quaestor

or ques·tor

[ kwes-ter, kwee-ster ]
See synonyms for quaestor on Thesaurus.com
nounRoman History.
  1. one of two subordinates of the consuls serving as public prosecutors in certain criminal cases.

  2. (later) one of the public magistrates in charge of the state funds, as treasury officers or those attached to the consuls and provincial governors.

Origin of quaestor

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English questor, from Latin quaestor, equivalent to quaes-, base of quaerere “to seek” + -tor noun suffix; see -tor

Other words from quaestor

  • quaes·to·ri·al [kwe-stawr-ee-uhl, -stohr-, kwee-], /kwɛˈstɔr i əl, -ˈstoʊr-, kwi-/, adjective
  • quaes·tor·ship, noun

Words Nearby quaestor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use quaestor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quaestor

quaestor

sometimes US questor (ˈkwɛstə)

/ (ˈkwiːstə, -tɔː) /


noun
  1. any of several magistrates of ancient Rome, usually a financial administrator

Origin of quaestor

1
C14: from Latin, from quaerere to inquire

Derived forms of quaestor

  • quaestorial (kwɛˈstɔːrɪəl), adjective
  • quaestorship, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012