tribune
/ˈtɹɪbjuːn/ noun, proper noun
Forms tribunes
- noun (historical) An elected official in Ancient Rome, a tribune of the plebs.
- noun (historical) A military officer in Ancient Rome ranking below a legate and above a centurion, a military tribune.
- noun (figurative) A protector of the people; a public figure who appeals to and on behalf of the people through oratory.
- noun (Christianity, architecture) The domed or vaulted apse in a cathedral housing the bishop's throne (see).
- noun (uncommon) Synonym of pulpit, a platform, a place or opportunity to express one's opinion “The new magazine's goal is to give a tribune to unmarried mothers.”
- proper noun A small city, the county seat of Greeley County, Kansas, United States.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Crittenden County, Kentucky, United States.
- proper noun A small community in southern Saskatchewan, Canada.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English tribune, from Old French tribun, tribune, from Latin tribunus (“tribune, tribal leader”), from tribus (“tribe”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An officer or magistrate chosen by the people, to protect them from the oppression of the patricians, or nobles, and to defend their liberties against any attempts that might be made upon them by the senate and consuls.
- noun Anciently, a bench or elevated place, from which speeches were delivered; in France, a kind of pulpit in the hall of the legislative assembly, where a member stands while making an address; any place occupied by a public orator.
Etymology [L. tribunus, properly, the chief of a tribe, fr. tribus tribe: cf. F. tribun. See Tribe.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tribune”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details