Lewis & Short

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mensa, ae, f [Sanscr, ma, measure; Gr. μέτρον; cf. manus, mane, etc.], a table for any purpose, as a dining-table; a market-stand for meat, vegetables, etc.; a money-dealer’s table or counter, a sacrificial table, etc.

  1. I. Lit. Of the table itself as a fabrid: non ferre mensam nisi crebris distinctam venis, Sen. Dial. 3, 35, 5: mensa inanis nunc si adponatur mihi, Plaut. Pers. 3, 1, 26: cibos in mensam alicui apponere, id. Men. 1, 3, 29: surgunt a mensā saturi, poti, id. Ps. 1, 3, 62: ad mensam consistere. to wait at table, Cic. Tusc. 5, 21, 61: auferre mensam, Plaut. Truc. 2, 4, 14: apud mensam, at table, id. Trin. 2, 4, 77; Gell. 2, 22, 1; 19, 7, 2: arae vicem praestare posse mensam dicatam, Macr. S. 3, 11, 5.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Food; a table, meal, course: quocum mensam sermonesque suos impertit, Enn. ap. Gell. 12, 4 (Ann. v. 240 Vahl.): communicabo te semper mensā meā, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 51: ita mensas exstruit, id. Men. 1, 1, 25: parciore mensā uti, Tac. A. 13, 16: Italicae Syracusiaeque mensae, Cic. Tusc. 5, 35, 100: cui Quintus de mensa misit, id. Att. 5, 1, 4; so, parāsti mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me, Vulg. Psa. 23, 5: una mensa, at a single meal, Juv. 1, 138: prior, proxima mensa, the first, the second rank at table; the first or second in esteem: Raeticis uvis prior mensa erat, Plin. 14, 1, 3, § 16; id. 9, 17, 29, § 63: secunda mensa, the second course, the dessert (at which much wine was used), Cels 1, 2: haec ad te scripsi, appositā secundā mensā, during the dessert, Cic. Att. 14, 6, 2; 14, 21, 4: Agesilaus coronas secundamque mensam servis dispertiit, Nep Ages. 8, 4: secunda mensa bono stomacho nihil nocet, Cels. 1, 2, fin.: mensae tempore, meal-time, Juv. 13, 211.
    2. B. The guests at table: cum primum istorum conduxit mensa choragum, Suet. Aug. 70.
    3. C. A money-changer’s counter: decem minas dum hic solvit, omnis mensas transiit, Plaut. Curc. 5, 3, 4: mensam poni jubet atque Effundi saccos nummorum, Hor. S. 2, 3, 148: nummulariorum, Vulg. Matt. 21, 12: publica, a public bank, Cic. Fl. 19, 44; id. Pis. 36, 88.
    4. D. A butcher’s table: mensa lanionia, butcher’s stall, shambles, Suet. Claud. 15.
    5. E. Mensa lusoria, a gaming-table (late Lat.), Aug. Conf. 8, 6.
  3. F. A sacrificial table: Curiales mensae, in quibus immolabatur Junoni, quae Curis est appellata, Paul. ex Fest. s. v. Curiales, p. 64 Müll.: mensae deorum, Verg. A. 2, 764: Jovis mensa, Plin. 25, 9, 59, § 105: a small altar: super tumulum statuere, Cic. Leg. 2, 26, 66.
  4. G. The long flat part, the table, of a military engine (e. g. of a catapult), Vitr. 10, 16.
  5. H. A stand or platform on which slaves were exposed for sale: servus de mensā paratus, App. M. 8, p. 213; id. Mag. 17, p. 285, 15.

1. mensus, a, um, Part., from metior.

2. mensus. ūs (only in abl. sing.), m. [metior], a measuring, measure, v. l. ap. App. de Mundo, p. 253 dub.

mētĭor, mensus (post-class. metītus, Dig. 32, 1, 52), 4, v. dep. [Sanscr. ma, to measure; cf. Gr. μέ-τρον, Lat. modus], to measure, mete (lands, corn); also, to measure or mete out, to deal out, distribute by measure (class.).

