| A | B |
|---|
| Chiasmus | A "crossing over." An ABBA or ABCBA, etc., arrangement of elements in a line. |
| Climax | The highpoint of an argument following a crescendo |
| Comitia | The assembilies of the people called by groups. The most common in Cicero's time were the comitia tributa which distributed all citizens into 35 tribes; and the comitia centuriata which divided the citizenry among 193 centuries based upon age and property qualifications. The major comitia's most prominent role was the election of public officials. |
| Comitium | The assembly area in front of the Curia where the general public was addressed from the rostra |
| Confirmatio | Usually the fourth section of a speech in which the proofs are presented and the argument is developed |
| Consul | The highest office in the cursus honorum, roughly equivalent to a mayor president. 2 people held the office each year. |
| Contio | A form of comitia in which all people were summoned without regard to group. Usually the contio convened near the rostra to hear debate on proposed legislation or an explanation of senatorial action. |
| Crescendo | the gradual building of words or phrases in order of importance or intensity |
| Curia | the Senate house |
| Cursus Honorum | the customary sequence of elected offices (also called the gradus honorum): quaestor, aedile, praetor, consul. Officially, one did not have to be an aedile, but most people elected to serve this office in order to garner votes for the remaining offices. |
| Dictator | Usually appointed in a state of emergency, the office lasted a maximum of 6 months and gave the holder absolute authority to settle a crisis. Originally known as the magister populi, "master of the infantryl." He appointed the magister equitum as his chief assistant. |
