curia

Definitions


[ˈkjɔːrɪə], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the papal court at the Vatican, by which the Roman Catholic Church is governed. It comprises various Congregations, Tribunals, and other commissions and departments


Phrases:

Origin:
mid 19th century: from Latin curia, denoting a division of an ancient Roman tribe, also (by extension) the senate of cities other than Rome; later the term came to denote a feudal or Roman Catholic court of justice, whence the current sense




definition by Oxford Dictionaries