1. lĕgĭo — Lewis & Short
lĕgĭo, ōnis, f.2. lego (prop., a selecting, choosing; hence), transf.,
I a body of soldiers:
legio, quod leguntur milites in delectu,Varr. L. L. 5, § 87 Müll.
I Lit., a Roman legion. It consisted of 10 cohorts of foot-soldiers and 300 cavalry, making together between 4200 and 6000 men. As a general rule, the legion was composed of Roman citizens; it was only on the most pressing occasions that slaves were taken into it. The standard was a silver eagle. The legions were usually designated by numerals, according to the order in which they were levied;
though sometimes they were named after the emperor who raised them, or after their leader, after a deity, after some exploit performed by them, etc.: cum legionibus secunda ac tertia,Liv. 10, 18:
undevicesima,id. 27, 14:
vicesima,id. 27, 38:
Claudiana,Tac. H. 2, 84:
Galbiana,id. ib. 2, 86:
Martia,Cic. Phil. 4, 2:
adjutrix,Tac. H. 2, 43:
rapax,id. ib.:
in legione sunt centuriae sexaginta, manipuli triginta, cohortes decem,Gell. 16, 4, 6; cf. Inscr. Orell. Index rerum, s. v. legio.—
II Transf.
A Plur., of the troops of other nations, legions, soldiers:
Bruttiae Lucanaeque legiones,Liv. 8, 24:
Latinae,id. 6, 32; cf.
of the troops of the Samnites,id. 10, 17;
of the Gauls,id. 22, 14;
of the Carthaginians,id. 26, 6:
Teleboae ex oppido Legiones educunt suas,Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 62:
in quorum (i. e. Thebanorum) sulcis legiones dentibus anguis nascuntur,Juv. 14, 241.—
B In gen., an army, a large body of troops: legio rediit, Enn. ap. Non. 385, 17 (Ann. v. 535 Vahl.):
quia cotidie ipse ad me ab legione epistolas mittebat,Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 56; 83; 2, 2, 22; id. Most. 1, 2, 48:
si tu ad legionem bellator cluis, at ego in culina clueo,id. Truc. 2, 7, 53:
cetera dum legio campis instructa tenetur,Verg. A. 9, 368:
de colle videri poterat legio,id. ib. 8, 605;
10, 120: horruit Argoae legio ratis,Val. Fl. 7, 573.—
C Of a large body of men:
idem istuc aliis adscriptivis fieri ad legionem solet,Plaut. Men. 1, 3, 2; cf.:
legio mihi nomen est, quod multi sumus,Vulg. Marc. 5, 9; id. Luc. 8, 30; 36:
duodecim legiones angelorum,id. Matt. 26, 53.—
2 Trop.:
sibi nunc uterque contra legiones parat,his troops, forces, expedients, Plaut. Cas. prol. 50.