lōrīca, ae, f. [lorum], a leather cuirass, a corselet of thongs (opp. thorax, a brazen breastplate).
I Lit.: pro lorica malacum capiam pallium, Plaut. Bacch. 1, 1, 37: lata insignisque lorica, Cic. Mur. 26, 52: ambulat cum lorica, id. Fl. 17, 41: graves loricis, Liv. 5, 38: trilix, Verg. A. 3, 467; 5, 259; Sil. 2, 401: bilix, Verg. A. 12, 376: truncis affixa tropaeis lorica, Juv. 10, 134: cum vix loricam multiplicem conixi umeris ferunt, Quint. 8, 4, 25.—Also of linen: lintea, Suet. Galb. 19.—
B Transf., a defence of any kind.
1 Milit., a breastwork, parapet : turres contabulantur, pinnae loricaeque ex cratibus attexuntur, Caes. B. G. 5, 39: huic vallo loricam pinnasque adjecit, id. ib. 7, 72: loricam vallumque struxere, Tac. H. 4, 37; Curt. 9, 4, 30; Veg. Mil. 4, 28. —
2 A fence, hedge, enclosure , Ap. Met. 6, 30, 16; Amm. 24, 5, 2.—
3 A plastering, plaster : lorica testacea, Vitr. 2, 8; 2, 9: stellionis cubile est in loricis ostiorum, fenestrarumque, Plin. 30, 10, 27, § 89.— *
II Trop.: libros Mutare loricis, i. e. to exchange studies for arms , Hor. C. 1, 29, 15.