sēmis — Lewis & Short
sēmis, issis (in Vitr., Front., and Pall. indecl., e.g. duo semis pedes,
Pall. Febr. 9, 10:I
duobus semis pedibus,id. Jan. 10, 3; 13, 7:
diametros octo semis,Vitr. 4, 1:
passuum milium et semis,Front. Aquaed. 7; cf.:
habere duos et semis cubitos,Vulg. Exod. 25, 10 al.), m. cf. semi-; Gr. h(mi-, h(/misu, a half, half-unity, a semi-unit (v. as, I.).
I In gen. (very rare for the usual dimidium):
sex domini semissem Africae possidebant,Plin. 18, 6, 7, § 35:
patrimonii,Dig. 36, 1, 78, § 7:
e libertorum defunctorum bonis,Suet. Ner. 32:
cum alter semissem, alter universa fratre excluso (sibi vindicaret),Quint. 7, 1, 62:
panem semissem ponebat supra torum,Petr. 64, 6.—
II In partic. (freq. and class.).
A As a coin,
1 Half an as, a semi-as, Varr. L. L. 5, § 171 Müll.; cf. Prisc. p. 708 P.; Plin. 33, 3, 13, § 44:
lex frumentaria de semissibus et trientibus,Auct. Her. 1, 12, 21; Cic. Sest. 25, 55; Liv. Epit. 60; Ascon. ap. Cic. Pis. 4, p. 9 Orell.; hence, non semissis homo, not worth a groat, i. e. good for nothing, worthless, Vatin. ap. Cic. Fam. 5, 10 a, 1:
quid fit! Semis,Hor. A. P. 330.—
2 In the times of the later emperors, as a gold coin, a half aureus (containing 59.8 grains of gold, or the present value of 10s. 6 3/4d. sterling), Lampr. Alex. Sev. 39.—
B As a rate of interest, one half per cent. a month, or, acc. to our mode of computation, six per cent. a year (cf.:
bes, triens, etc.): semissibus magna copia (pecuniae) est,Cic. Fam. 5, 6, 2:
usura multiplicata semissibus,Plin. 14, 4, 6, § 56:
usura semissium,Col. 3, 3, 9 sq.;
for which also, reversely: semisses usurarum,id. 3, 3, 9;
and in apposition: semisses usuras promisit,Dig. 22, 1, 13; 22, 45, 134; 46, 3, 102 fin.—
C As a measure of dimension.
1 Half a juger of land:
bina jugera et semisses agri assignati,Liv. 6, 16 fin.; cf. Col. 5, 1, 11; Plin. 18, 19, 49, § 178.—
2 A half-foot, half a foot:
interesse sesquipedes inter bina semina in latitudinem, in longitudinem semisses,Plin. 17, 21, 35, § 160:
campestris locus alte duos pedes et semissem infodiendus est,Col. 3, 13, 8; Vitr. 4, 1; Front. Aquaed. 7; Pall. Jan. 10, 2; 10, 4; 13, 7; id. Febr. 9, 10 et saep.; Veg. 5, 40, 3; 3, 11, 4.—
3 Half a cubit:
cubitum ac semissem,Vulg. Exod. 25, 17.—
D Among mathematicians, the number three, Vitr. 3, 1, 6; cf. as fin.