What is "tribune"

Tribune \Trib"une\, n. [L. tribunus, properly, the chief of a tribe, fr. tribus tribe: cf. F. tribun. See Tribe.]

1. (Rom. Antiq.) An officer or magistrate chosen by the people, to protect them from the oppression of the patricians, or nobles, and to defend their liberties against any attempts that might be made upon them by the senate and consuls.

   Note: The tribunes were at first two, but their number was increased ultimately to ten. There were also military tribunes, officers of the army, of whom there were from four to six in each legion. Other officers were also called tribunes; as, tribunes of the treasury, etc.

2. Anciently, a bench or elevated place, from which speeches were delivered; in France, a kind of pulpit in the hall of the legislative assembly, where a member stands while making an address; any place occupied by a public orator.

late 14c., title of an official in ancient Rome, from Latin tribunus "magistrate" (specifically one of the officers appointed to protect the rights and interests of the plebeians from the patricians), originally "head of a tribe" (in the Roman sense), from tribus (see tribe). Also "raised platform" (1762), from Italian tribuna, from Medieval Latin tribuna, from Latin tribunal in its classical sense "platform for the seats of magistrates in ancient Rome."

n. 1 an elected official in ancient Rome 2 a protector of the people 3 the domed or vaulted apse in a Christian church that houses the bishop’s throne 4 a place or an opportunity to speak, to express one's opinion, a platform

n. the apse of a Christian church that contains the bishop's throne

Tribunus, in English tribune, was the title of various elected officials in Ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the authority of the senate and the annual magistrates, holding the power of ius intercessionis to intervene on behalf of the plebeians, and veto unfavourable legislation. There were also military tribunes, who commanded portions of the Roman army, subordinate to the higher magistrates, such as the consuls and praetors, promagistrates, and their legates. Various officers within the Roman army were also known as tribunes. The title was also used for several other positions and classes in the course of Roman history.

Tribune is a democratic socialist fortnightly newspaper, founded in 1937 and published in London. It has always been independent but has usually supported the Labour Party from the left. It appears fortnightly as a newspaper and daily online under Aneurin Bevan's motto, "This is my truth. Tell me yours."

Tribune is an ambiguous — and often misused — architectural term which can have several meanings. Today it most often refers to a dais or stage-like platform, or — in a vaguer sense — any place from which a speech can be prominently made.

Tribune was a title shared by several political and military offices of the Roman Republic and Empire.

Tribune may also refer to:

The Tribune was the official British Liberal Party newspaper founded by Franklin Thomasson MP in 1906 as a bold but disastrous experiment in newspaper production. It was a penny newspaper of a solid but serious nature.

Thomasson gathered about him for the purpose one of the most distinguished staffs in the history of journalism, and the amount of money involved was enormous. But the venture failed and the Tribune ceased its short career in 1908.

Tribune: The People's Paper was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Australia. It was published by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Australia from 1939 to 1991. During this time it was also published as the Qld Guardian, Guardian (Melbourne), Forward (Sydney). It had previously been published as The Australian Communist, The Communist, and the Workers' Weekly.