Lewis Short
līnĕa | līnĭa (noun F) : (), , linum
* A linen thread, a string, line.
* Lit.: nectere lineas, restes, funes,Varr. R. R. 1, 23, 6: linia longinqua per os religata,Plin. 9, 17, 26, § 59: ligato pede longā lineā gallina custoditur,Col. 8, 11, 15: linea margaritarum triginta quinque,Dig. 35, 2, 26; cf.: lineae duae ex margaritis,ib. 34, 2, 40; and ib. 9, 2, 27 fin.: linea dives (of the strings of pearls which were thrown among the people at the public games),Mart. 8, 78, 7 (cf. Suet. Ner. 11).
* In partic.
* Transf., a thread-like stroke or mark made with a pen, pencil, etc., a line: Apelli fuit perpetua consuetudo, numquam tam occupatam diem agendi, ut non, lineam ducendo, exerceret artem, quod ab eo in proverbium venit (namely, the proverb: nulla dies sine linea),Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 84: lineam cinere ducere,id. 18, 33, 76, § 327: candida per medium folium transcurrens,id. 27, 11, 77, § 102: serra in praetenui linea premente harenas (of sawing marble),id. 36, 6, 9, § 51: nec congruebant ad horas ejus lineae (of the sundial),id. 7, 60, 60, § 214; Pers. 3, 4.—In geometry, a line: linea a nostris dicitur, quam γραμμὴν Graeci nominant. Eam M. Varro ita definit: Linea est, inquit, longitudo quaedam sine latitudine et altitudine,Gell. 1, 20, 7: locorum extremae lineae,Quint. 1, 10, 39: lineae, quae emittuntur ex centro,Plin. 2, 65, 65, § 165; 2, 16, 13, § 64: linea circumcurrens,a circular line, circle,Quint. 1, 10, 41.
* Transf., a net, Plin. 9, 43, 67, § 145: si feras lineis et pinna clusas contineas,Sen. Clem. 1, 12, 5.
* A fishing-line: tremulāve captum lineā trahit piscem,Mart. 3, 58, 27; 10, 30, 18.—Hence, prov.: mittere lineam, to cast a line, to fish for, try to catch a person, Plaut. Most. 5, 1, 22.
* A plumbline of masons and carpenters: perpendiculo et lineā uti,Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 1; cf.: ad regulam et lineam,Vitr. 7, 3; 5, 3; Pall. 3, 9.—Hence
* Ad lineam and rectā lineā, in a straight line, vertically, perpendicularly: solida corpora ferri suo deorsum pondere ad lineam,Cic. Fin. 1, 6, 18; Plin. 19, 8, 42, § 147; of the layers of stone in a wall: saxa, quae rectis lineis suos ordines servant,Caes. B. G. 7, 23: (ignis) rectis lineis in caelestem locum subvolat,Cic. Tusc. 1, 17, 40.
* A region, tract: linea tam rectum mundi ferit illa Leonem,that region lies directly under the lion,Luc. 10, 306.
* A bowstring, Ter. Maur. praef. v. 19.
* In partic.
* A boundary-line which consisted of a narrow path between fields, Hyg. de Limit. p. 151; 152 Goes.
* Trop.
* A barrier or line in the theatre, by which the seats were separated from each other: quid frustra refugis? cogit nos linea jungi,Ov. Am. 3, 2, 19; id. A. A. 1, 139: lineas poscere,Quint. 11, 3, 133.
* A feature, lineament: adulti venustissimis lineis,Arn. 5, 179 al.
* A line of descent or kindred, lineage (post-class.): στέμματα cognationum directo limite in duas lineas separantur, quarum altera est superior, altera inferior, Dig. 38, 10, 9: clara gentis Linea,Stat. S. 3, 3, 43: primo gradu superioris linea continentur pater, mater,Paul. Sent. 4, 11, 1.
* An outline, sketch, design (a fig. borrowed from painting): quidam materias latius dicendo prosequebantur ... alii, cum primas modo lineas duxissent,Quint. 2, 6, 2; cf. id. 4, 2, 120: ea quae in Platonis oratione demiramur, non aemulari quidem, sed lineas umbrasque facere ausi sumus, Gell. 17, 20, 8.
* A boundary-line, bound, limit, end, goal: cum poëtae transilire lineas impune possint,Varr. L. L. 9, § 5 Müll.; Cassiod. Var. 3, 50: si quidem est peccare tamquam transire lineas,to go beyond the mark, pass the prescribed limits,Cic. Par. 3, 1, 20: mors ultima linea rerum est,Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 79: admoveri lineas sentio,Sen. Ep. 49.—Hence, prov.: amare extremā lineā, to love at a distance, i. e. to see the beloved object only at a distance, not be able to speak to her, Ter. Eun. 4, 2, 12.
Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary