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.

mīlĕs (MEILES, Inscr. Mur. 582; late form, milex, Gromat. Vet. p. 246, 19), ĭtis, comm. [Sanscr root mil-, to unite, combine; cf.: mille, milites, quod trium millium primo legio fiebat, ac singulae tribus Titiensium, Ramnium, Lucerum milia singula militum mittebant, Varr. L. L. 5, § 89 Müll.], a soldier.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: miles, qui locum non tenuit, Cic. Clu. 46, 128: legere milites, to levy, raise, Pompei, ap. Cic. Att. 8, 12 a, 3: scribere, to enlist, enroll, Sall. J. 43, 3: deligere, Liv. 29, 1: ordinare, to form into companies, id. ib.: mercede conducere, to hire, take into one’s pay, id. ib. 29, 5: dimittere, to dismiss, Cic. Fam. 3, 3, 2: miles tremulus, i. e. Priam, Juv. 10, 267: miles cum die, qui prodictus sit, aberat, neque excusatus erat, infrequens dabatur, Gell. 16, 4, 5.
    2. B. In partic., of foot-soldiers, infantry, in opp. to eques: tripartito milites equitesque in expeditionem inisit, Caes. B. G. 5, 10: v. eques.
      Opp. to the general: miles gregarius, or miles alone, a common soldier, private: strenui militis et boni imperatoris officia simul exsequebatur, Sall. C. 60, 4; id. J. 62; Vell. 2, 18, 1 volgus militum, Liv. 22, 30, 7: maritim as, a soldier in sea-service, marine, Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 61.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Collect., the soldiery, the army (esp. freq. in the postAug. per.), Liv. 22, 57 fin.; Verg. A. 2, 495; Vell. 1, 15, 1; 2, 78, 2; Tac. A. 1, 2; 24; 2, 16; Juv. 10, 155; 16, 18 et saep.
    2. B. Under the emperors, an armed servant of the emperor, court-official, Cod. Th. 11, 1, 34; Dig. 4, 6, 10.
    3. C. A chessman, pawn, in the game of chess: discolor ut recto grassetur limite miles, Ov. Tr. 2, 477.
    4. D. Fem., of a woman who is in childbed for the first time: et rudis ad partūs et nova miles eram, Ov. H. 11, 48.
      Of a nymph in the train of Diana: miles erat Phoebes, Ov. M. 2, 415.
    5. E. (Eccl. Lat.) Of a servant of God or of Christ, struggling against sin, etc.: bonus Christi, Vulg. 2 Tim. 2, 3.