tăbella (noun F) : (
* Nom. plur. TABELAI, S. C. de Bacch. Corp. I. R. 196). f. dim. tabula.
* In gen., a small board, a little table or tablet (rare and mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): liminis,i. e. the door-sill,Cat. 32, 5: tabella aerea,a brass plate,Plin. 33, 1, 6, § 19: hos (libellos) eme, quos artat brevibus membrana tabellis, little tablets, i. e. small pages, Mart. 1, 3, 3: parva tabella capit ternos utrimque lapillos,small gamingboards,Ov. A. A. 3, 365; id. Tr. 2. 481: pistor multiplices struit tabellas,i. e. thin cakes,Mart. 11, 31, 9.—Of the basket or cradle in which Romulus and Remus were exposed: heu quantum fati parva tabella vehit,the little bark,Ov. F. 2, 408.
* In partic. (class.).
* A writing-tablet: tabellis pro chartis utebantur antiqui, quibus ultro citro, sive privatim sive publice opus erat, certiores absentes faciebant, unde adhuc tabellarii dicuntur: et tabellae missae ab imperatoribus,Fest. p. 359 Müll.: tabellae Imponere manus,Ov. P. 4, 2, 27: abiegnae,id. A. A. 3, 469: litteras tabellae insculpere,Quint. 1, 1, 27: fecit et Libyn puerum tenentem tabellam,Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 59.
* Hence, transf., in plur., a writing, written composition, letter, contract, will, etc.: tabellas proferri jussimus ... Recitatae sunt tabellae in eandem fere sententiam,Cic. Cat. 3, 5, 10: allatae sunt tabellae ad eam a Stratippocle, eum argentum sumpsisse,Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 68: ex tabellis jam faxo scies,id. Ps. 1, 1, 47: tabellas consignare,id. Curc. 2, 3, 86: tu quidem tabellis obsignatis agis mecum,with sealed writings,Cic. Tusc. 5, 11, 33: publicae Heracleensium,public records,id. Arch. 4, 9; cf. Liv. 43, 16, 13: tabellae quaestionis plures proferuntur,minutes of evidence,Cic. Clu. 65, 184: cur totiens video mitti recipique tabellas?Ov. Am. 3, 14, 31: rasae,id. A. A. 1, 437: nuptiis tabellas dotis ipse consignavit,the marriage contract,Suet. Claud. 29: falsas signare tabellas,forged wills,Juv. 8, 142: laureatae,a letter announcing a victory,Liv. 45, 1, 8.—Sing. (rare): testimonium per tabellam dare,in writing,Tac. Or. 36: ex tabellā pronuntiare sententiam, Suet. Claud. 15.
* A tablet for voting, a ballot.
* In the comitia, used in electing a magistrate or deciding upon the acceptance of a proposed law: in the former case the elector wrote down the name of a candidate; in the latter, each voter received two tablets, on one of which were the letters U. R., i. e. uti rogas, denoting approval; on the other, A., i. e. antiquo (for the old law), denoting rejection: me universa civitas non prius tabellā quam voce priorem consulem declaravit,Cic. Pis. 1, 3: an ego exspectem, dum de te quinque et septuaginta tabellae dirimantur?id. ib. 40, 96: tabella modo detur nobis, sicut populo data est,id. Phil. 11, 8, 19; cf.: si populo grata est tabella, quae frontis aperit hominum,id. Planc. 6, 16.
* A painted tablet, a small picture or painting: ea (exhedria) volebam tabellis ornare,Cic. Fam. 7, 23, 3: priscis sparsa tabellis Porticus,Ov. A. A. 1, 71: inveniat plures nulla tabella modos,id. ib. 2, 680: comicae tabellae,Plin. 35, 10, 37, § 114; cf.: cubicula tabellis adornavit,Suet. Tib. 43: Tyrrhena sigilla, tabellas, Sunt qui non habeant,Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 180: Pausiaca,id. S. 2, 7, 95.
* A votive tablet, hung up in a temple, and on which one acknowledged by writing or painting the favor or aid he had received from a deity: nunc, dea, nunc succurre mihi, nam posse mederi, Picta docet templis multa tabella tuis,Tib. 1, 3, 28: et posita est meritae multa tabella deae,Ov. F. 3, 268: votiva,Hor. S. 2, 1, 33; so Juv. 12, 27: memores,Ov. M. 8, 744.
* A fan: quos (ventos) faciet nostrā mota tabella manu,Ov. Am. 3, 2, 38.