ACCENSI, in the Roman armies, certain supernumerary foldiers, designed to supply the places of those who should be killed or anywise disabled. They were thus denominated, quia accensebantur, or ad censum adjiciebantur. Vegetius calls them supernumerarii legionum. Cato calls them serentarii, in regard they furnished those engaged in battle with weapons, drink, &c. Though Nonnius suggests another reason of that appellation, viz. because they fought with stones, slings, and weapons quæ ferruntur, such as are thrown, not carried in the hand. They were sometimes also called velites, and velati, because they fought clothed, but not in armour; sometimes adscripticii, and adscriptivi; sometimes vorarii. The accensi, Livy observes, were placed at the rear of the army, because no great matter was expected from them: they were taken out of the fifth class of citizens.