sestertius
English
Etymology
From Latin sēstertius (“that is two-and-a-half”), from sēmis (“half”) + tertius (“third”).
Noun
sestertius (plural sestertii)
- (historical numismatics) A large bronze or (rarely) small silver coin minted during the Roman Republic and Empire, valued at two and a half asses (a quarter of a denarius).
Synonyms
- sesterce
Translations
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Latin
Alternative forms
- HS (symbol)
Etymology
From sēmis (“half”) + tertius (“third”), due to its value in asses.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /seːsˈter.ti.us/, [s̠eːs̠ˈt̪ɛrt̪iʊs̠]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /sesˈter.t͡si.us/, [sesˈt̪ɛrt̪͡s̪ius]
Noun
sēstertius m (genitive sēstertiī or sēstertī); second declension
- sesterce (small coin worth 2 and a half asses)
- two and a half (only in certain phrases)
Usage notes
Four sesterces were equal to one denarius, and a hundred sesterces to one aureus. Although there were larger coins in the empire, many large prices were calculated in sesterces instead.
When a distributive numeral is used in front of the neuter plural sēstertia, it is read as that many thousands of sesterces. When a numeral adverb is used in front of the genitive plural sēstertium, it is read as that many hundred thousands of sesterces.
Declension
Second-declension noun.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | sēstertius | sēstertiī |
Genitive | sēstertiī sēstertī1 | sēstertiōrum |
Dative | sēstertiō | sēstertiīs |
Accusative | sēstertium | sēstertiōs |
Ablative | sēstertiō | sēstertiīs |
Vocative | sēstertie | sēstertiī |
1Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).
Synonyms
- nummus
Descendants
- Catalan: sesterci
- English: sesterce
- Italian: sesterzio
- Portuguese: sestércio
- Spanish: sestercio
References
- “sestertius”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “sestertius”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- sestertius in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
- “sestertius”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “sestertius”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin