[ 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 <noun.communication>
Fasces \Fas"ces\, n. pl. [L., pl. of fascis bundle; cf. fascia a band, and Gr. fa`kelos a bundle.], (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.