water+level

lībella, ae, f. dim. [libra].

An as, a small silver coin, the tenth part of a denarius:

nummi denarii decuma libella, quod libram pondo aeris valebat, et erat ex argento parva,

Varr. L. L. 5, § 174 Müll.:

librales, unde etiam nunc libella dicitur et dupondius, appendebantur asses,

Plin. 33, 3, 13, § 42; Cato, R. R. 15, 1: sunt enim in sestertio libellae decem, singulae viginti, teruncii quadraginta, Volus. Maec. 66.—

In gen.

Prov. for a very small sum of money, as with us a farthing, groat, cent:

una libella liber possum fieri,

Plaut. Cas. 2, 5, 8; cf. id. Capt. 5, 1, 27:

tibi libellam argenti numquam credam,

id. Ps. 2, 2, 34:

quoi neque libellai spes sit usquam gentium,

id. ib. 1, 1, 96:

quom libella nusquamst, nisi, etc.,

id. ib. 4, 7, 47:

quis Volcatio unam libellam dedisset?

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 10, § 26.—Hence, ad libellam, i. q. ad assem, to a farthing, to a cent, exactly, Cic. Rosc. Com. 4, 11.—

In inheritances: ex libella, i. q. ex asse, sole heir:

Curius fecit palam te ex libella, me ex teruncio,

Cic. Att. 7, 2, 3.—

An instrument for detecting any variation from a perfectly horizontal surface, a level, water-level, plummetline:

libella aliqua si ex parti claudicat hilum,

Lucr. 4, 515:

collocare et expolire aliquid ad regulam et libellam,

Vitr. 1, 6, 6; cf. Plin. 36, 25, 63, § 188:

structuram (parietis) ad normam et libellam fieri, et ad perpendiculum respondere oportet,

id. 36, 22, 51, § 172:

locus qui est ad libellam aequus,

quite, perfectly level, Varr. R. R. 1, 6 fin.

lībrātor, ōris, m. [id.].

A leveller, esp. by means of a water-level, a surveyor, Cato, R. R. 22, 1; Front. Aquaed. 105:

superest ut tu libratorem vel architectum mittas, qui diligenter exploret, sitne lacus altior mari,

Plin. Ep. 10, 50, 3.—

One who throws or hurls weapons by hand (cf. funditor, a slinger):

funditores libratoresque excutere tela et proturbare hostem jubet,

Tac. A. 2, 20:

libratoribus funditoribusque attributus locus,

id. ib. 13, 39; Inscr. ap. Kellerm. Vigil. p. 55, n. 127.

lībro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [libra].

To balance, make even, level, to determine a level: aquam, to level water, i. e. to ascertain the fall of water by means of a level, Vitr. 8, 6, 3: collocationem libratam indicare, id 8, 6, 1.— Pass. impers.:

libratur autem dioptris,

Vitr. 8, 6, 1.—

Transf., to make even or level:

pavimenta,

Cato, R. R. 18, 7.—

To hold in equilibrium, to poise, balance:

terra librata ponderibus,

Cic. Tusc. 5, 24, 69:

columnarum turbines ita librati perpenderunt, ut puero circumagente tornarentur,

Plin. 36, 13, 19, § 91:

librati pondera caeli orbe tene medio,

Luc. 1, 58.—

To cause to hang or swing, to keep suspended, keep in its place:

vela cadunt primo et dubia librantur ab aura,

are waved to and fro, Ov. F. 3, 585:

et fluctus supra, vento librante, pependit,

Sil. 17, 274:

aëris vi suspensam librari medio spatio tellurem,

Plin. 2, 5, 4, § 10.—

To cause to swing, to swing, sway, brandish, set in motion, hurl, dash, cast, launch, fling, throw:

summā telum librabat ab aure,

Verg. A. 9, 417:

ferro praefixum robur,

id. ib. 10, 479:

caestus,

id. ib. 5, 478:

tum librat ab aure intorquens jaculum,

Sil. 5, 576:

dextra libratum fulmen ab aure misit,

Ov. M. 2, 311; 5, 624; 7, 787; Luc. 3, 433:

librata cum sederit glans,

Liv. 38, 29: librare se, to balance or poise one's self, to fly:

cursum in aëre,

Ov. Am. 2, 6, 11: saepe lapillos Tollunt;

his sese per inania nubila librant,

Verg. G. 4, 196:

haliaeetos librans ex alto sese,

Plin. 10, 3, 3, § 8:

corpus in herba,

to stretch one's self out on the grass, Ov. F. 1, 429: incidentis manus libratur artifici temperamento, Plin. 12, 25, 54, § 115:

librare iter,

to take one's way, Sen. Oed. 899.—

Trop.

