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duumvir

 - 3 dictionary results

du⋅um⋅vir

  [doo-uhm-ver, dyoo-]
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–noun, plural -virs, -vi⋅ri  [-vuh-rahy] . Roman History.
one of two officers or magistrates jointly exercising the same public function.
Origin:
1590–1600; < L, back formation from duumvirōrum, gen. pl. of duovirī two men, equiv. to duo- duo- + virī, pl. of vir man, c. OE wer (see werewolf )
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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du·um·vir   (dōō-ŭm'vər, dyōō-)   
n.  A member of a duumvirate.

[Latin : duum, genitive pl. of duo, two; see dwo- in Indo-European roots + vir, man; see wī-ro- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

duumvir

in ancient Rome, a magistracy of two men. Duoviri perduellionis were two judges, selected by the chief magistrate, who tried cases of crime against the state. Duoviri navales, at first appointed but later popularly elected (311-178 BC), had charge of a fleet. The two chief magistrates of the colonies and municipia (i.e., communities under Roman domination) were often called duoviri jure dicundo.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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