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.

lībra, ae, f. [cf. λίτρα; root cli-, clino], the Roman pound, of twelve ounces: as erat libra pondus, Varr. L. L. 5, § 169 Müll.: coronam auream libram pondo ex publica pecunia in Capitolio Iovi donum posuit, Liv. 4, 20: mulli binas libras ponderis raro exsuperant, Plin. 9, 17, 30, § 64: expende Hannibalem, quot libras in duce summo invenies? Juv. 10, 147: neque argenti in convivio plus pondo quam libras centum inlaturos, Gell. 2, 24, 2: dipondii pondo duas erant libras, Gai. Inst. 1, 122.

  • II. Transf.
    1. A. A measure for liquids: frumenti denos modios et totidem olei libras, Suet. Caes. 38.
  • B.
    1. 1. A balance, pair of scales: cum in alteram librae lancem animi bona imponebat, in alteram corporis, etc., Cic. Tusc. 5, 17, 51; cf. id. Fin. 5, 30, 91.
      1. 2. A water-poise, plummet-level, level, line: sin autem locus … pari libra cum aequore maris est, Col. 8, 17, 4: libratur autem dioptris aut libris aquariis aut chorobate, Vitr. 8, 6, 1.
        Hence, ad libram: alteram navem pluribus aggressus navibus in quibus ad libram fecerat turres, of equal height or of equal weight, Caes. B. C. 3, 40, 1.
      2. 3. Counterpoise, balance: contra flatus quoque pervicax libra Bononiensibus calamis, Plin. 16, 36, 65, § 161: aes et libra, v. aes.
      3. 4. The constellation Libra, The Balance, Verg. G. 1, 208; Ov. F. 4, 386; Plin. 18, 25, 59, § 221: felix aequato genitus sub pondere Librae, Manil. 4, 545.
      4. 5. Trop., a balance (poet.), Pers. 4, 10: animi cunctantis libra, Claud. Laud. Stil. 1, 75.

    lībro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [libra].

    1. I. To balance, make even, level, to determine a level: aquam, to level water, i. e. to ascertain the fall of water by means of a level, Vitr. 8, 6, 3: collocationem libratam indicare, id 8, 6, 1.
      Pass. impers.: libratur autem dioptris, Vitr. 8, 6, 1.
      1. B. Transf., to make even or level: pavimenta, Cato, R. R. 18, 7.
    2. II. To hold in equilibrium, to poise, balance: terra librata ponderibus, Cic. Tusc. 5, 24, 69: columnarum turbines ita librati perpenderunt, ut puero circumagente tornarentur, Plin. 36, 13, 19, § 91: librati pondera caeli orbe tene medio, Luc. 1, 58.
      1. B. To cause to hang or swing, to keep suspended, keep in its place: vela cadunt primo et dubia librantur ab aura, are waved to and fro, Ov. F. 3, 585: et fluctus supra, vento librante, pependit, Sil. 17, 274: aëris vi suspensam librari medio spatio tellurem, Plin. 2, 5, 4, § 10.
      2. C. To cause to swing, to swing, sway, brandish, set in motion, hurl, dash, cast, launch, fling, throw: summā telum librabat ab aure, Verg. A. 9, 417: ferro praefixum robur, id. ib. 10, 479: caestus, id. ib. 5, 478: tum librat ab aure intorquens jaculum, Sil. 5, 576: dextra libratum fulmen ab aure misit, Ov. M. 2, 311; 5, 624; 7, 787; Luc. 3, 433: librata cum sederit glans, Liv. 38, 29: librare se, to balance or poise one’s self, to fly: cursum in aëre, Ov. Am. 2, 6, 11: saepe lapillos Tollunt; his sese per inania nubila librant, Verg. G. 4, 196: haliaeetos librans ex alto sese, Plin. 10, 3, 3, § 8: corpus in herba, to stretch one’s self out on the grass, Ov. F. 1, 429: incidentis manus libratur artifici temperamento, Plin. 12, 25, 54, § 115: librare iter, to take one’s way, Sen. Oed. 899.
    3. III. Trop.
      1. A. To make of even weight, to balance, make equal (poet.): orbem horis, Col. 10, 42: crimina in antithetis, Pers. 1, 85.
      2. B. To weigh, ponder, consider (poet. and in post-class. prose): librabat metus, Stat. Th. 9, 165: quae omnia meritorum momenta perpendit, librat, examinat, Naz. Pan. ad Const. 7: praescriptiones, Cod. Th. 8, 4, 26.
        Hence, lībrātus, a, um, P. a.
      1. A. Level, horizontal: aquam non esse libratam, sed sphaeroides habere schema, Vitr. 8, 6.
      2. B. Poised, balanced, swung, hurled, launched; forcible, powerful: librata cum sederit (glans), Liv. 38, 29: librato magis et certo ictu, violent, powerful, Tac. H. 2, 22: malleus dextra libratus ab aure, Ov. M. 2, 624: per nubes aquila librata volatu, Sil. 15, 429.
        Comp.: libratior ictus, Liv. 30, 10; cf. id. 42, 65.
        Hence, * adv.: lībrātē, deliberately: aliquid eligere, Serv. Verg. A. 2, 713.