mīlĭtĭa, ae (-āi, Lucr. 1, 29), f. [miles], military service, warfare, war.
I Lit.: in militiae disciplinam profectus est, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 10, 28: militiam subterfugere, id. Off. 3, 26, 97: ferre, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 55: tolerare, Verg. A. 8, 516: munus militiae sustinere, Caes. B. G. 6, 18: militiae vacatio, exemption from military service , id. ib. 6, 14: militiae magna scientia, Sall. J. 63, 2: militiam discere, id. C. 7, 4: praeclara, Vell. 2, 5, 1: Pompeii, id. 2, 40, 1: adversus Graecos, Just. 20, 1, 3: lentas militias, Tib. 1, 3, 82: Cimbrica Teutonicaque, Vell. 2, 120, 1: militiae honorem, military honors , Juv. 7, 88.—
B Esp.
1 Abl. militiā, in war , opp. togā, in peace, Juv. 10, 9.—
2 Gen. militiae, in military service , or on a campaign, in the field; freq. in phrase: domi militiaeque, at home and abroad, at home and with the army : quorum virtus fuerat domi militiaeque cognita, Cic. Tusc. 5, 19, 55; cf.: et domi et militiae, id. de Or. 3, 33, 134: militiae domique, Liv. 7, 32: militiae et domi, Ter. Ad. 559.—Also without domi, Cic. Leg. 3, 3, 6; Sall. J. 84, 2; Tac. H. 2, 5.—
C Trop., of love: at confidentia militia illa militatur multo magis quam pondere, Plaut. Pers. 2, 2, 50; so of an inattentive lover: pro infrequente eum mittat militiā domum, id. Truc. 2, 1, 19.—
II Transf.
A Military spirit, courage, bravery : virilis militiae uxor, Flor. 4, 5.—
B Concr., the soldiery, military (syn.: milites, exercitus, copiae): hic pars militiae, dux erat ille ducum, Ov. H. 8, 46: Romanae militiae decus, Val. Max. 1, 6, 11: cum omni militiā interficitur, Just. 32, 2, 2; Plin. 4, 14, 27, § 97: qua (lex) maxima apud eos vis cogendae militiae erat, Liv. 4, 26, 3: magister militiae, general , id. 22, 23, 2: caelestis, Vulg. Luc. 2, 13.—So trop.: militia caeli, i. e. the heavenly bodies , Vulg. Act. 7, 42; id. Deut. 17, 3.—
C A civil service, office, profession, employment , esp. a laborious one: hanc urbanam militiam respondendi, scribendi, etc., Cic. Mur. 9, 19: haec mea militia est, Ov. F. 2, 9.—Of swallows building their nests: eaque militia illis cum anno redit semper, Plin. 10, 33, 49, § 95.—
D Any special work of difficulty, requiring a great effort : completa est militia ejus, Vulg. Isa. 40, 2: arma militiae nostrae non carnalia, id. 2 Cor. 10, 4: bona, id. 1 Tim. 1, 18.—
E Under the emperors (like miles), an office or employment at court , Prud. Cath. 19; Cod. Just. 3, 25.