Curule Chair
Preserved but no longer current.
The chair of state among the ancient Romans; an elaborate kind of camp-stool inlaid with ivory, etc. As dictators, consuls, praetors, censors, and the chief ediles occupied such a chair, they were termed curie magistrates or curules. The word is connected either with currus, a chariot — perhaps because the chair was originally intended for use in a chariot — or with curvus, through the shape of its legs.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Curule Chair” mean?
The chair of state among the ancient Romans; an elaborate kind of camp-stool inlaid with ivory, etc. As dictators, consuls, praetors, censors, and the chief ediles occupied such a chair, they were termed curie magistrates or curules. The word is connected either with currus, a chariot — perhaps because the chair was originally intended for use in a chariot — or with curvus, through the shape of its legs.
Is “Curule Chair” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.