mīlĕs — Lewis & Short
mīlĕs (MEILES, Inscr. Mur. 582; late form, milex, Gromat. Vet. p. 246, 19), ĭtis, comm.Sanscr root mil-, to unite, combine; cf.: mille, milites, quod trium millium primo legio fiebat, ac singulae tribus Titiensium, Ramnium, Lucerum milia singula militum mittebant,
Varr. L. L. 5, § 89 Müll.,
I a soldier.
I Lit.
A In gen.:
miles, qui locum non tenuit,Cic. Clu. 46, 128: legere milites, to levy, raise, Pompei, ap. Cic. Att. 8, 12 a, 3:
scribere,to enlist, enroll, Sall. J. 43, 3:
deligere,Liv. 29, 1:
ordinare,to form into companies, id. ib.:
mercede conducere,to hire, take into one's pay, id. ib. 29, 5:
dimittere,to dismiss, Cic. Fam. 3, 3, 2:
miles tremulus,i. e. Priam, Juv. 10, 267:
miles cum die, qui prodictus sit, aberat, neque excusatus erat, infrequens dabatur,Gell. 16, 4, 5.—
B In partic., of foot-soldiers, infantry, in opp. to eques:
tripartito milites equitesque in expeditionem inisit,Caes. B. G. 5, 10: v. eques.—Opp. to the general: miles gregarius, or miles alone, a common soldier, private:
strenui militis et boni imperatoris officia simul exsequebatur,Sall. C. 60, 4; id. J. 62; Vell. 2, 18, 1 volgus militum, Liv. 22, 30, 7:
maritim as,a soldier in sea-service, marine, Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 61.—
II Transf.
A Collect., the soldiery, the army (esp. freq. in the postAug. per.), Liv. 22, 57 fin.; Verg. A. 2, 495; Vell. 1, 15, 1; 2, 78, 2; Tac. A. 1, 2; 24; 2, 16; Juv. 10, 155; 16, 18 et saep.—
B Under the emperors, an armed servant of the emperor, court-official, Cod. Th. 11, 1, 34; Dig. 4, 6, 10.—
C A chessman, pawn, in the game of chess:
discolor ut recto grassetur limite miles,Ov. Tr. 2, 477.—
D Fem., of a woman who is in childbed for the first time:
et rudis ad partūs et nova miles eram,Ov. H. 11, 48.—Of a nymph in the train of Diana:
miles erat Phoebes,Ov. M. 2, 415.—
E (Eccl. Lat.) Of a servant of God or of Christ, struggling against sin, etc.:
bonus Christi,Vulg. 2 Tim. 2, 3.