Lewis & Short

trabs, trăbis (ante-class. collat. form of the nom. trăbes, Enn. ap. Cic. N. D. 3, 30, 75; id. Fat. 15, 35; id. Top. 16, 61, or Trag. v. 281 Vahl.; Cic. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 33 Müll., or Ann. v. 598 Vahl.), f. [τράπηξ].

  1. I. Lit., a beam, a timber: tigna trabesque, Lucr. 2, 192 sq.; v. tignum; Caes. B. G. 2, 29; 3, 13; 7, 23; id. B. C. 2, 9; Plin. 16, 38, 73, § 184; Gell. 1, 13, 17; Ov. M. 3, 78.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. A tree: silva frequens trabibus, Ov. M. 8, 329; cf. id. ib. 14, 360: securi Saucia trabs ingens, id. ib. 10, 373; cf. Varr. ap. Non. 178, 31; Prop. 3 (4), 22, 38: fraxineae, Verg. A. 6, 181: lucus trabibus obscurus acernis, id. ib. 9, 87: Val. Fl. 5, 640.
    2. B. Any thing made of beams or timbers.
      1. 1. Very freq., a ship or vessel: abiegna trabes, Enn. ap. Cic. N. D. 3, 30, 75: trabes rostrata per altum, id. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 33: jam mare turbari trabibus … vide bis, Verg. A. 4, 566: ut trabe Cypria Myrtoum pavidus nauta secet mare, Hor. C. 1, 1, 13; Ov. P. 1, 3, 76: Thessalica, Sen. Agam. 120.
      2. 2. A roof: sub trabe citreā, Hor. C. 4, 1, 20; so in plur., id. ib. 2, 18, 3; 3, 2, 28.
      3. 3. A battering-ram, ballista, etc., Val. Fl. 6, 383.
      4. 4. A javelin, Stat. Th. 5, 566; 9, 124.
      5. 5. A club, cudgel, Stat. Th. 1, 621.
      6. 6. A table, Mart. 14, 91, 2.
      7. 7. A torch, Sen. Herc. Fur. 103.
      8. 8. In mal. part. = mentula, Cat. 28, 10.
    3. C. A fiery phenomenon in the heavens, a meteor: emicant et trabes simili modo, quas δοκοὺς vocant, qualis cum Lacedaemonii classe victi imperium Graeciae amisere, Plin. 2, 26, 26, § 96: trabes et globi et faces et ardores, Sen. Q. N. 1, 1, 5; 1, 1, 15; 1, 15, 4; 7, 4, 3-5; 7, 5, 21; id. Ep. 94, 56.