oppĭdum, i (gen. plur oppidūm, Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 4; old abl plur. oppedeis, Lex. Servil.), n. [ob and pedum; Gr. πέδον; Sanscr pada-m, on or over the plain].
I A town (of towns other than Rome, which was called Urbs; though occasionally the term oppidum was applied to Rome) (class.): oppidum ab opi dictum, quod munitur opis causā, ubi sit: et quod opus est ad vitam gerundam, Varr. L. L. 5, § 141 Müll.; cf. Fest. p. 202: hi coetus (hominum) sedem primum certo loco domiciliorum causā constituerunt, quam cum locis manuque saepsissent, ejusmodi conjunctionem tectorum oppidum vel urbem appellaverunt, Cic. Rep. 1, 26, 41: Athenas anticum opulentum oppidum Contempla, Enn. ap. Non. 470, 5 (Trag. v. 324 Vahl.): fortunatum oppidum, Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 81: Segesta est oppidum pervetus in Siciliā, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 33, § 72: praesidia in oppidis, id. Att. 8, 11, B, § 1: Romana per oppida, Verg. G. 2, 176: urbe (i.e. Romā) oppidove ullo, Suet. Oth. 1.—Constr. with gen., of name of a town: Antiochiae, Cic. Att. 5, 18, 1.—Of Rome : per totum oppidum, all through the town , i.e. Rome , Varr. L. L. 6 § 14 Müll.: eos (legatos) in oppidum intromitti non placuit, Liv. 42, 36: oppidum Martis, Mart. 10, 30, 2.—In like manner oppidum denotes Athens , Nep. Milt. 4, 2; and Thebes , id. Pel. 1, 2.—In a fig. of an old man: ad hoc ego oppidum vetus continuo legiones meas Protinus adducam: hoc si expugno, etc., Plaut. Ps. 2, 1, 12.—
B Transf., the inhabitants of a town : illic oppida tota canem venerantur, nemo Dianam, Juv. 15, 8.—
II A fortified wood or forest , among the Britons, Caes. B. G. 5, 21. —
III The barriers of the circus (anteclass.): in Circo primo unde mittuntur equi, nunc dicuntur carceres, Naevius oppidum appellat, Varr. L. L. 5, § 153 Müll.; cf. Fest. p. 184 ib.