curia

noun cu·ria \ ˈkyu̇r-ē-ə , ˈku̇r- , ˈkyər- \

Updated on: 6 May 2018

Definition of curia

plural curiae play \ˈkyu̇r-ē-ˌē, ˈku̇r-ē-ˌī, ˈkyər-\

1 a : a division of the ancient Roman people comprising several gentes of a tribe

b : the place of assembly of one of these divisions

2 a : the court of a medieval king

b : a court of justice

3 often capitalized : the body of congregations, tribunals, and offices through which the pope governs the Roman Catholic Church

—

curial

play \ˈkyu̇r-ē-əl, ˈku̇r-, ˈkyər-\ adjective

Recent Examples of curia from the Web

Five years ago, he was appointed one of eight cardinals by Pope Francis to work out how to overhaul the administrative structures of the church, which are known as the Roman curia.

— a. odysseus patrick, Washington Post, "Cardinal George Pell will face trial on sex-offense charges," 1 May 2018
Maltese archbishop Charles Scicluna was stable and conscious after the surgery and his hospital recovery will take between 48 and 72 hours, the curia for Scicluna’s archdiocese in Malta said in a brief statement issued by a Chilean hospital.

— Washington Post, "Vatican sex abuse investigator hospitalized in Chile," 21 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.