threshold

threshold.

threshold.

* * *

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.

* * *

* * *

* * *

• On the threshold, at the very outset

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.

in-fringo, frēgi, fractum, 3, v. a. [infrango], to break off, to break, bruise, crack.

Lit.:

infractis omnibus hastis,

Liv. 40, 40, 7:

ut si quis violas riguove papavera in horto Liliaque infringat,

Ov. M. 10, 191:

genibusque tumens infringitur unda,

Val. Fl. 5, 412: manus, to snap or crack one ' s fingers, Petr. 17:

articulos,

Quint. 11, 3, 158: latus liminibus, to bruise one ' s side by lying on the threshold, Hor. Epod. 11, 22: infractus remus, appearing broken, in consequence of the refraction of the rays in the water, Cic. Ac. 2, 25; cf.:

infracti radii resiliunt,

Plin. 2, 38, 38, § 103:

ossa infracta extrahere,

id. 23, 7, 63, § 119.—

Transf., to strike one thing against another: digitos citharae, to strike or play upon the lute, Stat. Ach. 1, 575:

alicui colaphum,

to give one a box on the ear, Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 46; Plin. 8, 36, 54, § 130:

linguam (metu),

to stammer, Lucr. 3, 155.—

Trop., to break, check, weaken, lessen, diminish, mitigate, assuage:

ut primus incursus et vis militum infringeretur,

Caes. B. C. 3, 92:

conatus adversariorum,

id. ib. 2, 21:

florem dignitatis,

Cic. Balb. 6, 15:

militum gloriam,

id. Mil. 2, 5:

animos hostium,

Liv. 38, 16:

spem,

Cic. Or. 2, 6:

tribunatum alicujus,

id. de Or. 1, 7, 24:

vehementius esse quiddam suspicor, quod te infringat,

id. Att. 7, 2, 2:

continuam laudem humanitatis,

Plin. Ep. 7, 31, 3:

res Samnitium,

Liv. 8, 39, 10:

difficultatem,

to overcome, Col. 2, 4, 10:

jus consulis,

Dig. 34, 9, 5 fin.:

fortia facta suis modis,

to weaken, Ov. Tr. 2, 412:

deos precatu,

to appease by entreaties, Stat. Ach. 1, 144:

infringitur ille quasi verborum ambitus,

Cic. de Or. 3, 48, 186:

infringendis concidendisque numeris,

id. Or. 69, 230:

vocem de industria,

purposely to make plaintive, Sen. Contr. 3, 19.—

To destroy, make void, break:

quoniam haec gloriatio non infringetur in me,

Vulg. 2 Cor. 11, 10:

legem,

ib. 1 Macc. 1, 66. — Hence, infractus, a, um, P. a., broken, bent.

Lit.:

mares caprarum longis auribus infractisque probant,

Plin. 8, 50, 76, § 202.—

Trop., broken, exhausted, weakened, subdued.

In gen.:

infractos animos gerere,

Liv. 7, 31, 6:

nihil infractus Appii animus,

id. 2, 59, 4:

oratio submissa et infracta,

id. 38, 14:

infractae ad proelia vires,

Verg. A. 9, 499:

veritas,

falsified, Tac. H. 1, 1:

fides metu infracta,

shaken, id. ib. 3, 42:

tributa,

diminished, id. ib. 4, 57:

potentia matris,

id. A. 13, 12:

fama,

injured reputation, Verg. A. 7, 332; Tac. H. 2, 22:

Latini,

broken, Verg. A. 12, 1.—

Diluted:

fel aqua infractum,

Plin. 28, 12, 50, § 186.—

In partic., of speech, broken off:

infracta et amputata loqui,

broken, unconnected, Cic. Or. 51, 170:

infracta loquela,

broken talk, baby - talk, Lucr. 5, 230:

cum vocem ejus (delicati) infractam videret,

effeminate, Gell. 3, 5, 2:

vocibus delinitus infractis,

Arn. 4, 141.

in-sisto, stĭti, 3, v. n., to set foot upon, to stand, tread, or press upon; constr. mostly with dat., also with in and abl. or acc., or the simple acc. (class.).

Lit.

In gen.

