fasces Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun bundle of rods containing an axe with the blade protruding; in ancient Rome it was a symbol of a magistrate's power; in modern Italy it is a symbol of fascism

WordNet

Fas"ces noun plural
Etymology
L., pl. of fascis bundle; cf. fascia a band, and Gr. a bundle.
Definitions
  1. (Rom. Antiq.) A bundle of rods, having among them an ax with the blade projecting, borne before the Roman magistrates as a badge of their authority.

Webster 1913