sesterce

UK: /ˈsɛstɛːs/ US: (ses′tûrs)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ses•terce  (ses′tûrs), n. 

1. Currency a silver coin of ancient Rome, the quarter of a denarius, equal to 2½ asses: introduced in the 3rd centuryb.c.

• Latin sēstertius, equivalent. to sēs- half-unit (see sesqui-) + tertius third (i.e., 2 units and half a 3rd one equal 2½ asses)
• 1590–1600

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sesterce / ˈsɛstɛːs/, sestertius / sɛˈstɜːtɪəs/ noun (sesterces, sestertii / sɛˈstɜːtɪaɪ/)

1. a silver or, later, bronze coin of ancient Rome worth a quarter of a denarius

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin sēstertius a coin worth two and a half asses, from sēmis half + tertius a third