half their food

mĕdĭus, a, um, adj. [Sanscr. madhya, the same; Gr. mesos; Angl. - Sax. midd; Germ. Mitte; cf. dimidius, meridies (medi-), etc.], that is in the middle or midst, mid, middle (class.).

Adj.

Lit.:

terra complexa medium mundi locum,

Cic. Rep. 6, 18, 18; cf. id. ib. 6, 17, 17:

medium mundi locum petere,

id. Tusc. 5, 24, 69:

versus aeque prima, et media, et extrema pars attenditur,

id. de Or. 3, 50, 192:

ultimum, proximum, medium tempus,

id. Prov. Cons. 18, 43:

in foro medio,

in the midst of the forum, Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 14; Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 6; cf.:

medio foro,

in the open forum, Suet. Claud. 18 al.:

in solio medius consedit,

sat in the middle, Ov. F. 3, 359; Verg. A. 7, 169:

considit scopulo medius,

id. G. 4, 436:

concilio medius sedebat,

Ov. M. 10, 144:

ignes,

Verg. A. 12, 201:

medio tempore,

in the meantime, meanwhile, Suet. Caes. 76: vinum novum, vetus, medium, i. e. neither old nor new, Varr. ap. Gell. 13, 31, 14:

cum plenus fluctu medius foret alveus,

full to the middle, Juv. 12, 30.—With dat.:

Peloponnesii Megaram, mediam Corintho Athenisque urbem, condidere,

midway between Corinth and Athens, Vell. 1, 2, 4.—With abl.:

si medius Polluce et Castore ponar,

between, Ov. Am. 2, 16, 13.—With inter:

cum inter bellum et pacem medium nihil sit,

there is no medium, no middle course between, Cic. Phil. 8, 1, 4:

inter quos numeros duo medii inveniuntur (sc. numeri),

Mart. Cap. 7, § 737.—With gen.:

locus medius regionum earum,

half-way between, Caes. B. G. 4, 19:

locus medius juguli summique lacerti,

between, Ov. M. 6, 409; 5, 564:

et medius juvenum ibat,

id. F. 5, 67:

medius silentūm,

Stat. Th. 4, 683.—With ex:

medius ex tribus,

Sall. J. 11, 3:

medium arripere aliquem,

to seize one by the middle, around the body, Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 18:

juvenem medium complectitur,

Liv. 23, 9, 9:

Alcides medium tenuit,

held him fast by the middle, Luc. 4, 652:

medium ostendere unguem,

to point with the middle finger, Juv. 10, 53.—

Transf., half (ante- and postclass.):

hieme demunt cibum medium,

half their food, Varr. R. R. 3, 7, 9:

scrupulum croci,

Pall. Jan. 18: aurum... Italicis totum, medium provincialibus reddidit, Capitol. Anton. Pius, 4 fin. —

Trop., of the middle, not very great or small, middling, medial, moderate.

Of age:

aetatis mediae vir,

of middle age, Phaedr. 2, 2, 3.—

Of plans, purposes, etc.:

nihil medium, nec spem nec curam, sed immensa omnia volventes animo,

Liv. 2, 49, 5:

medium quiddam tenere,

Plin. Ep. 4, 9, 9.—

Of intellect:

eloquentiā medius,

middling, tolerable, Vell. 2, 29, 2:

ingenium,

moderate, Tac. H. 1, 49.—

Undetermined, undecided:

medios esse,

i. e. neutral, Cic. Att. 10, 8, 4:

medium se gerere,

Liv. 2, 27:

se dubium mediumque partibus praestitit,

Vell. 2, 21, 1; cf.:

responsum,

indefinite, ambiguous, Liv. 39, 39: vocabula, that can be taken in a good or bad sense, ambiguous, Gell. 12, 9, 1. —

Indifferent, not imperative: officium, a duty which is not distinctly enjoined by the moral law, but is sustained by preponderant reasoning:

medium officium id esse dicunt (Graeci) quod cur factum sit, ratio probabilis reddi possit,

Cic. Off. 1, 3, 8; cf.:

ex quo intellegitur, officium medium quiddam esse, quod neque in bonis ponatur neque in contrariis,

id. Fin. 3, 17, 58; cf.

sqq. and Madv. ad loc.: artes,

which in themselves are neither good nor bad, indifferent, Quint. 2, 20, 1.—

Intermediate:

medium erat in Anco ingenium, et Numae et Romuli memor,

of a middle kind, resembling each in some degree, Liv. 1, 32, 4:

nihil habet ista res (actoris) medium, sed aut lacrimas meretur aut risum,

Quint. 6, 1, 45:

ille jam paene medius adfectus est ex amoribus et desideriis amicorum,

Quint. 6, 2, 17.—Hence, as subst.: mĕdĭus, i, m., one who stands or comes between, a mediator:

medium sese offert,

as a mediator, Verg. A. 7, 536:

pacator mediusque Syphax,

Sil. 16, 222:

pacis eras mediusque belli,

arbiter, Hor. C. 2, 19, 28; cf.:

nunc mediis subeant irrita verba deis,

oaths in which the gods were called upon to be mediators, Ov. R. Am. 678.—

Central, with ex or in:

ex factione media consul,

fully committed to it, Sall. H. 3, 61, 8;

so (nearly = intimus), viros fortīs et magnanimos eosdem bonos et simplicīs... esse volumus: quae sunt ex media laude justititiae,

these qualities are clearly among those which make uprightness praiseworthy, Cic. Off. 1, 19, 63:

partitiones oratoriae, quae e media illa nostra Academia effloruerunt,

id. Part. Or. 40, 139:

ingressio e media philosophia repetita est,

id. Or. 3, 11; id. Leg. 2, 21, 53:

in medio maerore et dolore,

id. Tusc. 4, 29, 63; id. Q. Fr. 2, 15, 1:

in media dimicatione,

the hottest of the fight, Suet. Aug. 10; cf.:

in medio ardore certaminis,

Curt. 8, 4, 27:

in media solitudine,

the most profound, Sen. Brev. Vit. 12, 2:

in mediis divitiis,

in abundant wealth, id. Vit. Beat. 26, 1:

in medio robore virium,

Liv. 28, 35, 6:

in medio ardore belli,

id. 24, 45, 4:

in media reipublicae luce,

the full blaze of public life, Quint. 1, 2, 18:

media inter pocula,

Juv. 8, 217.—Hence,

Subst.: mĕdĭum, ii, n., the middle, midst.

Lit.

Of space (very rare in Cic.):

in medio aedium sedens,

Liv. 1, 57, 9:

maris,

id. 31, 45, 11; for which, without in, medio aedium eburneis sellis sedere, id. 5, 41, 2:

medio viae ponere,

id. 37, 13, 10:

in agmine in primis modo, modo in postremis, saepe in medio adesse,

Sall. J. 45, 2; for which, without in, medio sextam legionem constituit, Tac. A. 13, 38:

medio montium porrigitur planities,

id. ib. 1, 64:

medio stans hostia ad aras,

Verg. G. 3, 486:

medio tutissimus ibis,

Ov. M. 2, 137:

in medium geminos immani pondere caestus Projecit,

Verg. A. 5, 401:

in medium sarcinas coniciunt,

Liv. 10, 36, 1; 13:

equitatus consulem in medium acceptum, armis protegens, in castra reduxit,

id. 21, 46, 9.— Trop.:

tamquam arbiter honorarius medium ferire voluisse,

to cut through the middle, Cic. Fat. 17, 39:

intacta invidiā media sunt, ad summa ferme tendit,

Liv. 45, 35.—

Of time:

diei,

Liv. 27, 48:

medio temporis,

in the meantime, meanwhile, Tac. A. 13, 28; cf.:

nec longum in medio tempus, cum,

the interval, Verg. A. 9, 395; Ov. M. 4, 167; Plin. Ep. 7, 27, 13.—

Transf.

The midst of all, the presence of all, the public, the community (class.):

in medio omnibus palma est posita, qui artem tractant musicam,

lies open to all, Ter. Phorm. prol. 16:

tabulae sunt in medio,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 42, § 104:

rem totam in medio ponere,

publicly, id. ib. 2, 1, 11, §

29: ponam in medio sententias philosophorum,

id. N. D. 1, 6, 13:

dicendi ratio in medio posita,

lies open to all, id. de Or. 1, 3, 12:

rem in medium proferre,

to publish, make known, id. Fam. 15, 27, 6: vocare in medium, before the public, before a public tribunal:

rem in medium vocare coeperunt,

id. Clu. 28, 77:

in medio relinquere,

to leave it to the public, leave it undecided, id. Cael. 20, 48; Sall. C. 19, 16: pellere e medio, to expel, reject, Enn. ap. Cic. Mur. 14, 30 (Ann. v. 272 Vahl.); Cic. Off. 3, 8, 37:

cum jacentia verba sustulimus e medio,

adopt words from the people, common words, id. de Or. 3, 45, 177; cf.: munda sed e medio consuetaque verba puellae Scribite, Ov. A. A. 3, 479: tollere de medio, to do away with, abolish:

litteras,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 71, § 176: tollere de medio, to put out of the way, cut off, destroy:

hominem,

id. Rosc. Am. 7, 20:

de medio removere,

to put out of sight, id. ib. 8, 23: e medio excedere or abire, to leave the world, to die:

e medio excessit,

she is dead, Ter. Phorm. 5, 7, 74:

ea mortem obiit, e medio abiit,

id. ib. 5, 8, 30:

tollite lumen e medio,

Juv. 9, 106: recedere de medio, to go away, retire, withdraw:

cur te mihi offers? recede de medio,

Cic. Rosc. Am. 38, 112:

in medio esse,

to be present, Ter. Ad. 3, 5, 32:

in medium venire or procedere,

to appear, come forward, show one's self in public, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 71, § 175: in medium, before the public, for the public, for the community:

communes utilitates in medium afferre,

id. Off. 1, 7, 22:

consulere in medium,

to care for the public good, for the good of all, Verg. A. 11, 335;

so opp. separantem suas res a publicis,

Liv. 24, 22, 14 sq.; 26, 12, 7:

quaerere,

to make acquisitions for the use of all, Verg. G. 1, 127: cedere, to fall or devolve to the community, Tac. H. 4, 64:

conferre laudem,

i. e. so that all may have a share of it, Liv. 6, 6:

dare,

to communicate for the use of all, Ov. M. 15, 66:

in medium conferre, in gaming,

to put down, put in the pool, Suet. Aug. 71: in medio, for sub dio, in the open air:

scorpios fugari posse, si aliqui ex eis urantur in medio,

Pall. 1, 35, 12.—

A half (ante-class. and post-Aug.):

scillae medium conterunt cum aqua,

Varr. R. R. 2, 7:

scrobem ad medium completo,

Col. Arb. 4, 5.—Hence,

Adv.: mĕdĭē, in the middle, in a middling degree, moderately, tolerably (except once in Tac. only post-class.):

qui noluerant medie,

kept quiet, remained neutral, Tac. H. 1, 19:

nec plane optimi, nec oppido deterrimi sunt, sed quasi medie morati,

App. Dogm. Plat. 2, p. 22, 23; Eutr. 7, 13; Lact. 6, 15 fin.:

ortus medie humilis,

Aur. Vict. Caes. 20.—

Indefinitely, Ambros. in Luc. 8, 17, 34.