glaeba (less correctly glēba), ae, f. [cf. globus].
I Prop., a small piece or lump of earth , a clod (cf. gramen, herba, faenum, caespes): ingens, Lucr. 6, 553: glaebis terrarum saepe friatis, id. 1, 887: fecundae, id. 1, 212; so Verg. G. 1, 94; Hor. C. 3, 6, 39: si glaebis aut saxis aut fustibus aliquem de fundo praecipitem egeris ... non esse arma cespites neque glaebas, etc., Cic. Caecin. 21, 60: omnes, qui ullam agri glaebam possiderent, id. Verr. 2, 3, 11, § 28; so, nec ulli glaeba ulla agri assignaretur, Liv. 4, 11; cf. also: non adimi cuiquam glaebam, Cic. Agr. 3, 1, 3: nam priusquam in os injecta glaeba est, locus ille, ubi crematum est corpus, nihil habet religionis, id. Leg. 2, 22, 57; cf. Varr. L. L. 5, 4, 9, § 23; and Fest. s. v. praecidanea, p. 223: ex fundo glaeba sumebatur, Gai. Inst. 4, 17: ornare glaebam virentem, i. e. an altar built of turf , Juv. 12, 85; v. also glaebula.—
II Transf.
A Land , soil : terra antiqua potens armis atque ubere glaebae, Verg. A. 1, 531: glebae felices, Ap. Met. 1, 1, 9.—
B Of other things, a piece , lump , mass : sevi ac picis glaebae, Caes. B. G. 7, 25; so, turis, Lucr. 3, 328; Stat. Th. 6, 60: marmoris, Plin. 36, 6, 8, § 50: salis, id. 31, 7, 39, § 73: sulphuris, id. 35, 15, 50, § 175: lactis, Nemes. Ecl. 3 fin. —
C (Late Lat.), = pensio or canon praedio incumbens, a tax imposed upon the land of senators , Cod. Th. 6, 2, 10; ib. 12, 1, 138; Symm. Ep. 4, 61.