Nearby Words

cestus

[ses-tuhs]

ces·tus

1[ses-tuhs]
noun, plural -ti [-tahy] .
1.
a girdle or belt, especially as worn by women of ancient Greece.
2.
Classical Mythology. the girdle of Venus, decorated with every object that could arouse amorous desire.
Also, especially British, ces·tos.


Origin:
1570–80; < Latin < Greek kestós a girdle, literally, (something) stitched, equivalent to kes- (variant stem of kenteîn to stitch; see center) + -tos verbal adjective suffix

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Cestus is always a great word to know.
So is Helen. Does it mean:
the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus whose abduction by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War
the three goddesses of destiny, known to the Greeks as the Moerae and to the Romans as the Parcae
Dictionary.com Unabridged

ces·tus

2[ses-tuhs]
noun, plural -tus·es. Roman Antiquity.
a hand covering made of leather strips and often covered with metal studs, worn by boxers.

Origin:
1725–35; < Latin cestus, caestus
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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World English Dictionary
cestus or cestos1 (ˈsɛstəs, ˈsɛstɒs)
 
n
classical myth the girdle of Aphrodite (Venus) decorated to cause amorousness
 
[C16: from Latin, from Greek kestos belt, from kentein to stitch]
 
cestos or cestos1
 
n
 
[C16: from Latin, from Greek kestos belt, from kentein to stitch]

cestus or caestus2 (ˈsɛstəs)
 
n , pl -tus, -tuses
(in classical Roman boxing) a pugilist's gauntlet of bull's hide loaded or studded with metal
 
[C18: from Latin caestus, probably from caedere to strike, slay]
 
caestus or caestus2
 
n
 
[C18: from Latin caestus, probably from caedere to strike, slay]

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