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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Curule

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.

  2. (Rom. Antiq.) Of or pertaining to a kind of chair appropriated to Roman magistrates and dignitaries; pertaining to, having, or conferring, the right to sit in the curule chair; hence, official.

    Note: The curule chair was usually shaped like a camp stool, and provided with curved legs. It was at first ornamented with ivory, and later sometimes made of ivory and inlaid with gold.

    Curule dignity right of sitting in the curule chair. [1913 Webster] ||

Wiktionary
curule

a. Designating a kind of elaborate ceremonial seat inlaid with ivory, used by the highest magistrates in ancient Rome.

Usage examples of "curule".

He sent the curule magistrates to the middle rear, then between the two rows of stools facing each other he put the Allobroges, Volturcius, Caeparius, Lentulus Sura, Cethegus, Statilius, Gabinius Capita and Fabius Sanga.

A law passed in the special Assembly of the thirty curiae that endowed a curule magistrate with his imperium.

Curia Hostilia had been uninspiring within: the tiers had been blocks of unrendered tufa, the walls drably painted with a few red curliques and lines on a beige background, the curule dais more tufa stone, and the central space between the two banks of tiers tessellated in black and white marble so old it had long lost polish or majesty.

It contained enough room for the curule chair of Quintus Servilius, a chair for his legate Fonteius, and a third chair for Fabricius himself.

Let our esteemed consuls-elect Gaius Piso and Manius Acilius Glabrio warm their arses on their curule chairs first.

So I will see two consuls elected, eight praetors elected, two curule and two plebeian aediles elected, ten tribunes of the plebs elected, and twelve quaestors.

Then will follow the elections for quaestors, curule aediles, tribunes of the soldiers and other minor positions in the Assembly of the People ten days before the Kalends of Sextilis.

The new governor of Asia Province, Gaius Claudius Nero, had arrived in Pergamum and taken over, and Sulla had given Lucullus permission to come home, at the same time informing him that he and his brother, Varro Lucullus, would be curule aediles the next year.

Very soon, however, the curule aediles were as likely to be plebeians by status as patricians.

It elected the curule aediles, the quaestors, and the tribunes of the soldiers.

So I expect you to make sure both Sextus and Gaius are elected curule aediles, with enough money in their purses to put on the kind of games and shows the people will remember affectionately when they go to the polls to elect praetors.

But as some plebeians gained money and power, and forced their way into Senate and curule chair, they wanted to be aristocrats too.

They are not even subordinate officers, despite the fact that I am consul and they are mostly backbenchers who will never know the feel of an ivory curule chair beneath their fat arses.

For one thing, the curule elections are due to be held shortly and the lot fell upon him to hold them.

Then at the very beginning of October, Philippus managed to weary the Senate into demanding that Lepidus return to hold the curule elections in Rome.