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.

2. Philus (in MSS. also Pilus), i, m., a Roman surname: L. Furius Philus, a consul A. U. C. 618, Cic. Rep. 1, 11, 17; 1, 13, 19; id. Lael. 4, 14; 6, 21; 7, 25 sq.

1. pīla, ae, f. [perh. for pisula, from root pis-; v. pinso, piso], a mortar (syn. mortarium): pila, ubi triticum pinsant, Cato, R. R. 14; Ov. Ib. 573: zeae granum tunditur in pilā ligneā, Plin. 18, 11, 29, § 112: si contuderis stultum in pilā, Vulg. Prov. 27, 22: sal sordidum in pilā pisatum, Paul. ex Fest. p. 158 Müll.

2. pīlă, ae, f. [for pigla, from root pag-, pig-, of pango, pe-pig-i, q. v.],

  1. I. a pillar (syn. columna): pila, quae parietem sustentat, ab opponendo dicta est, Paul. ex Fest. p. 204 Müll.: locavit pilas pontis in Tiberim, Liv. 40, 51: salax taberna a pileatis nona fratribus pila, of the temple of Castor and Pollux, Cat. 37, 1: nulla taberna meos habeat neque pila libellos, i. e. they are not to be publicly sold (as the booksellers had their stalls around the pillars of public buildings), Hor. S. 1, 4, 71; Vitr. 6, 11: pilas operibus subdere, Sen. Q. N. 6, 302; Plin. 11, 10, 10, § 23; Mart. 7, 61, 5.
  2. II. Transf., a pier or mole of stone: saxea, Verg. A. 9, 711; Vitr. 5, 12; Suet. Claud. 20; Sil. 4, 297.

3. pĭla, ae (gen. sing. pilaï, Lucr. 5, 713; 720; 726), f. [etym. dub.; perh. akin to Gr. πάλλω, brandish; Lat. pellere, drive; v. Corss. 1, 525 sqq.], a ball, playing-ball (syn. follis).

  1. I. Lit.: pilā expulsim ludere, Varr. ap. Non. 104, 29: di nos quasi pilas homines habent, Plaut. Capt. prol. 22; id. Most. 1, 2, 73: pilae studio teneri, Cic. de Or. 3, 23, 88; Hor. S. 1, 5, 49: cum lapsa e manibus fugit pila, Verg. Cir. 149, Prop. 3, 12 (4, 13), 5: pila cadit aut mittentis vitio, aut accipientis . . . (pila) jactata et excepta, Sen. Ben. 2, 17, 3: pilam scite et diligenter excipere . . . apte et expedite remittere, id. ib. 2, 32, 1: pilam repetere, quae terram contigit, Petr. 27: reddere pilam, Mart. 14, 46, 2. There were four sorts of pilæ: trigonalis, paganica, follis, harpastum.
    Prov.: mea pila est, I have the ball, I have caught it, I’ve won, Plaut. Truc. 4, 1, 7: claudus pilam, Cic. Pis. 28, 69; v. claudus: Fortunae pila, the foot-ball of fortune, Aur. Vict. Epit. 18.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. The game of ball: quantum alii tribuunt alveolo, quantum pilae, Cic. Arch. 6, 13.
    2. B. Of any thing round, a ball or globe of any material: pilae lanuginis, Plin. 12, 10, 21, § 38: scarabaei e fimo ingentes pilas aversi pedibus volutant, id. 11, 28, 34, § 98.
      Of the globe of the earth (ante-class.): in terrae pila, Varr. ap. Non. 333, 25.
      The ancients made use of a glass or crystal ball filled with water as a burning-glass: cum addită aquā vitreae pilae sole adverso in tantum excandescunt, ut vestes exurant, Plin. 36, 26, 67, § 199; 37, 2, 10, § 28.
      The Roman ladies carried a crystal or amber ball to keep their hands cool, Prop. 2, 18, 60 (3, 18, 12); Mart. 11, 8.
      Of the ball or lump of earth which adheres to the roots of a bush when torn up, Col. 5, 9.
      Of the ballots or bails used by judges in voting, Prop. 4 (5), 11, 19; Ascon. Argum. Milon. fin.
      Of stuffed balls or human figures: pilae et effigies viriles et muliebres ex lanā Compitalibus suspendebantur in compitis. quod hunc diem festum esse deorum inferorum quos vocant Lares, putarent: quibus tot pilae, quot capita servorum; tot effigies, quot essent liberi. ponebantur, ut vivis parcerent et essent his pilis et simulacris contenti, Paul. ex Fest. p. 239 Müll. Bulls were baited by throwing similar stuffed figures at their heads, Mart. Spect. 19, 2: quantus erat cornu, cui pila taurus erat! id. ib. 9; hence, sed cui primus erat lusor dum floruit aetas, Nunc postquam desiit ludere prima pila est, id. ib. 10, 86. As these effigies were usually torn by the throwing, the term is also applied to a torn toga, Mart. 2, 43, 6.
    3. C. In partic.: pilae Nursicae, i. e. rapae rotundae, Mart. 13, 20, 2.

pīlum, i, n. [for pis-lum, cf. piso, 1. pila, etc.], a pounder, pestle of a mortar.

