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.
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
On September 15, 1928, Dictator de Rivera will have been in power for one whole lustrum.
From Time Magazine Archive
Yet his huge mike-and-movie success is less than a lustrum old.
From Time Magazine Archive
More appropriate seemed the second but obscure meaning of lustrum: a period of five years.
From Time Magazine Archive
The death of Publius Furius prevented their completing the lustrum.
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.