To make of even weight, to balance, make equal ( poet.):

orbem horis,

Col. 10, 42:

crimina in antithetis,

Pers. 1, 85.—

To weigh, ponder, consider ( poet. and in post-class. prose):

librabat metus,

Stat. Th. 9, 165: quae omnia meritorum momenta perpendit, librat, examinat, Naz. Pan. ad Const. 7: praescriptiones, Cod. Th. 8, 4, 26.— Hence, lībrātus, a, um, P. a.

Level, horizontal:

aquam non esse libratam, sed sphaeroides habere schema,

Vitr. 8, 6.—

Poised, balanced, swung, hurled, launched; forcible, powerful:

librata cum sederit (glans),

Liv. 38, 29:

librato magis et certo ictu,

violent, powerful, Tac. H. 2, 22:

malleus dextra libratus ab aure,

Ov. M. 2, 624:

per nubes aquila librata volatu,

Sil. 15, 429. — Comp.:

libratior ictus,

Liv. 30, 10; cf. id. 42, 65.—Hence, * adv.: lībrātē, deliberately:

aliquid eligere,

Serv. Verg. A. 2, 713.

lībra, ae, f. [cf. litra; root cli-, clino], the Roman pound, of twelve ounces:

as erat libra pondus,

Varr. L. L. 5, § 169 Müll.:

coronam auream libram pondo ex publica pecunia in Capitolio Iovi donum posuit,

Liv. 4, 20:

mulli binas libras ponderis raro exsuperant,

Plin. 9, 17, 30, § 64:

expende Hannibalem, quot libras in duce summo invenies?

Juv. 10, 147:

neque argenti in convivio plus pondo quam libras centum inlaturos,

Gell. 2, 24, 2:

dipondii pondo duas erant libras,

Gai. Inst. 1, 122.—

Transf.

A measure for liquids:

frumenti denos modios et totidem olei libras,

Suet. Caes. 38.—

1.. A balance, pair of scales:

cum in alteram librae lancem animi bona imponebat, in alteram corporis, etc.,

Cic. Tusc. 5, 17, 51; cf. id. Fin. 5, 30, 91.—

A water-poise, plummet-level, level, line:

sin autem locus... pari libra cum aequore maris est,

Col. 8, 17, 4: libratur [p. 1061] autem dioptris aut libris aquariis aut chorobate, Vitr. 8, 6, 1.—Hence, ad libram: alteram navem pluribus aggressus navibus in quibus ad libram fecerat turres, of equal height or of equal weight, Caes. B. C. 3, 40, 1.—

Counterpoise, balance:

contra flatus quoque pervicax libra Bononiensibus calamis,

Plin. 16, 36, 65, § 161: aes et libra, v. aes.—

The constellation Libra, The Balance, Verg. G. 1, 208; Ov. F. 4, 386; Plin. 18, 25, 59, § 221:

felix aequato genitus sub pondere Librae,

Manil. 4, 545.—

Trop., a balance ( poet.), Pers. 4, 10:

animi cunctantis libra,

Claud. Laud. Stil. 1, 75.

lībrāmentum, i, n. [id.], that which gives to any thing a downward pressure; weight, gravity.

Lit.:

plumbi,

Liv. 42, 63, 4.—

A fall, descent of water:

libramentum aquae,

Plin. 31, 6, 31, § 57:

quod libramentum cum exinanitum est, suscitat et elicit fontem, cum repletum, moratur et strangulat, of a spring that alternately rises and falls,

Plin. Ep. 4, 30, 10:

inferiore labro demisso ad libramentum modicae aquae receptae in fauces, palpitante ibi lingua ululatus elicitur, of the croaking of frogs,

Plin. 11, 37, 65, § 173.—

Transf.

A level surface, horizontal plane: extremitatem et quasi libramentum, in quo nulla omnino crassitudo sit, * Cic. Ac. 2, 36, 116:

sub eodem libramento stare,

Sen. Q. N. 1, 12, 1: usque ad libramentum summi fornicis, Ael. Gall. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 206 Müll.—

Evenness, equality:

ventorum hiemalium et aestivorum,

Col. 1, 5, 8 —

A straight line:

si recto libramento inter solem terrasque media (luna) successit,

Sen. Ben. 5, 6, 4:

libramentum finale,

a boundary line, Amm. 15, 4, 4.—

A weight for balancing or giving motive power (ballista):

ferrea manus cum injecta prorae esset, gravique libramento plumbi recelleret ad solum,

Liv. 24, 34, 10:

arietem admotum nunc saxis ingentibus nunc libramento plumbi gravatum ad terram urguebant,

id. 42, 63, 4 Weissenb.:

late cladem intulisset, ni duo milites vincla ac libramenta tormento abscidissent,

Tac. H. 3, 23.