  1. I. Lit.: metiri agrum, Cic. Fam. 9, 17, 2: frumentum, id. Verr. 2, 3, 83, § 192: sol, quem metiri non possunt, id. Ac. 2, 41, 128: magnitudinem mundi, id. Off. 1, 43, 154: nummos, to measure one’s money, i. e. to have a great abundance of it, Hor. S. 1, 1, 95: nummos modio, Petr. S. 37: se ad candelabrum, id. ib. 75: pedes syllabis, to measure by syllables, Cic. Or. 57, 194: frumentum militibus metiri, Caes. B. G. 1, 16: cum exercitu frumentum metiri oporteret, id. ib. 1, 23; 7, 71: Caecubum, Hor. Epod. 9, 36: quis mensus est pugillo aquas? Vulg. Isa. 40, 12: tantus acervus fuit, ut metientibus dimidium super tres modios explesse, sint quidam auctores, Liv. 23, 12.
    1. B. Poet. transf., to measure a distance, i. e. to pass, walk, or sail through or over, to traverse: Sacram metiente te viam (of the measured pace of a proud person), Hor. Epod. 4, 7: aequor curru, to sail through, Verg. G. 4, 389: aquas carinā, Ov. M. 9, 446: tu, cursu, dea menstruo metiens iter annuom, to go through complete, Cat. 34, 17: instabili gressu metitur litora cornix, Luc. 5, 556.
      Also absol.: quin hic metimur gradibus militariis, to walk, Plaut. Ps. 4, 4, 11.
  2. II. Trop., to measure, estimate, judge one thing by another; also simply to measure, estimate, judge of, set a value on a thing.
          1. (α) With abl. of the standard of comparison, or the means of judgment: sonantia metiri auribus, Cic. Or. 68, 227: oculo latus, Hor. S. 1, 2, 103: omnia quaestu, by profit, Cic. Phil. 2, 43, 111: qui nihil alterius causa faciet et metietur suis commodis omnia, id. Leg. 1, 14, 41: vides igitur, si amicitiam sua caritate metiare, nihil esse praestantius, id. Fin. 2, 26, 85: vim eloquentiae sua facultate non rei natura, id. Opt. Gen. Or. 4, 10: omnia voluptate, id. Fam. 7, 12, 2: studia utilitate, Quint. 12, 11, 29: magnos homines virtute, non fortuna, Nep. Eum. 1: usum pecuniae non magnitudine, sed ratione, Cic. Att. 14: officia utilitate, Lact. 6, 11, 12: odium in se aliorum suo in eos metiens odio, Liv. 3, 54: pericula suo metu, Sall. C. 31, 2: peccata vitiis, Cic. Par. 3, 1, 20: aetatem nostram non spatio senectutis, sed tempore adulescentiae, Quint. 12, 11, 13.
          2. (β) With ex (very rare): fidelitas, quam ego ex mea conscientiā metior, Cic. Fam. 10, 4, 2: ex eo, quantum cuique satis est, metiuntur homines divitiarum modum, id. Par. 6, 1, 14.
          3. (γ) With ad: nec se metitur ad illum quem dedit haec (paupertas) posuitque modum, i. e. accommodates herself, Juv. 6, 358.
          4. (δ) Absol. (post-Aug.): metiri ac diligenter aestimare vires suas, Quint. 6, 1, 45: pondera sua, Mart. 12, 100, 8: sua regna, Luc. 8, 527.
            (ε) With quod: quanto metiris pretio, quod, etc., Juv. 9, 72.
    1. B. To traverse. go over, pass through: late Aequora prospectu metior alta meo, Ov. H. 10, 28: tot casus, tot avia, Val. Fl. 5, 476: jamque duas lucis partes Hyperione menso, Ov. M. 8, 564.
    2. C. To measure out, deal to any one, treat one well or ill: mensurā quā mensi fueritis, remetietur vobis, Vulg. Luc. 6, 38; cf. id. Matt. 7, 2.
      Note: In pass. signif., to be measured: agri glebatim metiebantur, Lact. Mort. Persec. 23, 2: an sol pedis unius latitudine metiatur, Arn. 2, 86.
      Part. perf.: mensus, a, um, measured off: mensa spatia conficere, Cic. N. D. 2, 27, 69.
      As subst.: bene mensum dabo, good measure, Sen. Q. N. 4, 4, 1.