The Twelve Tables
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The tables of the Roman laws engraved on brass, brought from Athens to Rome by the decemvirs.
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 “The Twelve Tables” mean?
The tables of the Roman laws engraved on brass, brought from Athens to Rome by the decemvirs.
Is “The Twelve Tables” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.