  1. I. Lit.: pilum fabarium, Cato, R. R. 10; 18: quasi tollenonem aut pilum Graecum reciproces planā viā, a pounder, in using which, one side was raised while the other was depressed, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Fest. s v. reciprocare, p. 274 Müll.: pinsente pilo praeferrato, Plin. 18, 10, 23, § 97: pilo contusum, Vulg. Exod. 27, 20.
  2. II. Transf., the heavy javelin of the Roman infantry, which they hurled at the enemy at the commencement of the action, and then took to their swords: (caput) adfixum gestari jussit in pilo, Cic. Phil. 11, 2, 5: pilum, haud paulo quam hasta, vehementius ictu missuque telum, Liv. 9, 19; cf. Veg. Mil. 2, 15: milites e loco superiore pilis missis facile hostium phalangem perfregerunt, Caes. B. G. 1, 25: pilorum hastarumque honore circumdatus, Plin. Pan. 56, 5: in imperatorem suum legiones pila torserunt, Sen. Ira, 3, 2, 4; cf. Tac. A. 15, 7: pilum praepilatum, having a blunt or rounded end, Auct. B. Afr. 72. They were also used in sieges, being hurled at the enemy from the walls; these were called pila muralia, Caes. B. G. 5, 40; Tac. A. 4, 51.
    Prov.: pilum inicere alicui, to make an attack on one, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 43.
    1. B. Vis certe pila, i. e. to be primipilus of the triarii or veterans who carried two javelins each, Juv. 10, 94; v. Dict. of Antiq. p. 104.

1. pĭlus, i, m., a hair (syn.: villus, seta).

  1. I. Lit.: capra pilos ministrat ad usum nauticum, Varr. R. R. 2, 11: munitae sunt palpebrae vallo pilorum, Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 143: caudae pilos equinae vellere, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 45: duris aspera crura pilis, Ov. A. A. 3, 194: contra pilum equum fricare, Pelag. Vet. 26: in capite homini plurimus pilus, Plin. 11, 37, 47, § 130.
    Prov.: non minus molestum est calvis quam comatis pilos velli, Sen. Tranq. An. 8, 2, 3: propius quidem est a sole mons quam campus aut valles, sed sic, quomodo est pilus pilo crassior, Sen. Q. N. 4, 11, 4.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Collect., hair, the hair: fruticante pilo neglecta et squalida crura, Juv. 9, 15.
    2. B. As a designation of insignificance, a hair, a trifle; usually joined with a negative, not a hair, not a bit, not a whit (class.): ego ne pilo quidem minus me amabo, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 16, 5: interea e Cappadociā ne pilum quidem, id. Att. 5, 20, 6: ne ullum pilum viri boni habere dicatur, has not a hair of a good man about him, id. Rosc. Com. 7, 20: non facit pili cohortem, does not value it a straw, Cat. 10, 13; cf.: nec pili facit uni, cares not a pin about it, id. 17, 16.
      In plur., a garment or fabric made of hair: vestitus pilis cameli, Vulg. Marc. 1, 6.

2. pīlus, i, m. [pilum], regularly joined with

  1. I. primus: primus pilus (in the gen. written also as one word, primipili), the division of the triarii in the Roman army: P. Sextius Baculus, primi pili centurio, Caes. B. G. 3, 5; id. B. C. 1, 13: T. Balventius, qui superiore anno primum pilum duxerat, had been leader, captain of the triarii, id. B. G. 5, 35; Liv. 42, 34, 11: aliquem ad primum pilum transducere, to transfer, advance to the triarii, Caes. B. C. 3, 53, 5: primos pilos ademit, took the command of the triarii, of the primipili, Suet. Calig. 44: vetus consuetudo tenuit, ut ex primo principe legionis promeretur centurio primi pili, qui non solum aquilae praeerat, verum etiam quatuor centurias in primā acie gubernabat, Veg. Mil. 2, 8.
    Without primus: referes pili praemia, Mart. 6, 58, 10; 1, 32, 3.
  2. II. Transf.: primipilus (in inscrr. also written PRIMOPIL, and abbrev. P. P.), the chief centurion of the triarii (the transf. arose from the circumstance that the chief centurion of this division was originally designated by the term primi pili, with the omission of the easily supplied centurio, as is shown by the following citation from Liv. 7, 41, 5; soon, however, from primi pili, a new word, primipilus or primopilus, was formed): primus centurio erat, quem nunc primi pili appellant, Liv. 7, 41, 5; 8, 8, 16: primipilo P. Sext. Baculo vulneribus confecto, Caes. B. G. 2, 25: aquilarum altera vix convelli a primipilo potuit, Val. Max. 1, 6, 11; Inscr. (of the time of Trajan) Orell. 799: SEX. AVLIENO SEX. F. PRIMOPIL. II., Inscr. (of the time of Tiberius or Caligula) Orell. 3426 M. P.; cf. Becker, Antiq. 3, 3, p. 264.