curia

cu·ri·a

C0812800 (ko͝or′ē-ə, kyo͝or′-)n. pl. cu·ri·ae (ko͝or′ē-ē′, kyo͝or′-) 1. a. One of the ten primitive subdivisions of a tribe in early Rome, consisting of ten gentes.b. The assembly place of such a subdivision.2. a. The Roman senate or any of the various buildings in which it met in republican Rome.b. The place of assembly of high councils in various Italian cities under Roman administration.3. The ensemble of central administrative and governmental services in imperial Rome.4. often Curia Roman Catholic Church The central administration governing the Church.5. a. A medieval assembly or council.b. A medieval royal court of justice.

[Latin cūria, council, curia; see wī-ro- in Indo-European roots.]

cu′ri·al adj.

curia

(ˈkjʊərɪə) n, pl -riae (-rɪˌiː) 1. (Roman Catholic Church) (sometimes capital) the papal court and government of the Roman Catholic Church2. (Historical Terms) (in ancient Rome)a. any of the ten subdivisions of the Latin, Sabine, or Etruscan tribesb. a meeting place of such a subdivisionc. the senate house of Romed. the senate of an Italian town under Roman administration3. (Historical Terms) (in the Middle Ages) a court held in the king's name. See also Curia Regis[C16: from Latin, from Old Latin coviria (unattested), from co- + vir man] ˈcurial adj

cu•ri•a

(ˈkyʊər i ə)

n., pl. cu•ri•ae (ˈkyʊər iˌi) 1. one of the ten political subdivisions of each of the three tribes of ancient Rome. 2. the building in which such a division met, as for worship or public deliberation. 3. the senate house in ancient Rome. 4. (sometimes cap.) the body of congregations, offices, etc., that assist the pope in the administration of the Roman Catholic Church. [1590–1600; < Latin cūria, perhaps <*coviria=co- co- + vir man + -ia -ia] cu′ri•al, adj.

Thesaurus

Noun

Curia - (Roman Catholic Church) the central administration governing the Roman Catholic ChurchChurch of Rome, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Church, Western Church, Roman Catholic - the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchygovernance, governing body, organisation, administration, brass, establishment, organization - the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something; "he claims that the present administration is corrupt"; "the governance of an association is responsible to its members"; "he quickly became recognized as a member of the establishment"

Translations

Kurie

Curia

(1) In ancient Rome, an association of certain patrician families (gentes) that was analogous to the Greek phratry. According to tradition there were 30 curiae, ten in each tribe. Originally the curia was part of the clan organization—possibly, a men’s group connected with coming-of-age ceremonies. (There is evidence for this hypothesis in the worship of the goddess Juno, which was associated with initiations—rituals during which a youth was consecrated as a man.) During the period when the state was formed the curiae became extremely important military and political cells in Roman society. Evidently, each curia was headed by an elected curio who had priestly functions. Each curia had its own place for holding assemblies (which was also called the curia), as well as its own sanctuaries.

The curiate assembly (comitia curiata)— that is, assembly of male soldiers—elected kings during the royal period and magistrates in the early stages of the republic. But with the establishment of the centuriate assembly (comitia centuriata), the curiae confirmed elected officials and entrusted the symbols of authority to them. Under the republic all the curiae were headed by a grand curio, and plebeians were allowed to vote in the curiate assembly. During the imperial period the curiae came to be known as municipal councils.

(2) In Western Europe during the Middle Ages the feudal curia was a council consisting of a lord and his vassals. The royal curia (Curia Regis)—a feudal curia made up of the king’s direct vassals—was an advisory assembly of feudal magnates convoked by the king and granted broad but not strictly defined functions, most of which were judicial. As the royal power grew stronger, this curia became a more limited council of the king’s closest advisers (the Royal Council). Moreover, financial and judicial affairs were assigned to special offices.

(3) The Roman curia (Curia Romana) is made up of a number of institutions that are subordinate to the pope.

(4) In bourgeois countries and in prerevolutionary Russia curiae were separate categories into which voters were divided according to property, nationality, and other criteria (electoral curiae).

curia

The council house in a Roman municipality.

Curia

Related to Curia: Cydia

Curia

[Latin, Court.] A judicial tribunal or court convened in the sovereign's palace to dispense justice. A court that exercised jurisdiction over civil matters, as distinguished from religious matters, which were determined by ecclesiastical courts, a system of courts in England that were held by authority of the sovereign and had jurisdiction over matters concerning the religion and ritual of the established church.

In England the tribunal of the king's justice was the curia regis, so named because the king originally presided over its proceedings.

CURIA. A court of justice.

Acronym

Definition

CURIA➣Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act

Curia

Related to Curia: Cydia

noun

Words related to Curia

noun (Roman Catholic Church) the central administration governing the Roman Catholic Church

Related Words

Church of Rome
Roman Catholic Church
Roman Church
Western Church
Roman Catholic
governance
governing body
organisation
administration
brass
establishment
organization