terminus

A New Latin Dictionary by Charlton T. Lewis Ph.D. and Charles Short, LL. D.

termĭnus, i, m. (collat. form termo, ōnis, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 363 Müll., or Ann. v. 470 and 471 Vahl.; and termen, ĭnis, n., acc. to Varr. L. L. 5, § 21 Müll.; so, (BTERMINA DVO STANT, Inscr. Orell. 3121) [Sanscr. root tar-, overcome; tīrain, shore, edge; Gr. τέρμα, goal; τέρμων, border; cf. trans, in-trare], a boundary-line, boundary, bound, limit (syn.: finis, limes, meta).

I Lit., of local boundaries: contentio de terminis, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 43, 132: agrorum, Plin. 18, 2, 2, § 8; Hor. C. 2, 18, 24: templi, Liv. 45, 5, 7: urbis, Tac. A. 12, 23; 12, 24 fin. : possessionum, Cic. Mil. 27, 74: vicinitatis, id. Rab. Perd. 3, 8: Alexandria, in terminis Africae et Aegypti condita, Just. 21, 6, 3.—Comically, = membrum virile, Pompon. ap. Non. 146, 24 (Com. Fragm. v. 126 Rib.).— Hence,

B Personified: Termĭnus , the deity presiding over boundaries , Ov. F. 2, 639 sq.; Varr. L. L. 5, 10, 22; Liv. 1, 55, 3; 5, 54, 7; Hor. C. S. 27; Lact. 1, 20, 38; Fest. p. 368; Serv. ad Verg. A. 9, 448. —

II Transf., in gen., a bound , limit , end , term : constituendi sunt, qui sint in amicitiā fines, ut quasi termini diligendi, Cic. Lael. 16, 56; cf.: certos mihi fines terminosque constituam, id. Quint. 10, 35: oratoris facultatem non illius artis terminis, sed ingeni sui finibus describere, id. de Or. 1, 49, 214: contentionum, id. Fam. 6, 22, 2: nullis terminis circumscribere aut definire jus suum, id. de Or. 1, 16, 70: Pompeius, cujus res gestae atque virtutes isdem quibus solis cursus regionibus ac terminis continentur, id. Cat. 4, 10, 21: omnium aetatum certus est terminus, senectutis autem nullus est certus terminus, id. Sen. 20, 72: vitae, id. Rab. Perd. 10, 29: pangere terminos, id. Leg. 1, 21, 56: termini egestatis, Plaut. As. 1, 2, 13: hos terminos dignitati statuo, Plin. Ep. 6, 29, 3.

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