Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

bes, bessis, m. (nom. bessis, Paul. ex Fest. p. 33 Müll.; Prisc. Ponder. p. 1348 P.) [be-is = binae partes assis].

  1. I. Two thirds of a unit (the as); eight unciae, or twelfths (cf. as): bessis octo sunt unciae (8/12 = 2/3), triens quattuor, Paul. ex Fest. l. l.
    1. A. As a coin: fenus ex triente Idib. Quint. factum erat bessibus, i. e. instead of the previous monthly interest of 1/3 %, 2/3 % was now reckoned; thus, acc. to the present mode of calculating, for the year, the interest advanced from 4 % (12X1/3) to 8 % (12X2/3), * Cic. Att. 4, 15, 7.
    2. B. In gen., two thirds of any whole.
      1. 1. Of shares in a partnership: Nerva constituit, ut tu ex triente socius esses, ego ex besse, Dig. 17, 2, 76.
      2. 2. Of a sum of money: exsolvere bessem pretii, Dig. 17, 1, 12.
      3. 3. Of a tract of land: emere bessem fundi, Dig. 16, 21, 2, § 39: bisque novem, Nemeaee, dabis, bessemque (i. e. eight months) sub illis, Manil. 3, 367.
      4. 4. Of a jugerum: partes duae tertiae pedes decem novem milia et ducentos, hoc est bes, in quo sunt scripula CXCII., Col. 5, 1, 11.
      5. 5. Of a measure of capacity: bes sextarii, Scrib. Comp. 126.
      6. 6. Of a pound, = 8 ounces: in binos semodios farinae satis esse bessem fermenti, Plin. 18, 11, 26, § 102; Scrib. Comp. 157.
      7. 7. Of an inheritance: heres ex besse, Plin. Ep. 7, 24, 2.
    3. C. Meton. for eight: quincunces et sex cyathos bessemque bibamus, Caïus ut fiat Julius et Proculus (i. e. so many letters were comprised in these names; cf. 1. bibo, 2. e.), Mart. 11, 36, 7 and 8.
    4. D. Bes alter = (12+8)/12 = 1 2/3, Fest. s. v. triens, p. 363 Müll.
  2. II. In mathematics, where the cardinal number is six (cf. as
    Note:), bes = 4, Gr. δίμοιρος, Vitr. 3, 1, p. 61 Rod. and bes alter = (6+4)/6 = 1 2/3, Gr. ἐπιδίμοιρος, id. ib.