Mĕtellus, a [etym. dub.; metellus = μισθιος, hired, i. e. a hired servant, Gloss. Philox.: metelli dicuntur in re militari quasi mercenarii, Attius in Annalibus: calones famulique metellique caculaeque; a quo genere hominum Caeciliae familiae cognomen putatur ductum, Paul. ex Fest. p. 146 and 147 Müll.],
I the name of a Roman family in the gens Caecilia; its most famous members were:
1 Q. Metellus Macedonicus, who made Macedonia a Roman province, and was renowned for his good-fortune, Vell. 1, 11, 1; Cic. Tusc. 1, 35, 85; id. ib. 1, 36, 86, etc.—
2 Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, who defeated Jugurtha in Numidia, Sall. J. 43 sqq.; Cic. Brut. 35, 135.—
3 L. Caecilius Metellus, who saved the palladium from the burning temple of Vesta, B. C. 241, Liv. Epit. 19; Flor. 2, 2, 27; Cic. Rep. 1, 1, 1; Juv. 6, 265; cf. id. 3, 137 sq.—
4 C. Caecilius Metellus Celer, Cicero's contemporary, and husband of Coelia, Cic. Att. 2, 1, 5, etc. —
5 Qu. Caecilius Metellus Pius (Scipio), son of Scipio Nasica, and Pompey's father-in-law, Vell. 2, 15, 5.—
6 Caecilia Metella, wife of P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther, divorced A. U. C. 709, Hor. S. 2, 3, 239; Cic. Att. 11, 23, 3; 13, 7, 1.—
7 Caecilia Metella, wife of M. Aemilius Scaurus, Cic. Sest. 47, 101.