Definition

1. Noun:
   • A bundle of rods bound together around an axe with its blade projecting: This object was used in ancient Rome as a symbol of authority and jurisdiction for certain magistrates.
   • A symbol of power and unity: The rods represent strength through unity (as a single rod is easily broken, but a bundle is strong), and the axe represents the power over life and death.
   • A modern symbol of fascism: In the 20th century, the fasces was adopted as an emblem by Italian Fascists, from which the term "fascism" is derived.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The lictors carried the fasces before the Roman consul.
  • The design on the podium featured a stylized fasces.
  • The historical meaning of the fasces is distinct from its later political appropriation.

Advanced Usage

• "to bear the fasces": To hold or carry the fasces, literally or figuratively symbolizing the exercise of official authority.
  • Only the highest magistrates had the right to bear the fasces within the city.

Variants and Related Words

• Fascist (adj, n): Relating to or characteristic of fascism; a supporter of fascism.
  • The fascist regime used the fasces as a central icon.
• Fascism (n): A political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader.
  • The ideology of fascism derives its name from the fasces.

Synonyms

• Emblem of authority
• Symbol of power
• Insignia (in the specific context of official Roman symbols)

Related Idioms

• "The bonds of the fasces": A metaphorical reference to the strength found in unity, derived from the symbolism of the bundled rods.
  • The senator spoke of national unity, invoking the ancient lesson of the bonds of the fasces.

Noun

1. bundle of rods containing an axe with the blade protruding; in ancient Rome it was a symbol of a magistrate's power; in modern Italy it is a symbol of fascism