līnĕa (līnĭa), ae, f. [linum], a linen thread, a string, line.
I Lit.: nectere lineas, restes, funes, Varr. R. R. 1, 23, 6: linia longinqua per os religata, Plin. 9, 17, 26, § 59: ligato pede longā lineā gallina custoditur, Col. 8, 11, 15: linea margaritarum triginta quinque, Dig. 35, 2, 26; cf.: lineae duae ex margaritis, ib. 34, 2, 40; and ib. 9, 2, 27 fin. : linea dives (of the strings of pearls which were thrown among the people at the public games), Mart. 8, 78, 7 (cf. Suet. Ner. 11).—
B In partic.
1 In a net, the threads which form the meshes: licia difficile cernuntur: atque ut in plagis lineae offensae, praecipitant in sinum (of spiders’ webs), Plin. 11, 24, 28, § 82.—
b Transf., a net , Plin. 9, 43, 67, § 145: si feras lineis et pinna clusas contineas, Sen. Clem. 1, 12, 5.—
2 A fishing-line : tremulāve captum lineā trahit piscem, Mart. 3, 58, 27; 10, 30, 18.—Hence, prov.: mittere lineam, to cast a line, to fish for, try to catch a person, Plaut. Most. 5, 1, 22.—
3 A plumbline of masons and carpenters: perpendiculo et lineā uti, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 1; cf.: ad regulam et lineam, Vitr. 7, 3; 5, 3; Pall. 3, 9.—Hence,
b Ad lineam and rectā lineā, in a straight line, vertically, perpendicularly : solida corpora ferri suo deorsum pondere ad lineam, Cic. Fin. 1, 6, 18; Plin. 19, 8, 42, § 147; of the layers of stone in a wall: saxa, quae rectis lineis suos ordines servant, Caes. B. G. 7, 23: (ignis) rectis lineis in caelestem locum subvolat, Cic. Tusc. 1, 17, 40.—
4 A region, tract : linea tam rectum mundi ferit illa Leonem, that region lies directly under the lion , Luc. 10, 306.—
5 A bowstring , Ter. Maur. praef. v. 19.—
II Transf., a thread-like stroke or mark made with a pen, pencil, etc., a line : Apelli fuit perpetua consuetudo, numquam tam occupatam diem agendi, ut non, lineam ducendo, exerceret artem, quod ab eo in proverbium venit (namely, the proverb: nulla dies sine linea), Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 84: lineam cinere ducere, id. 18, 33, 76, § 327: candida per medium folium transcurrens, id. 27, 11, 77, § 102: serra in praetenui linea premente harenas (of sawing marble), id. 36, 6, 9, § 51: nec congruebant ad horas ejus lineae (of the sundial), id. 7, 60, 60, § 214; Pers. 3, 4.—In geometry, a line : linea a nostris dicitur, quam γραμμὴν Graeci nominant. Eam M. Varro ita definit: Linea est, inquit, longitudo quaedam sine latitudine et altitudine, Gell. 1, 20, 7: locorum extremae lineae, Quint. 1, 10, 39: lineae, quae emittuntur ex centro, Plin. 2, 65, 65, § 165; 2, 16, 13, § 64: linea circumcurrens, a circular line, circle , Quint. 1, 10, 41.—
2 In partic.
α A boundary-line which consisted of a narrow path between fields, Hyg. de Limit. p. 151; 152 Goes. —
β In gen., a way, path : dedit sequendam calle recto lineam, Prud. Cath. 7, 48.—
b A barrier or line in the theatre, by which the seats were separated from each other: quid frustra refugis? cogit nos linea jungi, Ov. Am. 3, 2, 19; id. A. A. 1, 139: lineas poscere, Quint. 11, 3, 133.—
c A feature, lineament : adulti venustissimis lineis, Arn. 5, 179 al.—
B Trop.
1 A line of descent or kindred, lineage (post-class.): στέμματα cognationum directo limite in duas lineas separantur, quarum altera est superior, altera inferior, Dig. 38, 10, 9: clara gentis Linea, Stat. S. 3, 3, 43: primo gradu superioris linea continentur pater, mater, Paul. Sent. 4, 11, 1.—
2 An outline, sketch, design (a fig. borrowed from painting): quidam materias latius dicendo prosequebantur ... alii, cum primas modo lineas duxissent, Quint. 2, 6, 2; cf. id. 4, 2, 120: ea quae in Platonis oratione demiramur, non aemulari quidem, sed lineas umbrasque facere ausi sumus, Gell. 17, 20, 8.—
3 A boundary-line, bound, limit, end, goal : cum poëtae transilire lineas impune possint, Varr. L. L. 9, § 5 Müll.; Cassiod. Var. 3, 50: si quidem est peccare tamquam transire lineas, to go beyond the mark, pass the prescribed limits , Cic. Par. 3, 1, 20: mors ultima linea rerum est, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 79: admoveri lineas sentio, Sen. Ep. 49.—Hence, prov.: amare extremā lineā, to love at a distance , i. e. to see the beloved object only at a distance, not be able to speak to her , Ter. Eun. 640.