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cu·ri·a (krē-ə, kyr-)
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n. pl. cu·ri·ae (krē-ē′, kyr-)
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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
curi·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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