fetial (FEE-shuhl) adjective, also fecial

   Relating to declarations of war and treaties of peace.

[From Latin fetialis, a member of Roman college of priests, who performed
the rites in such matters.]

   "President Clinton has already demonstrated his command of the
   fetial arts; therefore it may be Congress's place to dictate policy
   here."
   Answering Beijing, The Princeton Spectator, Mar 1996.

   "Nevertheless, we can accept that as ambassadors of peace, fetials
   employed legalistic language and forms to demand reparations from the
   guilty party."
   Richard E. Mitchell, Reviews of books -- International Law in Archaic
   Rome: War and Religion, The American Historical Review, (Washington, DC),
   Feb 1995.

This week's theme: words from war.

............................................................................
When the master has come to do everything through the slave, the slave
becomes his master, since he cannot live without him. -George Bernard,
writer, Nobel laureate (1856-1950)

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Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/fetial.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/fetial.ram