Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Contio: A type of public meeting in ancient Rome that was called by a magistrate. People were summoned to attend and listen to speeches given by the magistrate or other speakers. These speeches were called contiones or conciones.
Definition: Contio (kon-shee-oh) is a Latin term used in Roman law. It refers to a public meeting that is called by a magistrate. During this meeting, a speech is delivered to the participants. The term can also be spelled as concio. The plural form of contio is contiones (kon-shee-oh-neez).
These examples illustrate how contio was used in ancient Rome. The first example shows how a magistrate would call for a public meeting to discuss important matters with the citizens. The second example shows how a speech was delivered during the contio to persuade the citizens to support a particular cause or idea.