1. sătellĕs — Lewis & Short
sătellĕs, ĭtis, comm.,
I an attendant upon a distinguished person, esp. a prince, a lifeguard; in plur., attendants, escort, train, retinue (class.; syn.: stipator, apparitor, accensus).
I Lit.:
regii satellites,Liv. 2, 12; 34, 36 fin.; cf. Quint. 7, 2, 54:
administri et satellites Sex. Naevii,Cic. Quint. 25, 80 (cf. infra, II.):
habet sectatores vel potius satellites, qui, etc.,Tac. A. 16, 22:
contumeliosum foret, si equites Romani satellites Numidae traderentur,Sall. J. 65, 2:
Sullae,id. H. 1, 41, 2 Dietsch; cf. Liv. 34, 41:
sequimini satellites,Plaut. Mil. 1, 78:
aurum per medios ire satellites... amat,Hor. C. 3, 16, 9:
ne posset adire, Cursus equi fecit circumfususque satelles,Ov. M. 14, 354:
Caesaris,Tac. A. 2, 45:
Sejani,id. ib. 6, 3 et saep.:
Hannibalis,followers, satellites, Liv. 23, 12; 25, 28.—
B Transf. (mostly poet.), of attendants analog. to the preceding: Jovis pinnata satelles, i. e. the eagle, Cic. poët. Div. 1, 47, 106; id. Tusc. 2, 10, 24: Noctis, i. e. the evening-star, id. poët. ap. Non. 65, 10:
Orci,i. e. Charon, Hor. C. 2, 18, 34: Neptuni, storms, etc., Plaut. Trin. 4, 1, 14.—Of the attendants of the queen-bee, Plin. 11, 17, 17, § 53.—Of Orion, as Diana's attendant, Ov. F. 5, 538. —
II Trop., an assistant, attendant:
hominem natura non solum celeritate mentis ornavit, sed etiam sensus tamquam satellites attribuit ac nuncios,Cic. Leg. 1, 9, 26:
virtutis verae custos rigidusque satelles,Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 17.—In Cicero more freq. in a bad sense, an assistant in crime, an accomplice, partner, abettor, etc.:
stipatores corporis constituit, eosdem ministros et satellites potestatis,Cic. Agr. 2, 13, 32:
satellites scelerum, ministros cupiditatum,id. Prov. Cons. 3, 5:
C. Mallium, audaciae satellitem atque administrum tuae,id. Cat. 1, 3, 7:
voluptatum satellites et ministras,id. Fin. 2, 12, 37; cf.
(opp. dominatrix),id. Inv. 1, 2, 2.