Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In Gr. and Rom. antiq., a girdle of any kind, whether worn by men or by women; particularly, the Greek girdle for confining the tunic, and specifically the girdle or zone of Venus, which was said to be decorated with everything that could awaken love.
- noun In zoology: A ctenophoran; one of the Cestidæ. Same as
Cestum . - noun Among the Greeks and Romans, a kind of boxing-glove or gauntlet, consisting of stout leather thongs or straps, often loaded with lead or iron, fastened on the hands and arms of boxers (called
cestuarii ) to render their blows more effective.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Antiq.) A covering for the hands of boxers, made of leather bands, and often loaded with lead or iron.
- noun (Antiq.) A girdle; particularly that of Aphrodite (or Venus) which gave the wearer the power of exciting love.
- noun (Zoöl.) A genus of Ctenophora. The typical species (
Cestus Veneris ) is remarkable for its brilliant iridescent colors, and its long, girdlelike form.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A leather fighting glove, frequently weighed with metal.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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After a little research, he found this weapon called a cestus, and then gave it a Nemean lion design, and he believes that look influenced a lot of the grabbing gameplay now found in the finished game.
Joystiq Mike Schramm 2010
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After a little research, he found this weapon called a cestus, and then gave it a Nemean lion design, and he believes that look influenced a lot of the grabbing gameplay now found in the finished game.
Joystiq Mike Schramm 2010
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After a little research, he found this weapon called a cestus, and then gave it a Nemean lion design, and he believes that look influenced a lot of the grabbing gameplay now found in the finished game.
Joystiq Mike Schramm 2010
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[Footnote 468: I have avoided translating "cestus," as it is very doubtful what is meant by it.
The Iliad of Homer (1873) 750? BC-650? BC Homer 1840
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Instantly, Miss Skiffins stopped it with the neatness of a placid boxer, took off that girdle or cestus as before, and laid it on the table.
Great Expectations 2007
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His waist expanded, or was no longer confined by the cestus which had given it a shape.
The Newcomes 2006
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He flung aside the dagger-wielder with his left arm, and smashed his broken hilt like a cestus into the swordsman's temple.
Wings in the Night Howard, Robert E. 2006
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One of the family, developing along different lines, is even better of its hands; remarkable to tell, it carries a cestus of hardened shell as a means of protection and enforcing its rights.
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He flung aside the dagger-wielder with his left arm, and smashed his broken hilt like a cestus into the swordsman's temple.
The Coming of Conan The Cimmerian Howard, Robert E. 2003
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He flung aside the dagger-wielder with his left arm, and smashed his broken hilt like a cestus into the swordsman's temple.
The Coming of Conan The Cimmerian Howard, Robert E. 2003
johnmperry commented on the word cestus
plural is cestus too
August 17, 2008
jinglebelljosie commented on the word cestus
kind of belt worn by women of ancient greece
September 17, 2008