Quirites is the name of
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
citizens in their peacetime functions.
Etymology
Latin ''Quirītis'' most likely stems from an earlier *''quiri-''. The origin of the latter is uncertain. Since the ''quirīs'' is connected with Sabellic immigrants into Rome in ancient legends, it may be a loanword. Ancient etymologies derived the term from the
Sabine
The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome.
The Sabines di ...
word for "spear", or from the Sabine capitol of
Cures, after the Sabine people were assimilated early in Roman history.
The etymology ''*ko-wir-'', then *''co-uiri-um'', 'assembly of the men', has been proposed by some scholars, although
De Vaan (2008) notes that it "is not credible phonetically and not very compelling semantically".
Combined in the phrase ''populus Romanus quirites'' (or ''quiritium'') it denoted the individual citizen as contrasted with the community. Hence ''ius quiritium'' in
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the '' Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...
is full Roman citizenship. Subsequently the term was applied (sometimes in a deprecatory sense, cf.
Tac. ''Ann.'' ~. 42) to the Romans in domestic affairs, Romani being reserved for foreign affairs.
In identifying this name as the possible source of the word ''
cry
Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secreto ...
'', the''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...
'' cites
Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...
.
See also
*
Quirinus
In Roman mythology and religion, Quirinus ( , ) is an early god of the Roman state. In Augustan Rome, ''Quirinus'' was also an epithet of Janus, as ''Janus Quirinus''.
Name
Attestations
The name of god Quirinus is recorded across Roman so ...
*
Mars Quirinus
References
*
*
Society of ancient Rome
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