Legal Definitions - contio

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).

• A magistrate called for a contio to discuss the new laws that were going to be implemented.
• The senator delivered a powerful speech during the contio, urging the citizens to support the new reforms.

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.