tellūs (noun F) : (-ŭs short, Mart. Cap. 5, § 584), , perh. root tollo, to bear
* The earth, opp. to the other planets or to the sea, the globe (a word belonging almost entirely to poetry).
* Lit.
* In gen.: ea, quae est media et nona, tellus, neque movetur et infima,Cic. Rep. 6, 17, 17 (for which: terra in medio mundo sita,id. Tusc. 1, 17, 40; id. N D. 2, 39, 98 al.; v. terra): animae vis aut extrinsecus aut ipsā tellure coörta, Lucr 6, 579: telluris operta subire,Verg. A. 6, 140.
* Transf., a land, country, district, region, territory (poet.; syn.: regio, terra): Tuscula,Tib. 1, 7, 57: tellus barbara Scythiae,id. 3, 4, 91; so, barbara,Ov. M. 7, 53: Delphica,id. ib. 1, 515: Aegyptia,id. ib. 5, 323: Gnosia,Verg. A. 6, 23: nova,Hor. C. 1, 7, 29: Jubae,id. ib. 1, 22, 15: Assaraci,id. Epod. 13, 13 et saep.
* Personified, Tellus, Earth, as a productive, nourishing divinity: unam eandemque terram habere geminam vim, et masculinam, quod semina producat et femininam, quod recipiat atque enutriat. Inde a vi femininā dictam esse Tellurem, a masculinā Tellumonem, Varr. ap. Aug. Civ. Dei, 7, 23 fin.; cf.: primum (invocabo), qui omnes fructus agriculturae caelo et terrā continent, Jovem et Tellurem: itaque quod ii parentes magni dicuntur, Juppiter pater appellatur, Tellus, terra mater,id. R. R. 1, 1, 5; and; si est Ceres a gerendo, terra ipsa dea est: quae enim est alia Tellus?Cic. N. D. 3, 20, 52: Tellurem porco, Silvanum lacte piabant,Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 143: aedis Telluris,Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 4, § 14: in Telluris (sc. aede),id. Att. 16, 14, 1: Tellus mater,Liv. 10, 29.