tribune1
/ˈtrɪbjuːn
/noun
1 (also tribune of the people) An official in ancient Rome chosen by the plebeians to protect their interests.Frustrated there, he ran for tribune of the people and was elected for 133....
- When Caesar was a praetor, he supported a tribune who wanted Pompey recalled to restore order in Rome.
- Severe penalties were to be inflicted on those harming the tribunes or other plebeian officers.
1.1 (also military tribune) A Roman legionary officer.Each legion was commanded by a legate supported by a senior tribune, Roman aristocrats whose career included a range of both civilian and military tasks and who served with a legion for a few years....
- John 18 implies that a Roman tribune (or maybe even Pilate, but there is no evidence for this) ordered part of his cohort to accompany the chief priests and the Pharisees in arresting Jesus on Thursday.
- The body has disappeared and the Roman tribune in Jerusalem wants to know what is going on.
1.2A popular leader; a champion of people’s rights.One should keep in mind that Tantan is anything but a tribune of popular democracy....
- And Abraham Lincoln would still be viewed as a tribune of the people regardless of whether he helped the Jeffersons perform.
- His great wealth came from Jamaican estates and he was frequently reminded, when tribune of the people, that he was a slave-owner.
Derivatives
tribunate
- The constitution of 1799 created an appointed senate, which chose members of a tribunate and a legislative body from the departmental lists.
- Because the tribunate was a largely honorific function, this was a remarkable sign of devotion to duty.
- Between the years 133 and 70 B.C.E., the tribunate was used by a number of men for reforms.
tribuneship
- Tiberius next filled up the vacant tribuneship by getting one of his own dependents put into the office.
- In 123 he stood for the tribuneship and was a second time elected in the following year.
- His father clearly rose through the ranks, so this would suggest that he did not start among the privileged elite who would have had tribuneships from their youth.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin tribunus, literally 'head of a tribe', from tribus 'tribe'.
tribune2
/ˈtrɪbjuːn/noun
1An apse in a basilica.However the view of the tribune of S. Maria Maggiore was already shown in plate 122....
- The Main Tribune (or apse) holds the Cathedra Petri (St Peter's Throne), with the Monument to Paul III (left) and Urban VIII (right).
2A dais or rostrum, especially in a church.From 1922 his stylistically radical work was put to utilitarian ends, including the design of speakers' tribunes and latterly agitprop photomontage and graphic design....
- This is not to deny that socialists can use parliament as a tribune from which radical ideas can be put across to help build workers' confidence.
- In life the king and his family could watch the liturgy from the tribune above, and in death their tombs occupied the Pantheon itself.
2.1A raised area or gallery with seats, especially in a church.The media tribune was overflowing with hundreds of reporters, all drawn to an event that has been hyped incessantly since Phelps entered and qualified for the 200 free at the U.S. Olympic trials last month....
- The first time I got a different take on my very European perspective on how journalists should view their own country, was on my first trip in the US, in South Carolina where I watched a game of American football from the press tribune.
- Of course, when working at a major swim meet, I'm usually going to be constantly walking up and down many flights of stairs from the pool deck to the media tribune for several days straight.
Origin
Mid 17th century (denoting the principal room in an Italian mansion): via French from Italian, from medieval Latin tribuna, alteration of Latin tribunal (see tribunal).