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ces·tus¹

(sĕstəs)

n. pl. ces·ti (-tī)

A woman's belt or girdle, especially as worn in ancient Greece.

[Latin, belt, from Greek kestos; see kent- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

ces·tus² also caes·tus

(sĕstəs)

n. pl. ces·tus·es also caes·tus·es

A covering for the hand made of leather straps weighted with iron or lead and worn by boxers in ancient Rome.

[Latin caestus, from caedere, to strike; see kaə-id- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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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