1. a silver coin that was the basic monetary unit of ancient Rome
Usage: historical

Examples

• The Roman soldier was paid in denarii for his military service.
• Archaeologists discovered several denarius coins at the excavation site.
• A denarius was worth about a day’s wages for a common laborer in ancient Rome.
• The coin collector specialized in Roman denarii from the first century.
• Jesus asked whose image was on the denarius in the biblical parable.
• The denarius featured the emperor’s portrait on one side.