mille, in the plur. mīlia (or millia; archaic, MEILIA, Inscr. Orell. 3308; abl. sing. milli, Lucil. ap. Gell. 1, 16, and ap. Macr. S. 1, 5), num. adj. [Sanscr. root mil-, combine, associate; Gr. ὅμιλος; cf. miles], a thousand, thousands.
I Lit.
A In gen., sometimes in sing. subst , with gen.; in plur , only subst. with gen.: equites mille viā breviore praemissi, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 9, 3: mille et quingentis passibus abesse, Caes. B. G. 1, 22.—With gen.: mille drachumarum Olympicūm, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 23: spondeo et mille auri Philippum dotis, id. ib. 5, 2, 34; cf.: mille nummūm, Cic. Phil. 6, 5, 15; id. ap. Gell. 1, 16, 5: mille denariūm, Gell. 1, 16, 9: mille quingentos aeris in censum adferre, Cic. Rep. 2, 22, 40: ibi occiditur mille hominum, Quadrig. ap. Gell. 1, 16, 1: hominum mille versabatur, Cic. Mil. 20, 53.—So with verb in sing., Cic. Att. 4, 16, 14; Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 4; Ter. Heaut. 601: mille equitum, Caes. B. C. 3, 84; Liv. 21, 61: mille militum, Nep. Milt. 5, 1: plus mille et centum annorum est, Varr. ap. Gell. 1, 16, 3: mille annorum, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 87: passuum, Cato ap. Gell. l. l.; Caes. B. G. 1, 25, 5 al.; cf. Zumpt, Gr. § 116.—In plur. with gen.: Thracum mille aut duo milia occidere, Cic. Phil. 14, 5, 12: sexcenta milia mundorum, id. N. D. 1, 34, 96.—Without gen.: censa sunt civium capita centum quadraginta tria milia septingenta quatuor, Liv. 35, 9: sagittarios tria milia numero habebat, Caes. B. C. 3, 4: tot milia, gentes Arma ferunt Italae, Verg. A. 9, 132: decem milia talenta, Hier. in Evang. Matt. 18, 24: quatuor milia, funditores et sagittarii, Liv. 37, 40, 9; cf. id. 37, 40, 11; 38, 38, 13; 37, 58, 4: tritici modios CXX milia polliceri, Caes. B. C. 2, 18, 4; 3, 4, 3: Graecis peditibus mercede conductis, triginta milibus, praepositus, Curt. 3, 9, 2; 9, 3, 21; 5, 1, 41; Liv. 34, 52, 7.—Distributively: in milia aeris asses singulos, on every thousand , Liv. 29, 15.—
B In partic.: mille passus, mille passuum, or simply mille, a thousand paces , i. e. a Roman mile , which is estimated at 1618 English yards, or 142 yards less than the English statute mile: milli passum dixit (sc. Lucilius) pro mille passibus ... aperteque ostendit mille et vocabulum esse et singulari numero dici, Gell. 1, 16, 13; Cic. Att. 4, 16, 4: ultra quadringenta milia, id. ib. 3, 4.—Prov.: mille passuum mora, a mile's delay , i. e. a long delay , Plaut. Truc. 2, 3, 13; cf.: mille passuum commoratu's cantharum, id. Men. 1, 2, 64.—
II Transf., like the Gr. μυρία, a thousand , for innumerable, infinite (mostly poet.): mille pro uno Kaesones exstitisse, Liv. 3, 14, 4; 2, 28, 4: mille trahens varios adverso sole colores, Verg. A. 4, 701: tentat mille modis, Hor. C. 3, 7, 12: mille pericula saevae urbis, Juv. 3, 8; 12, 46: quomodo persequatur unus mille, Vulg. Deut. 32, 30. — Plur. : ante milia annorum, Plin. 14 praef. 1, § 3: milia tumulorum, Prud. cont. Symm. 1, 516: erat numerus eorum milia milium, Vulg. Apoc. 5, 11; so, mille alia, alia mille, innumerable others , Quint. 2, 15, 23; Sen. Ep. 24, 14.