tribune

views updated May 17 2018

trib·une1 / ˈtribyoōn; triˈbyoōn/ • n. (also tribune of the people) an official in ancient Rome chosen by the plebeians to protect their interests. ∎  (also military tribune) a Roman legionary officer. ∎ fig. a popular leader; a champion of the people. ∎  used in names of newspapers: the Chicago Tribune.DERIVATIVES: trib·u·nate / ˈtribyənit; trīˈbyoōnit; -ˌnāt/ n.trib·une·ship / ship/ n.trib·une2 • n. 1. an apse in a basilica.2. a dais or rostrum, esp. in a church. ∎  a raised area or gallery with seats, esp. in a church.

tribune

views updated May 11 2018

tribune.
1. Apsidal part of a basilica.

2. Bema, raised platform, or seat in a basilican building.

3. Eastern part of a church, especially if apsidal.

4. Pulpitum or ambo, and therefore, by extension, a pulpit.

5. Gallery in a church, usually for seating.

tribune

views updated May 21 2018

tribune Official of ancient Rome. Of the various kinds of tribune, some had military functions, some political. The tribunes of the plebeians, generally ten in number, who were elected annually, gained an important role under the republic. In the 2nd century bc, the Gracchi brothers used the office of tribune to pursue radical social reforms. See also Gracchus

tribune

views updated Jun 11 2018

tribune an official in ancient Rome (also known as the tribune of the people) chosen by the plebeians to protect their interests; in extended and figurative usage, a popular leader, a champion of the people. The word is recorded from late Middle English, and comes from Latin tribunus, literally ‘head of a tribe’.
Tribune Group a left-wing group within the British Labour Party consisting of supporters of the views put forward in the weekly journal Tribune.

tribune

views updated May 21 2018

tribune1 officer in the administration of ancient Rome. XIV. — L. tribūnus, prob. orig. sb. use of adj. f. tribus TRIBE.
So tribunal dais, raised throne, judgement seat; court of justice XVI; place of judgement, judicial authority XVII. — (O)F. tribunal or L. tribūnal(e).

tribune

views updated Jun 27 2018

tribune2 saloon in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, Italy XVII; apse of a basilica XVIII; dais, rostrum, bishop's throne. — F. — It. tribuna — medL. tribūna, for L. tribūnal.