Lewis & Short

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lībella, ae, f. dim. [libra].

  1. I. An as, a small silver coin, the tenth part of a denarius: nummi denarii decuma libella, quod libram pondo aeris valebat, et erat ex argento parva, Varr. L. L. 5, § 174 Müll.: librales, unde etiam nunc libella dicitur et dupondius, appendebantur asses, Plin. 33, 3, 13, § 42; Cato, R. R. 15, 1: sunt enim in sestertio libellae decem, singulae viginti, teruncii quadraginta, Volus. Maec. 66.
    1. B. In gen.
      1. 1. Prov. for a very small sum of money, as with us a farthing, groat, cent: una libella liber possum fieri, Plaut. Cas. 2, 5, 8; cf. id. Capt. 5, 1, 27: tibi libellam argenti numquam credam, id. Ps. 2, 2, 34: quoi neque libellai spes sit usquam gentium, id. ib. 1, 1, 96: quom libella nusquamst, nisi, etc., id. ib. 4, 7, 47: quis Volcatio unam libellam dedisset? Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 10, § 26.
        Hence, ad libellam, i. q. ad assem, to a farthing, to a cent, exactly, Cic. Rosc. Com. 4, 11.
      2. 2. In inheritances: ex libella, i. q. ex asse, sole heir: Curius fecit palam te ex libella, me ex teruncio, Cic. Att. 7, 2, 3.
  2. II. An instrument for detecting any variation from a perfectly horizontal surface, a level, water-level, plummetline: libella aliqua si ex parti claudicat hilum, Lucr. 4, 515: collocare et expolire aliquid ad regulam et libellam, Vitr. 1, 6, 6; cf. Plin. 36, 25, 63, § 188: structuram (parietis) ad normam et libellam fieri, et ad perpendiculum respondere oportet, id. 36, 22, 51, § 172: locus qui est ad libellam aequus, quite, perfectly level, Varr. R. R. 1, 6 fin.