līmen — Lewis & Short
līmen, ĭnis, n.Gr. le/xris, loco/s; Lat. obliquus, līmus; hence prop. a cross-piece,
I a threshold; the head-piece or foot-piece of a doorway, the lintel or the sill (limen superum et inferum).
I Lit.:
limen superum inferumque, salve,Plaut. Merc. 5, 1, 1: limen superum, quod mihi misero saepe confregit caput: Inferum autem, ubi ego omnis digitos defregi meos, Novius ap. Non. 336, 14:
sensim super attolle limen pedes, nova nupta,Plaut. Cas. 4, 4, 1:
imponere foribus,Plin. 36, 14, 21, § 96:
ad limen consulis adesse,Liv. 2, 48:
curiae,id. 3, 41:
primo limine,at the outer threshold, Juv. 1, 96.—Plur. (poet.):
haec limina, intra quae puer est,Juv. 14, 45; 220.—The moment of touching the threshold was regarded as ominous:
ter limen tetigi,Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 55.—Prov.: salutare a limine, to greet in passing, i. e. to touch upon slightly, not go deeply into, Sen. Ep. 49, 6.—
B Transf.
1 A door, entrance:
ubi hanc ego tetulero intra limen,Plaut. Cist. 3, 19:
intrare intra limen,id. Men. 2, 3, 63:
intra limen cohibere se,to keep within doors, id. Mil. 3, 1, 11:
marmoreo stridens in limine cardo,Verg. Cir. 222; Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 73:
fores in liminibus profanarum aedium januae nominantur,Cic. N. D. 2, 27, 67:
ad valvas se templi limenque convertisse,Caes. B. C. 3, 105:
penetrare aulas et limina regum,the courts and doors, Verg. G. 2, 504:
ipso in limine portae,id. A. 2, 242; cf.:
tremuitque saepe limite in primo sonipes,Sen. Agam. 629:
famuli ad limina,doorkeepers, porters, Sil. 1, 66:
in limine portūs,at the very entrance of the haven, Verg. A. 7, 598:
densos per limina tende corymbos,Juv. 6, 52.—
2 Still more gen., a house, dwelling, abode:
matronae nulla auctoritate virorum contineri limine poterant,in the house, at home, Liv. 34, 1:
ad limen consulis adesse, etc.,id. 2, 48:
limine pelli,Verg. A. 7, 579.—
3 Poet., the barrier in a race-course:
limen relinquunt,Verg. A. 5, 316.—
II Trop., both entrance and exit.
A A beginning, commencement (poet. and in post-Aug. prose):
leti limine in ipso,Lucr. 6, 1157:
in limine belli,Tac. A. 3, 74:
in ipso statim limine obstare,Quint. 2, 11, 1:
in limine victoriae,Curt. 6, 3, 10; 6, 9, 17; 9, 10, 26:
a limine ipso mortis revocatus,Plin. 7, 44, 45, § 143; Sen. Ep. 22, 16; Just. 14, 3, 9.—
B An end, termination (post-class.):
in ipso finitae lucis limine,App. M. 11, p. 267, 18; cf.:
limina sicut in domibus finem quendam faciunt, sic et imperii finem limen esse veteres voluerunt,Just. Inst. 1, 12, § 5.