noun
- officers in ancient Rome who carried fasces and attended magistrates as symbols of their authority
Usage: historical; ancient Rome
Examples
- The consul was preceded by twelve lictors carrying fasces.
- Lictors cleared the way through the crowded Roman streets.
- The magistrate’s lictors stood at attention during the ceremony.
- Ancient Roman lictors served both ceremonial and protective functions.
- The number of lictors indicated the rank of the official they served.
- Lictors carried bundles of rods as symbols of governmental power.