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.

1. moenĭa, ĭum (gen. plur. moeniōrum for moenium, like anciliorum for ancilium, acc. to Cledon. p. 1898 P.; abl. plur. MOENIIS for moenibus, Inscr. Grut. 408, 1, 34; in sing. moene: moene singulariter dixit Ennius (al. Naevius), Paul. ex Fest. p. 145 Müll.), n. [perh. Sanscr. root mū-, bind; Gr. ἀμύνω, μύνη; cf.: munus, immunis, munio], defensive walls, ramparts, bulwarks, city walls, as a means of protection and security.

  1. I. Lit. (class.): uti haberent tuta oppida quod operis muniebant, moenia dicta, Varr. L. L. 5, § 141 Müll.: domicilia conjuncta, quas urbes dicimus, moenibus sepserunt, Cic. Sest. 42, 91: diligentius urbem religione quam ipsis moenibus cingitis, id. N. D. 3, 40, 94; id. Ac. 2, 44, 137; id. Rep. 1, 11, 17: altissima, Caes. B. C. 3, 80: cum paene inaedificata in muris ab exercitu nostro moenia viderentur, bulwarks, fortifications, id. ib. 2, 16: summa arcis, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 1, 4 (Ann. v. 170 Vahl.): dividimus muros, et moenia pandimus urbis, Verg. A. 2, 234.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Poet., in gen., walls, enclosure: moenia navis, Ov. M. 11, 532: angusta theatri, Lucr. 4, 82: mundi, id. 1, 73; cf. caeli, Ov. M. 2, 401.
    2. B. A city enclosed by walls, a walled town (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): nulla jam pernicies moenibus ipsis intra moenia comparabitur, to our walls, i. e. our city, Cic. Cat. 2, 1, 1: moenia lata videt triplici circumdata muro, Verg. A. 6, 549: moenia circumdare muro, Flor. 1, 4, 2; Vitr. 8, 4.
    3. * C. A mansion, dwelling: Ditis magni, Verg. A. 6, 541.

Moenis, is, m., the River Main, in Germany, Mel. 3, 3, 3.
Called also Moenus, i, Tac. G. 28; Plin. 9, 15, 17, § 45; Amm. 17, 1, 6.