sestertii

A Roman merchant counts his sestertii on a market table.

Definition

1. Noun (plural form):
   • Ancient Roman coins: "sestertii" is the plural of "sestertius," referring to silver or brass coins used in ancient Rome, worth two and a half asses (the basic Roman monetary unit). The sestertius was a common denomination in Roman currency.
   • Unit of value: In historical contexts, "sestertii" can denote a specific monetary value, often used in accounting or financial records in Roman society.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The Roman emperor distributed sestertii to the citizens during the festival. (Coins of a certain value were given out.)
  • A legionary's annual salary was about 1,200 sestertii. (A specific number of these coins represented his pay.)

Advanced Usage

• "sestertii in the treasury": a phrase referring to the total sum of money held in the Roman state treasury.

  • The Senate debated how to spend the sestertii in the treasury. (They discussed using the state's financial resources.)

• "to count sestertii": an idiomatic expression meaning to manage or keep track of wealth.

  • The merchant spent hours counting his sestertii. (He was carefully tracking his money.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sestertius (n, singular): the basic unit of the coin.

  • He found a single sestertius in the excavation. (One coin.)

• Sestertial (adj): relating to or denominated in sestertii.

  • The sestertial value of the estate was enormous. (The worth measured in sestertii.)

Synonyms

• Denarius: another Roman coin (worth 4 sestertii), often used interchangeably in historical texts.
• As: a smaller Roman coin (½ sestertius), used as a base unit.

Related Idioms

• "Not worth a sestertius": meaning something of little or no value.

  • His opinion is not worth a sestertius. (His opinion is worthless.)

• "A fortune in sestertii": a great amount of wealth.

  • She inherited a fortune in sestertii from her uncle. (A large sum of money.)