An archaic or variant spelling of scepter, a symbolic staff carried by a monarch as a symbol of authority.
From Greek skeptron (staff/rod) via Latin sceptrum and Old French sceptre. The 'c' spelling represents older or variant forms of the word found in medieval English.
The scepter's history shows how royal symbols change meanings—it started as a simple walking stick for shepherds in ancient Greece, became a symbol of power in Egypt and Rome, and evolved into the ornate jeweled staff of European kings.
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