curia
UK[ˈkjʊəriə]US[ˈkjʊriə]
n
the papal court; the group of officials and departments that assist the pope in governing the roman catholic church.
n
(in ancient rome) one of the ten political subdivisions into which the latin, sabine, and etruscan tribes were each divided.
Morpheme Breakdown
cur
ia
cur
care
ia
noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'curia' originates directly from latin 'cūria', which referred to a political subdivision of the roman people, and later to the senate house. this latin term is derived from an earlier form 'co-viria', meaning 'assembly of men', which itself stems from the proto-indo-european root 'wi-ro-', meaning 'man'. the semantic evolution connects the concept of a group of men to an administrative body. over time, its meaning specialized within the roman catholic church to denote the administrative bodies that care for or govern the church's affairs, thus linking the ancient sense of an administrative assembly to its modern ecclesiastical function.
Analysis
Structure: cur (care) + ia (noun suffix)
cur (from latin 'cura', meaning care, concern, administration); ia (a latin noun-forming suffix denoting a state, condition, or thing).
Examples
the roman curia assists the pope in the central administration of the catholic church.
reforms of the curia are often discussed during church councils.
in ancient rome, each curia had its own religious rites and officials.