lustrum
Americannoun
plural
lustrums, lustra-
a period of five years.
-
Roman History. a lustration or ceremonial purification of the people, performed every five years, after the taking of the census.
noun
Etymology
Origin of lustrum
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin lūstrum; luster 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
More appropriate seemed the second but obscure meaning of lustrum: a period of five years.
From Time Magazine Archive
Spanish scurriers to dictionaries were intrigued and mystified by the primary meaning of lustrum: a Latin word signifying the festival at which Romans purified themselves by sacrificing to the Gods many a pig, sheep, bull.
From Time Magazine Archive
Yet his huge mike-and-movie success is less than a lustrum old.
From Time Magazine Archive
On September 15, 1928, Dictator de Rivera will have been in power for one whole lustrum.
From Time Magazine Archive
A lustrum: the number of the citizens amounts to two hundred and ninety-two thousand two hundred and twenty-four.
From The History of Rome, Books 09 to 26 by Livius, Titus
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
