fascĭa (fascea), ae, f. [kindred with fascis], a band, bandage, swathe, girth, fillet.
I Prop. (to bind up diseased parts of the body; to wrap round the feet to prevent the boots from rubbing them; to bind under the breasts of women; a headband set with pearls, etc.; syn.: redimiculum, vitta, infula, diadema): devinctus erat fasciis, Cic. Brut. 60, 217; Suet. Dom. 17; id. Galb. 21; Gell. 16, 3, 4; cf.: fasciis crura vestiuntur, Quint. 11, 3, 144: cum vincirentur pedes fasciis, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 537, 5; id. Att. 2, 3, 1 (cf. with Val. Max. 6, 2, 7); Plin. 8, 57, 82, § 221; Dig. 34, 2, 25 (with pedules); Lampr. Alex. Sev. 40 al.: carnem praependentem fascia substringere, Suet. Galb. 21: brachio lanis fasciisque obvoluto, id. Dom. 17: inflatum circa fascia pectus eat, Ov. A. A. 3, 274; Mart. 14, 134: vides illum Scythiae regem, insigni capitis decorum? si vis illum aestimare, fasciam solve: multum mali sub illa latet, Sen. Ep. 80 fin. ; so of a diadem , Suet. Caes. 79: puero fasciis opus est, cunis, incunabulis, i. e. swaddling-cloths , Plaut. Truc. 5, 13: somniasse se, ovum pendere ex fascia lecti sui cubicularis, a bed-girth , Cic. Div. 2, 65, 134; Mart. 5, 62, 5; 14, 159: uvas sole siccatas junci fasciis involvit, bands of rushes , mats , Plin. 15, 17, 18, § 66: nitor, qualem Bruttia praestabat calidi tibi fascia visci, plaster , Juv. 9, 14.— Prov.: non es nostrae fasciae, i. e. of our rank or condition , Petr. 46.—
II Transf. *
A The casing of a door , Varr. ap. Non. 451, 20; and 86, 10.—*
B In archit., a wreath round a pillar , a listel , Vitr. 3, 3 med. —*
C A streak of cloud in the sky : nil color hic caeli, nil fascia nigra minatur, Juv. 14, 294.—*
D A zone of the earth: orbi terrae in quinque zonas, sive melius fascias dico, discernitur, Mart. Cap. 6, §§ 602, 607.