English

Noun

trabea ‎(plural trabeae)

1. (historical, Ancient Rome) A toga of purple, or ornamented with purple horizontal stripes, worn by kings, consuls, and augurs.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Dr. W. Smith to this entry?)

Latin

Etymology

Perhaps from trabs ‎(“rafter, beam”) +‎ -eus, in reference to the horizontal stripes of red or purple that adorned the garment.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈtra.be.a/

Noun

trabea f ‎(genitive trabeae); first declension

1. A white or purple toga, or possibly mantle, ornamented with red or purple stripes, associated with the equestrian class.
2. The purple-bordered toga praetexta worn by augurs, other priests, and certain Republican officials.
3. A red or purple garment said to have been worn by Romulus and other early Roman kings and consuls, also used to decorate divine images.
4. (Late Latin, Medieval Latin) The elaborate ornamental dress of late Imperial consuls.

Inflection

First declension.

Derived terms

• trabea triumphālis
• trabeālis
• trabeātus

References

• trabea in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• trabea in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• TRABEA in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “trabea”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• trabea in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• trabea in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin