the lintel

cardo, ĭnis, m. [cf. kradê, a swing; kradainô, to swing, wave; Sanscr. kurd, a spring, a leap; old Germ. hrad, lively, and Germ. reit in bereit, ready] (f., Gracch. ap. Prisc. p. 683 P.; Graius ap. Non. p. 202, 20; cf. infra in Vitr.), the pivot and socket, upon which a door was made to swing at the lintel and the threshold, the hinge of a door or gate, Enn. Trag. 119 Vahl.:

paene ecfregisti foribus cardines,

Plaut. Am. 4, 2, 6; id. As. 2, 3, 8:

postis a cardine vellit Aeratos,

Verg. A. 2, 480:

cardo stridebat,

id. ib. 1, 449; cf. id. Cir. 222:

num muttit cardo?

Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 94:

immoti,

Plin. 16, 43, 84, § 230:

singuli,

id. 36, 15, 24, § 117:

facili patuerunt cardine valvae,

Juv. 4, 63:

versato cardine Thisbe Egreditur,

opening the door, Ov. M. 4, 93; cf. Verg. A. 3, 448:

nec strepitum verso Saturnia cardine fecit,

Ov. M. 14, 782 al. —

Meton.

Cardines, in mechanics, beams that were fitted together; and specifically, cardo masculus, a tenon, Vitr. 9, 6, and cardo femina, a socket, a mortise, id. 9, 6:

cardo securiclatus,

axeshaped tenon, a dovetail, id. 10, 15, 3.— Hence,

In garlands, the place where the two ends meet, Plin. 21, 4, 10, § 18.—

In astron., the point about which something turns, a pole. So of the North pole:

caeli,

Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 4:

mundi,

Plin. 4, 12, 26, § 89; cf.: extremusque adeo duplici de cardine vertex Dicitur esse polus, Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 41, 105; Ov. P. 2, 10, 45; Stat. Th. 1, 349:

cardo glacialis ursae,

Sen. Herc. Fur. 1139:

Arctoae cardo portae,

Stat. Th. 7, 35;

hence anal. to this, with the agrimensores,

the line limiting the field, drawn through from north to south, Plin. 18, 33, 76, § 326; 17, 22, 35, § 169; cf. Fest. s. v. decimanus, p. 71 Müll., and accordingly the mountain Taurus is called cardo, i. e. line or limit, Liv. 37, 54, 23; cf. id. 40, 18, 8; 41, 1, 3.—Of the four cardinal points of the world, Quint. 12, 10, 67; so, Hesperius Eous, Luc. 5, 71; Stat. Th. 1, 157:

occiduus,

Luc. 4, 672:

medius,

id. 4, 673.— Of the earth as the centre of the universe, acc. to the belief of the ancients, Plin. 2, 64, 64, § 160; 2, 9, 6, § 44.—Of the intersection of inclined surfaces:

reperiuntur (aquae)... quodam convexitatis cardine aut montium radicibus,

Plin. 31, 3, 26, § 43.—Of the summer solstice:

anni,

Plin. 18, 28, 68, § 264; and so of the epochs of the different seasons:

temporum,

id. 18, 25, 58, § 218; 18, 25, 59, § 220.—Hence, of the time of life:

extremus,

old age, Luc. 7, 381.—

Trop., that on which every thing else turns or depends, the chief point or circumstance (so not before the Aug. per.):

haud tanto cessabit cardine rerum,

at such a turn of affairs, so great a crisis, in so critical a moment, decisive, Verg. A. 1, 672 (hoc est in articulo, Serv.; cf. Isid. Orig. 15, 7, 6; Gr. akmê):

fatorum in cardine summo,

Stat. Th. 10, 853: litium. Quint. 12, 8, 2:

causae,

id. 5, 12, 3:

satellitem in quo totius dominationis summa quasi quodam cardine continetur,

Val. Max. 3, 3, ext. 5:

unum eligamus in quo est summum ac principale, in quo totius sapientiae cardo versatur,

Lact. 3, 7, 6.

līmen, ĭnis, n. [Gr. lechris, loxos; Lat. obliquus, līmus; hence prop. a cross-piece], a threshold; the head-piece or foot-piece of a doorway, the lintel or the sill (limen superum et inferum).

Lit.:

limen superum inferumque, salve,

Plaut. Merc. 5, 1, 1: limen superum, quod mihi misero saepe confregit caput: Inferum autem, ubi ego omnis digitos defregi meos, Novius ap. Non. 336, 14:

sensim super attolle limen pedes, nova nupta,

Plaut. Cas. 4, 4, 1:

imponere foribus,

Plin. 36, 14, 21, § 96:

ad limen consulis adesse,

Liv. 2, 48:

curiae,

id. 3, 41:

primo limine,

at the outer threshold, Juv. 1, 96.— Plur. ( poet.):

haec limina, intra quae puer est,

Juv. 14, 45; 220.—The moment of touching the threshold was regarded as ominous:

ter limen tetigi,

Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 55.—Prov.: salutare a limine, to greet in passing, i. e. to touch upon slightly, not go deeply into, Sen. Ep. 49, 6.—

Transf.

A door, entrance:

ubi hanc ego tetulero intra limen,

Plaut. Cist. 3, 19:

intrare intra limen,

id. Men. 2, 3, 63:

intra limen cohibere se,

to keep within doors, id. Mil. 3, 1, 11:

marmoreo stridens in limine cardo,

Verg. Cir. 222; Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 73:

fores in liminibus profanarum aedium januae nominantur,

Cic. N. D. 2, 27, 67:

ad valvas se templi limenque convertisse,

Caes. B. C. 3, 105:

penetrare aulas et limina regum,

the courts and doors, Verg. G. 2, 504:

ipso in limine portae,

id. A. 2, 242; cf.:

tremuitque saepe limite in primo sonipes,

Sen. Agam. 629:

famuli ad limina,

doorkeepers, porters, Sil. 1, 66:

in limine portūs,

at the very entrance of the haven, Verg. A. 7, 598:

densos per limina tende corymbos,

Juv. 6, 52.—

Still more gen., a house, dwelling, abode:

matronae nulla auctoritate virorum contineri limine poterant,

in the house, at home, Liv. 34, 1:

ad limen consulis adesse, etc.,

id. 2, 48:

limine pelli,

Verg. A. 7, 579.—

Poet., the barrier in a race-course:

limen relinquunt,

Verg. A. 5, 316.—

Trop., both entrance and exit.

A beginning, commencement ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose):

leti limine in ipso,

Lucr. 6, 1157:

in limine belli,

Tac. A. 3, 74:

in ipso statim limine obstare,

Quint. 2, 11, 1:

in limine victoriae,

Curt. 6, 3, 10; 6, 9, 17; 9, 10, 26:

a limine ipso mortis revocatus,

Plin. 7, 44, 45, § 143; Sen. Ep. 22, 16; Just. 14, 3, 9.—

An end, termination (post-class.):

in ipso finitae lucis limine,

App. M. 11, p. 267, 18; cf.:

limina sicut in domibus finem quendam faciunt, sic et imperii finem limen esse veteres voluerunt,

Just. Inst. 1, 12, § 5.

sublīmis, e (collat. form sublīmus, a, um: ex sublimo vertice, Cic. poët. Tusc. 2, 7, 19; Enn. ap. Non. 169; Att. and Sall. ib. 489, 8 sq.; Lucr. 1, 340), adj. [etym. dub.; perh. sub-limen, up to the lintel; cf. sublimen] (sublimem est in altitudinem elatum, Fest. p. 306 Müll.), uplifted, high, lofty, exalted, elevated (mostly poet. and in postAug. prose; not in Cic. or Cæs.; syn.: editus, arduus, celsus, altus).

Lit.

In gen., high, lofty:

hic vertex nobis semper sublimis,

Verg. G. 1, 242; cf. Hor. C. 1, 1, 36:

montis cacumen,

Ov. M. 1, 666:

tectum,

id. ib. 14, 752:

columna,

id. ib. 2, 1:

atrium,

Hor. C. 3, 1, 46:

arcus (Iridis),

Plin. 2, 59, 60, § 151:

portae,

Verg. A. 12, 133:

nemus,

Luc. 3, 86 et saep.: os, directed upwards (opp. to pronus), Ov. M. 1, 85; cf. id. ib. 15, 673; Hor. A. P. 457:

flagellum,

uplifted, id. C. 3, 26, 11:

armenta,

Col. 3, 8:

currus,

Liv. 28, 9.— Comp.:

quanto sublimior Atlas Omnibus in Libyā sit montibus,

Juv. 11, 24.— Sup.:

triumphans in illo sublimissimo curru,

Tert. Apol. 33.—

Esp., borne aloft, uplifted, elevated, raised:

rapite sublimem foras,

Plaut. Mil. 5, 1:

sublimem aliquem rapere (arripere, auferre, ferre),

id. As. 5, 2, 18; id. Men. 5, 7, 3; 5, 7, 6; 5, 7, 13; 5, 8, 3; Ter. And. 5, 2, 20; id. Ad. 3, 2, 18; Verg. A. 5, 255; 11, 722 (in all these passages others read sublimen, q. v.); Ov. M 4, 363 al.:

campi armis sublimibus ardent,

borne aloft, lofty, Verg. A. 11, 602: sublimes in [p. 1779] equis redeunt, id. ib. 7, 285:

apparet liquido sublimis in aëre Nisus,

id. G. 1, 404; cf.:

ipsa (Venus) Paphum sublimis abit,

on high through the air, id. A. 1, 415:

sublimis abit,

Liv. 1, 16; 1, 34:

vehitur,

Ov. M. 5, 648 al. —

On high, lofty, in a high position:

tenuem texens sublimis aranea telum,

Cat. 68, 49:

juvenem sublimem stramine ponunt,

Verg. A. 11, 67:

sedens solio sublimis avito,

Ov. M. 6, 650:

Tyrio jaceat sublimis in ostro,

id. H. 12, 179.—

Subst.: sublīme, is, n., height; sometimes to be rendered the air:

piro per lusum in sublime jactato,

Suet. Claud. 27; so, in sublime, Auct. B. Afr. 84, 1; Plin. 10, 38, 54, § 112; 31, 6, 31, § 57:

per sublime volantes grues,

id. 18, 35, 87, § 362:

in sublimi posita facies Dianae,

id. 36, 5, 4, § 13:

ex sublimi devoluti,

id. 27, 12, 105, § 129.— Plur.:

antiquique memor metuit sublimia casus,

Ov. M. 8, 259:

per maria ac terras sublimaque caeli,

Lucr. 1, 340.—

Trop., lofty, exalted, eminent, distinguished.

In gen.:

antiqui reges ac sublimes viri,

Varr. R. R. 2, 4, 9; cf. Luc. 10, 378:

mens,

Ov. P. 3, 3, 103:

pectora,

id. F. 1, 301:

nomen,

id. Tr. 4, 10, 121:

sublimis, cupidusque et amata relinquere pernix,

aspiring, Hor. A. P. 165; cf.:

nil parvum sapias et adhuc sublimia cures,

id. Ep. 1, 12, 15.— Comp.:

quā claritate nihil in rebus humanis sublimius duco,

Plin. 22, 5, 5, § 10; Juv. 8, 232.— Sup.:

sancimus supponi duos sublimissimos judices,

Cod. Just. 7, 62, 39.—

In partic., of language, lofty, elevated, sublime (freq. in Quint.):

sublimia carmina,

Juv. 7, 28:

verbum,

Quint. 8, 3, 18:

clara et sublimia verba,

id. ib.:

oratio,

id. 8, 3, 74:

genus dicendi,

id. 11, 1, 3:

actio (opp. causae summissae),

id. 11, 3, 153:

si quis sublimia humilibus misceat,

id. 8, 3, 60 et saep.— Transf., of orators, poets, etc.:

natura sublimis et acer,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 165:

sublimis et gravis et grandiloquus (Aeschylus),

Quint. 10, 1, 66:

Trachalus plerumque sublimis,

id. 10, 1, 119.— Comp.:

sublimior gravitas Sophoclis,

Quint. 10, 1, 68:

sublimius aliquid,

id. 8, 3, 14:

jam sublimius illud pro Archiā, Saxa atque solitudines voci respondent,

id. 8, 3, 75.—Hence, advv.

Lit., aloft, loftily, on high.

Form sub-līmĭter (rare):

stare,

upright, Cato, R. R. 70, 2; so id. ib. 71:

volitare,

Col. 8, 11, 1:

munitur locus,

id. 8, 15, 1.—

Form sub-līme (class.):

Theodori nihil interest, humine an sublime putescat,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 43, 102; cf.:

scuta, quae fuerant sublime fixa, sunt humi inventa,

id. Div. 2, 31, 67:

volare,

Lucr. 2, 206; 6, 97:

ferri,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 17, 40; id. N. D. 2, 39, 101; 2, 56, 141 Orell. N. cr.:

elati,

Liv. 21, 30:

expulsa,

Verg. G. 1, 320 et saep.—

Comp.:

sublimius altum Attollit caput,

Ov. Hal. 69.—

Trop., of speech, in a lofty manner, loftily (very rare):

alia sublimius, alia gravius esse dicenda,

Quint. 9, 4, 130.

* * *

līmĭnāris, e, adj. [limen], belonging to a threshold or lintel.

Lit.:

trabes,

ceiling-beams, Vitr. 6, 4.—

Transf.:

pagina,

the first, Aug. Ep. 67, n. 2.