With dat.:

nec desunt villae quae secutae fluminis amoenitatem margini insistunt,

Plin. Ep. 8, 8, 6:

ut proximi jacentibus insisterent,

stepped upon them, Caes. B. G. 2, 27:

alternis pedibus,

Quint. 11, 3, 128:

volucres metuunt insistere ramis,

Luc. 3, 407:

vestigiis,

Liv. 25, 33 fin.:

huic (saxo) institerat frustra,

Ov. F. 5, 150:

plantis,

Juv. 6, 96:

clamoso circo,

occupy a place in, id. 9, 144.—

With in and abl.:

insistebat in manu Cereris dextra simulacrum Victoriae,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 49, § 110:

cingulus australis, in quo qui insistunt,

id. Rep. 6, 20:

in jugo,

Caes. B. G. 4, 33:

ipse non insistere in terra poterat,

Curt. 7, 7, 6.—

With in and acc.:

in sinistrum pedem,

Quint. 11, 3, 125; cf.:

corvus repente super galeam insistit,

lights, Gell. 9, 11, 7.—

With the simple acc.:

plantam,

Plaut. Cas. 4, 4, 21:

limen,

to step upon, to tread the threshold, Verg. A. 6, 563:

vestigia nuda sinistri pedis,

id. ib. 7, 690:

primis infans vestigia plantis,

id. ib. 11, 574:

cineres,

Hor. Epod. 16, 11.—

Esp.

To enter on or pursue a way, path, or journey:

cum semel institerunt vestigia certa viaï,

Lucr. 1, 407:

huc an illuc iter,

Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 11:

omnes itinera insistant sua,

id. Capt. 4, 2, 14:

quam insistam viam,

Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 3; id. Phorm. 1, 4, 14; Liv. 37, 7, 8.—

In hostile sense, to follow, pursue, press on; with dat.:

effusis hostibus,

Liv. 26, 44, 4:

fugientibus,

id. 27, 13, 4:

contenti non institere cedentibus,

Curt. 8, 11, 18; Nep. Eum. 4.— Pass. impers.:

ut fracto jam Maroboduo, usque in exitium insisteretur,

Tac. A. 2, 62.—

Trop.

In gen., to follow, pursue.

With acc.:

viam domandi,

Verg. G. 3, 164:

rationem pugnae,

plan, Caes. B. G. 3, 14, 3.—

With dat.:

vestigiis laudum suarum,

Liv. 5, 30, 2:

honoribus,

Plin. Ep. 4, 8, 4.—

Esp.

To follow up, pursue an object or enterprise; to press vigorously, apply one ' s self to:

in dolos,

Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 4:

totus et mente et animo in bellum,

Caes. B. G. 6, 5. — With acc.:

hoc negotium,

Plaut. Mil. 3, 3, 54:

manus,

Cic. de Or. 3, 45, 176.—With dat.:

rebus magnis,

Tib. 4, 1, 135:

perdomandae Campaniae,

Tac. H. 3, 77.—

To set about, devote one's self to, to begin with zeal; with inf.: tribuni orare dictatorem insistunt, ut, etc., Liv. 8, 35, 2:

Appium institit sequi,

id. 25, 19, 8; 24, 26, 11; 24, 46, 1; cf.:

postero die ad spolia legenda foedamque spectandam stragem insistunt,

id. 22, 51, 5:

flagitare senatus institit Coruntum, ut,

Cic. Fam. 10, 16, 1. — Absol.:

sic institit ore,

i. e. began to speak, Verg. A. 12, 47; cf.:

sic insistit secumque corde volutat,

i. e. to reflect, think, id. ib. 4, 533.—

To persevere, continue, persist in; with inf.:

credere,

Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 53:

tueri,

Nep. Att. 11.—With dat.:

sin crudelitati insisteret,

Tac. A. 16, 25:

spei,

id. H. 2, 46:

caedibus,

id. A. 2, 21:

studiis,

to pursue diligently, Quint. 1, 12, 10:

obsidioni,

Curt. 7, 6, 23:

curae rerum,

Plin. 28, 1, 1, § 2:

funeri,

to set forward, id. 7, 52, 53, § 177. — Absol.:

importune,

to persist, Cic. Ac. 2, 25, 80; Tac. A. 4, 60.—

To press upon, urge; with dat.:

atriensibus ut supellectilem exponant,

Col. 12, 3, 9:

id bellum ipsis institit moenibus,

was at, Liv. 2, 51, 2.— Absol.:

dilataque tempora taedae Institerant,

were at hand, Ov. M. 9, 769:

institit quantum potuit ut illum ex eorum manibus liberaret,

urged, insisted, Aug. in Psa. 63, 4. —

To press upon, repress; and hence, to halt, pause, stop, stand still:

stellarum motus insistunt,

Cic. N. D. 2, 40, 103:

ut non referat pedem, insistet certe,

id. Phil. 12, 3, 8; Tac. A. 4, 60:

quae cum dixisset paulumque institisset,

Cic. Fin. 5, 25, 75; id. Or. 56, 187:

saepe accidit, ut aut citius insistendum sit, aut longius procedendum,

id. ib. 66, 221; so, to pause in thought, hesitate, doubt:

ille in reliquis rebus non poterit eodem modo insistere?

