SENATUSCONSULT Meaning and
Definition
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Senatusconsult, derived from the Latin words "senatus" meaning "senate" and "consultum" meaning "decree," refers to a legal decree or ruling issued in ancient Rome by the Roman Senate. In the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire, senatusconsults carried significant weight and were crucial in shaping both domestic and foreign policies.
A senatusconsult was a legislative instrument that was primarily employed to address matters of public concern, establish governmental regulations, and resolve disputes. These decrees were typically initiated by senators and discussed in a session of the Roman Senate. Once approved by the majority of senators, a senatusconsult would become legally binding and enforceable across the Roman territories.
Senatusconsults covered a diverse range of subjects, including the appointment of magistrates, administration of justice, military strategies, taxation, provincial governance, and citizenship matters. They played a critical role in shaping Roman law, often serving as precedent for subsequent legislation and legal decisions.
The authority of senatusconsults diminished with the rise of the Roman emperors and the subsequent transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. The emperors progressively consolidated power, and their decrees, known as imperial constitutions, gained prominence oversenatusconsults. However, senatusconsults retained their legal validity until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE.
Today, the term senatusconsult is primarily used in historical contexts to describe the legislative decrees issued by the Roman Senate during the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire.
Common Misspellings for SENATUSCONSULT
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Etymology of SENATUSCONSULT
The word "Senatusconsult" is derived from Latin. It consists of two parts: "senatus" and "consultum".
- "Senatus" refers to the Senate, which was the assembly of elders and aristocrats in ancient Rome. The term comes from the Latin word "senex", meaning "old man" or "elder".
- "Consultum" is a Latin word meaning "decree" or "consultation". It comes from the verb "consultare", which means "to deliberate" or "to consider".
Therefore, "Senatusconsult" can be understood as the decree or consultation of the Senate. In ancient Rome, a senatusconsultum was a legislative act issued by the Roman Senate, which had the force of law.
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