mĕtallum — Lewis & Short
mĕtallum, i, n., = me/tallon,
I a mine or quarry, of gold, silver, iron, or stone; voc. metalle, as if from metallus, Spart. Pesc. Nig. 126.
I Lit., the place where metals are dug, a mine:
metalla vetera intermissa recoluit, et nova multis locis instituit,Liv. 39, 24:
sandaracae,Vitr. 7, 7, 5:
aurifera,gold-mines, Luc. 3, 209:
silicum,stone-quarry, id. 4, 304:
miniarium,Plin. 33, 7, 40, § 118:
praeter annuum, quod ex metallis regiis capia, vectigal,Liv. 42, 12: herba tantae suavitatis, ut metallum esse coeperit, a mine, i. e. that a tax was raised from it as from a mine, Plin. 21, 7, 20, § 44: damnare in metallum, to condemn to labor in the mines or quarries:
damnatus in metallum,Plin. Ep. 2, 11, 8:
condemnare aliquem ad metalla,Suet. Calig. 27:
mediocrium delictorum poenae sunt metallum, ludus, deportatio,Paul. Sent. 5, 17, 3; 5, 3, 5:
dare aliquem in metallum,Dig. 48, 19, 8:
metallo plecti,ib. 47, 11, 7:
puniri,ib. 48, 13, 6.—
II Transf., the product of a mine or quarry.
1 A metal, as gold, silver, or iron:
ubicumque una inventa vena argenti est, non procul invenitur alia. Hoc quidem et in omni fere materia: unde metalla Graeci videntur dixisse,Plin. 33. 6, 31, §
96: auri,Verg. A. 8, 445:
potior metallis libertas,i. e. gold and silver, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 39:
aeris,Verg. G. 2, 165:
pejoraque saecula ferri temporibus, quorum ... nomen a nullo posuit natura metallo,Juv. 13, 30.—
2 Other things dug from the earth.
(a) Marble, Stat. S. 4, 3, 98.—
(b) Precious stone:
radiantium metalla gemmarum,Pacat. Pan. 4.—
(g) Chalk:
admiscetur creta ... Campani negant alicam confici sine eo metallo posse,Plin. 18, 11, 29, § 114.—
(d) Sulphur:
utque est ingenium vivacis metalli (sulphuris),App. M. 9. p. 228, 23.—(e) Salt:
metallum fragile,Prud. Hamart. 744.—
III Trop., metal, stuff, material:
saecula meliore metallo,Claud. III. Cons. Hon. 184:
mores meliore metallo,id. Cons. Mall. Theod. 137.