A narrow purple stripe worn on clothing by Roman citizens of lower rank, as opposed to the wider stripe worn by senators.
From Latin 'angustus' (narrow) combined with 'clavus' (stripe or nail). This Roman social marker distinguished the middle class from the higher classes, with the width of the stripe indicating rank and status.
In ancient Rome, your clothing literally told people your social class—the narrow stripe (angusticlave) said 'I'm important but not a senator,' while the wide stripe (laticlavi) said 'I'm basically royalty!'
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