CURIA among the Romans, also denoted a portion or division of a tribe. In the time of Romulus, a tribe consisted of ten curie, or a thousand men; each curia being one hundred. That legislator made the first division of his people into thirty curie. Afterwards curia or domus curialis, because used for the place where each curia held its assemblies. Hence also curia passed to the senate-house; and it is from hence the moderns came to use the word curia, "court," for a place of justice, and for the judges, &c. there assembled.
Varro derives the word from cura, "care," q. d. an assembly of people charged with the care of public affairs. Others deduce it from the Greeks; maintaining, that at Athens they called curie the place where the magistrate held his assizes, and the people used to assemble: curie, again, may come from curie, authority, power; because it was here the laws were made.