition of "lictor" [lic•tor]

  • A Roman functionary who carried fasces when attending a magistrate in public appearances. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "lictor" in a sentence
  • "[70] _Proximus lictor_ is the one of the lictors who, when they precede the praetors or consuls, walks last, and is therefore nearest to his commander; and this lictor, according to Roman custom, had the highest rank among his fellow-lictors."
  • "Carried by a man called a lictor, it indicated a magistrate’s degree of imperium q.v.—six for a praetor, twelve for a consul."
  • "The lictor went off to make sure that the carnifex and his assistants would be standing by."