Lewis & Short

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† 1. mĭna (mna, Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 107), ae, f., = μνᾶ.

  1. I. A Greek weight of a hundred Attic drachmas, a mina, Plin. 21, 34, 109, § 185; Rhem. Fann. de Ponder. 32 sq.
  2. II. A Greek money of account.
    1. A. The silver mina; this was of 100 Attic drachmae or Roman denarii (about $18.05 of our currency): argenti, Plaut. As. 2, 3, 16; id. Poen. 2, 21; 5, 5, 8 al.
      Also absol.: mina, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 2; id. Ps. 3, 2, 87; id. Poen. 5, 6, 22 al.; Cic. Tusc. 5, 32, 91; id. Leg. 2, 27, 68: minae bonae mala opera partae, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 144.
    2. B. Auri, the mina of gold, of five times the value of the silver one: alia opust auri mina, Plaut. Truc. 5, 44; id. Mil. 5, 27.

2. mĭna, ae, f.

  1. I. adj., smooth: mina ovis, smooth-bellied, with no wool on the belly: mina (id est ventre glabro), Varr R. R. 2, 2, 6: minae oves, a play on the double meaning of the word (v. 1. mina, II.), Plaut. Truc. 3, 1, 9.
  2. II. Subst.: mĭna, ae, f.: minam Aelius vocitatam ait mammam alteram lacte deficientem, quasi minorem factam, Paul. ex Fest. p. 122 Müll.

mĭnae, ārum, f. [root min-, only in Lat.; cf.: mentum, minari, and perh. mons], the projecting points or pinnacles of walls (only poet.).

  1. I. Lit.: minae murorum, Verg. A. 4, 88: moenium, Amm. 24, 2, 12; 24, 2, 19; 29, 6, 11; 20, 6, 2.
  2. II. Trop., threats, menaces, of animate and inanimate things (class.).
    1. A. Of living beings: si quidem hercle Aeacidinis minis animisque expletus cedit, Plaut. As. 2, 3, 25: virtutem hominibus instituendo et persuadendo, non minis et vi ac metu tradi, Cic. de Or. 1, 58, 247: terrēre minis, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 301 Müll. (Ann. v. 261): minas jactare, to throw out threats, Cic. Quint. 14, 47: intendere alicui, Tac. A. 3, 36.
      Of the threats used by cattle-drivers, Ov. P. 1, 8, 56.
      Poet., of a bull: nullae in fronte minae, Ov. M. 2, 857; of a snake: tol lentemque minas, raising threats, i. e. raising himself in a threatening posture, Verg. G. 3, 421.
    2. B. Of inanimate things (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): aspice, quam saevas increpat aura minas, Prop. 1, 17, 6: hibernae, Tib. 2, 3, 46: ingentes parturit ira minas, Ov. H. 12, 208: caelestes minae territabant, Flor. 2, 8, 3; forebodings of misfortune, Val. Fl. 5, 342.

mĭno, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n., collat. form of minor (ante-class., acc. to Prisc. p. 799, but v. Lachm. ad Lucr. 6, 563.
From the application of the words minari and minae to the threatening cries of cattledrivers is doubtless derived the old rustic signif., also generally adopted in the postclass. per. into the literary lang.), to drive animals: asinos et equum minantes baculis exigunt, App. M. 3, p. 141: asinum, id. ib. 8, p. 216: me ut suam juvencam, Aus. Epigr. 67, 3: gregem ad interiora deserti, Vulg. Exod. 3, 1: per omnem mundum (so, vaccam), Schol. Juv. 6, 526: agasones equos agentes, id est minantes, Paul. ex Fest. s. v. agasones, p. 25 Müll.
Pass. transf.: cum a validis ventis minentur (naves), Vulg. Jac. 3, 4; id. Nah. 2, 7.
Of men: eos a tribunali, Vulg. Act. 18, 16.
Hence the Ital. menare; Fl. mener.