Cic. Ac. 2, 33, 107; 2, 29, 94.—

To dwell upon, delay at, treat or consider at length:

ut si singulis insistere velim, progredi iste non possit,

Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 74, § 172:

insistendum ei (arbori) paulum,

Plin. 13, 16, 30, § 100:

profuit adsidue vitiis insistere amicae,

Ov. R. Am. 315.

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.

margo, ĭnis, m. and f. (cf. Prisc. p. 684 P.), an edge, brink, border, margin (class., but not in Cic. or Cæs.):

flumen marginibus lapideis,

Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 9:

conchae,

Plin. 9, 36, 61, § 130:

ulceris,

id. 30, 13, 39, § 113:

calicis,

id. 37, 2, 7, § 18:

gemmae,

id. 37, 8, 37, § 116:

margine gramineo (sc. fontis),

Ov. M. 3, 162:

ripae,

id. ib. 5, 598:

agri,

a boundary, Val. Max. 5, 6, 4:

puppis,

Sil. 3, 360:

terrarum,

shore, Ov. M. 1, 13:

viridi si margine cluderet undas herba,

Juv. 3, 14: capite super margine scuti posito, Liv. 44, 33.—In fem.:

margo, quae sustinet arenam,

Vitr. 5, 12; Aemil. Macer. and Rabir. ap. Charis. p. 49 P.:

plena jam margine libri,

Juv. 1, 5; cf. Quint. 1, 1, 27:

margine in extremo littera rasa,

Ov. Am. 1, 11, 22:

comae,

Stat. S. 2, 1, 44:

oculorum,

id. ib. 3, 2, 53:

rostri,

Plin. 9, 10, 12, § 37:

templi,

threshold, Stat. S. 4, 4, 54:

imperii,

boundary, Ov. Tr. 2, 199; cf.:

extremo in margine imperii, qua Rhenus alluit,

Plin. 12, 20, 43, § 98.—

Transf. ( poet.):

partem modicae sumptam de margine cenae,

i. e. the side-dishes, Juv. 4, 30.

ob-versor, ātus, 1, v. dep. ( act. collat. form obverso, āre, acc. to Prisc. p. 799 P.), to take position opposite or over against, to oppose one's self (class.).

Lit.:

magnam partem eorum palam Carthagini obversari dici,

Liv. 31, 11:

in foro,

id. 33, 47:

sedebant judices, obversabantur advocati,

Plin. Ep. 5, 21, 2:

limini,

who were about the threshold, id. ib. 6, 16, 13:

in urbe inter coetus,

Tac. A. 3, 37.—

Trop., to hover or float before, to appear to one:

illius et nomen dulce obversatur ad aures,

Lucr. 4, 1062:

mihi ante oculos obversatur rei publicae dignitas,

Cic. Sest. 3, 7:

obversentur species honestae viro,

id. Tusc. 2, 22, 52:

animis, oculis,

Liv. 35, 11:

in somnis,

id. 2, 36:

sibi speciem noctibus obversari,

Suet. Claud. 37.—

To oppose, withstand, resist (eccl. Lat.):

malo obniti et obversari,

Tert. adv. Gnost. 5.

ob-versor, ātus, 1, v. dep. ( act. collat. form obverso, āre, acc. to Prisc. p. 799 P.), to take position opposite or over against, to oppose one's self (class.).

