Lewis & Short

mănŭbĭae, ārum (in sing., v. infra, II.), f. [1. manus].

  1. I. In milit. and legal lang.
    1. A. Lit.: money obtained from the sale of booty (opp. praeda, the booty itself). Of this money, one part was put into the ærarium, one was given to the soldiers, and the remainder to the general; this last part was usually expended by the general on public buildings: aliud omnino praeda est, ut in libris rerum verborumque veterum scriptum est, aliud manubiae. Nam praeda dicitur corpora ipsa rerum, quae capta sunt: manubiae vero appellatae sunt pecunia a quaestore ex venditione praedae redacta, etc. … Est tamen nonnusquam invenire, ita scripsisse quosdam non ignobiles scriptores, ut aut temere aut incuriose praedam pro manubiis et manubias pro praeda posuerint, etc. … Sed enim, qui proprie atque signate locuti sunt, manubias pecuni am dixerunt, Favorin. ap. Gell. 13, 24, 25 sq.; Cato ap. Front. Ep. ad Anton. 1, 2 Mai.: qua ex praeda aut manubiis haec abs te donatio constituta est? Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 80, § 186; so with praeda, id. Agr. 1, 4, 13; 2, 22, 59; id. Fragm. ap. Gell. 13, 24, 6: qui manubias sibi tantas ex L. Metelli manubiis fecerit, id. Verr. 2, 1, 59, § 154: manubias alicui concedere, id. Rosc. Am. 37, 108: quae (rostra) censor imperatoriis manubiis ornarat, id. de Or. 3, 3, 10: (Tullus Hostilius) sepsit de manubiis comitium et curiam, id. Rep. 2, 17, 31: aedem Fortis Fortunae de manubiis faciendam locavit, Liv. 10, 46: de manubiis captarum urbium templum erexit, Flor. 1, 7, 8: delubrum Minervae ex manubiis dicavit, Plin. 7, 26, 27, § 97: sacratas ab Augusto manubias, i. e. the temple of Apollo, near Actium, Tac. A. 2, 53; cf. Suet. Aug. 18.
    2. B. Transf., in gen.
      1. 1. Booty, spoils taken from the enemy (ante-class. and post-Aug.; cf. above the passage from Gell. 13, 24, 25), Naev. ap. Non. 138, 17: partiri manubias, Petr. 79 fin.: contenti armorum manubiis, Flor. 2, 18, 6.
        (The reading manubia machaera, Plaut. Truc. 5, 35, is doubtless corrupt.)
      2. 2. Unlawful gain, plunder: ad manubias et rapinas compulsus, Suet. Vesp. 16; id. Calig. 41.
  2. II. In the lang. of augurs, kinds of flashes or strokes of lightning, thunderbolts: tres manubias … prima … secunda .. tertiam manubiam, etc., Sen. Q. N. 2, 41, 1: fatales, Amm. 17, 7, 3: Minervales, Serv. Verg. A. 11, 259: fulminis, id. ib. 8, 429; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p. 129, 16; p. 214, 25 Müll.; Mart. Cap. 9, § 896.