mons — Lewis & Short
mons, tis (archaic m.etym. dub., perh. from the root min, whence also, emineo, mentum, minari; cf. minae; lit. a projecting body; hence,
abl. montei, Enn. ap. Non. 222, 33; cf. Ann. v. 420 Vahl.),I a mountain, mount.
I Lit.:
montium altitudines,Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 98:
altissimi,Caes. B. G. 3, 1:
avii,Hor. C. 1, 23, 2:
inaccessi,Plin. 6, 28, 32, § 144:
lapidosi,Ov. M. 1, 44.—Prov.:
parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus, said where much is promised but little performed,Hor. A. P. 139.—
II Transf.
A A mountain, i. e. a (heaped-up, towering) mass, a heap, quantity:
argenti montes,Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 73:
montes mali ardentes,id. Merc. 3, 4, 32; id. Ep. 1, 1, 78:
ita mali maeroris montem maxumum conspicatus sum,id. Most. 2, 1, 6:
mons in Tusculani monte,i. e. a lofty, splendid building near Tusculum, Cic. Pis. 21, 48:
aquae,Verg. A. 1, 105:
armorum,Sil. 10, 549.—Of a wagon-load of stones:
eversum fudit super agmina montem,Juv. 3, 258; Stat. Th. 1, 145.—Prov.:
montes auri polliceri,to promise mountains of gold, to make great promises, Ter. Phorm. 1, 2, 18; so,
maria montesque polliceri,Sall. C. 23, 3:
magnos montes promittere,Pers. 3, 65.—
B A mountain-rock, rock in gen. (poet.):
fertur in abruptum magno mons improbus actu,Verg. A. 12, 687:
Graii,Greek marble, Stat. Th. 1, 145.—
C Mountain-beasts, wild beasts (late poet.):
consumant totos spectacula montes,Claud. Cons. Mall. Theod. 310.