Lit.:

magnam partem eorum palam Carthagini obversari dici,

Liv. 31, 11:

in foro,

id. 33, 47:

sedebant judices, obversabantur advocati,

Plin. Ep. 5, 21, 2:

limini,

who were about the threshold, id. ib. 6, 16, 13:

in urbe inter coetus,

Tac. A. 3, 37.—

Trop., to hover or float before, to appear to one:

illius et nomen dulce obversatur ad aures,

Lucr. 4, 1062:

mihi ante oculos obversatur rei publicae dignitas,

Cic. Sest. 3, 7:

obversentur species honestae viro,

id. Tusc. 2, 22, 52:

animis, oculis,

Liv. 35, 11:

in somnis,

id. 2, 36:

sibi speciem noctibus obversari,

Suet. Claud. 37.—

To oppose, withstand, resist (eccl. Lat.):

malo obniti et obversari,

Tert. adv. Gnost. 5.

postlīmĭnĭum, ii, n. [post - limen], prop., a return behind one's threshold, i. e. to one's home; hence, a return to one's old condition and former privileges, the right to return home and resume one's former rank and privileges, the right of recovery, reprisal, postliminium: cum ipsius postliminii vis quaeritur, et verbum ipsum notatur, Servius noster nihil putat esse notandum, nisi post;

et liminium illud productionem esse verbi vult, ut in finitimo, legitimo, aeditimo non plus inesse timum, quam in meditullio tullium. Scaevola autem Publii filius junctum putat esse verbum, ut sit in eo et post, et limen: ut quae a nobis alienata sunt, cum ad hostem pervenerint, et ex suo tamquam limine exierint, dein cum redierint post ad idem limen, postliminio videantur rediisse,

Cic. Top. 8, 36:

quem pater suus aut populus vendidisset, aut pater patratus dedidisset, ei nullum esse postliminium,

has no right to return to his house and his old privileges, id. de Or. 1, 40, 181:

postliminii jus,

Dig. 29, 15, 5: postliminium dare alicui, ib.—Hence,

postlīmĭniō, adverbial abl.

Lit., by the right of postliminium:

postliminio redeunt haec, homo, navis, equus, etc.,

Cic. Top. 8, 36; id. Balb. 11, 28:

civi Romano licet esse Gaditanum, sive exsilio, sive postliminio, sive rejectione hujus civitatis,

i. e. when he returns to Gades, where he was a citizen before being one at Rome, and recovers his right of citizenship, which he had lost by the attainment of Roman citizenship, id. ib. 12, 29:

redire,

Dig. 49, 15, 19:

reverti,

ib. 49, 15, 5.—

Transf., by the right of return, i. e. back, again, anew (postclass.):

postliminio in forum cupedinis reducens,

leading back again, App. M. 1, p. 123, 30:

corpus postliminio mortis animare,

after death, id. ib. 2, p. 127, 4.—

Trop., a return:

postliminium ecclesiasticae pacis,

reconciliation, Tert. Pudic. 15.

postlīmĭnĭum, ii, n. [post - limen], prop., a return behind one's threshold, i. e. to one's home; hence, a return to one's old condition and former privileges, the right to return home and resume one's former rank and privileges, the right of recovery, reprisal, postliminium: cum ipsius postliminii vis quaeritur, et verbum ipsum notatur, Servius noster nihil putat esse notandum, nisi post;

et liminium illud productionem esse verbi vult, ut in finitimo, legitimo, aeditimo non plus inesse timum, quam in meditullio tullium. Scaevola autem Publii filius junctum putat esse verbum, ut sit in eo et post, et limen: ut quae a nobis alienata sunt, cum ad hostem pervenerint, et ex suo tamquam limine exierint, dein cum redierint post ad idem limen, postliminio videantur rediisse,

Cic. Top. 8, 36:

quem pater suus aut populus vendidisset, aut pater patratus dedidisset, ei nullum esse postliminium,

has no right to return to his house and his old privileges, id. de Or. 1, 40, 181:

postliminii jus,

Dig. 29, 15, 5: postliminium dare alicui, ib.—Hence,

postlīmĭniō, adverbial abl.

Lit., by the right of postliminium:

postliminio redeunt haec, homo, navis, equus, etc.,

Cic. Top. 8, 36; id. Balb. 11, 28:

civi Romano licet esse Gaditanum, sive exsilio, sive postliminio, sive rejectione hujus civitatis,

i. e. when he returns to Gades, where he was a citizen before being one at Rome, and recovers his right of citizenship, which he had lost by the attainment of Roman citizenship, id. ib. 12, 29:

redire,

Dig. 49, 15, 19:

reverti,

ib. 49, 15, 5.—

Transf., by the right of return, i. e. back, again, anew (postclass.):

postliminio in forum cupedinis reducens,

leading back again, App. M. 1, p. 123, 30:

corpus postliminio mortis animare,

after death, id. ib. 2, p. 127, 4.—

Trop., a return:

postliminium ecclesiasticae pacis,

reconciliation, Tert. Pudic. 15.