1. signum — Lewis & Short
signum, i, n.perh. Sanscr. sag-, to cling to, adhere; cf. sigilla.
I In gen., a mark, token, sign, indication (very frequent in all styles and periods; cf.
insigne): meo patri torulus inerit aureus Sub petaso: id signum Amphitruoni non erit,Plaut. Am. prol. 145 sq.:
ut eam (nutricem) adducam et signa ostendam haec, i. e. crepundia,Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 38; 5, 3, 5:
ut fures earum rerum, quas ceperunt, signa commutant, etc.,Cic. Fin. 5, 25, 74; so (with notae) id. de Or. 2, 41, 174; id. Lael. 17, 62; cf.:
omne probabile aut signum est aut credibile ... Signum est, quod sub sensum aliquem cadit et quiddam significat, quod ex ipso profectum videtur, etc.,id. Inv. 1, 30, 47 sq.:
aut pecori signum aut numeros inpressit acervis,Verg. G. 1, 263; cf.:
servitii signum cervice gerens,Ov. M. 3, 16:
jaculo mihi vulnera fecit.—Signa vides: apparet adhuc vetus ecce cicatrix,Ov. M. 12, 444:
metam Constituit signum nautis pater, unde reverti Scirent, etc.,Verg. A. 5, 130:
scutum signi gratia positum,Quint. 6, 3, 38:
signa pedum,tracks, prints, Ov. M. 4, 543;
and simply signa,Verg. A. 8, 212 al.:
oculis mihi signum dedit, Ne se appellarem,Plaut. Mil. 2, 1, 45:
dare,Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 11:
dicere deos gallis signum dedisse cantandi,Cic. Div. 2, 26, 57 al.:
signa esse ad salutem,Ter. And. 3, 2, 2:
animi pudentis signum,id. Heaut. 1, 1, 68:
color pudoris signum,id. And. 5, 3, 7:
signa doloris ostendere,Cic. de Or. 2, 45, 190:
mortis dare,Lucr. 6, 1182:
timoris mittere,to exhibit, display, Caes. B. C. 1, 71 et saep.—With obj.-clause:
magnum hoc quoque signum est, dominam esse extra noxiam,Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 57; Nep. Att. 17, 2.—In predic. gen. with neutr. pron.: hoc est signi;
ubi primum poterit, se illinc subducet,Ter. Eun. 4, 1, 14:
id erit signi me invitum facere, quod, etc.,Cic. Rosc. Am. 30, 83; Auct. Her. 4, 5, 8; Cato, R. R. 38, 4; 88, 2:
nil tamen est signi,Lucr. 5, 918; cf.:
quid signi?Cic. Cael. 16, 38, 2.— Hence, a surname, epithet (rare):
huic signum exercitus apposuit,Vop. Am. 6; cf. Capitol. Gord. 4.—
II In partic.
A In milit. lang.
1 The distinctive sign of a division of an army.
a A military standard, ensign, banner (including the aquila):
signifero interfecto, signo amisso,Caes. B. G. 2, 25:
ut neque signiferi viam, nec signa milites cernerent,Liv. 33, 7:
Hasdrubal ut procul signa legionum fulgentia vidit,id. 28, 14; 22, 21; Col. 9, 9, 4:
inter signa militaria,Hor. Epod. 9, 15:
cum unius signi militibus pergit ire,Liv. 33, 1:
signa militaria ex proelio relata,Caes. B. C. 3, 99; so,
militaria,id. B. G. 7, 2; Plin. 33, 33, 19, § 58.—
Hence the expressions: signa sequi,to follow the standards, to march in military order, Sall. J. 80, 2; Liv. 24, 48, 11:
signa subsequi,to keep in order of battle, Caes. B. G. 4, 26:
signa observare,Sall. J. 51, 1:
signa servare,Liv. 8, 34, 10; Veg. Mil. 1, 9:
ab signis discedere,to desert the standards, leave the ranks, Caes. B. G. 5, 16; 5, 33 fin.; id. B. C. 1, 44; Liv. 25, 20 al.; cf.:
ab ordinibus signisque discedere,Front. Strat. 1, 5, 3:
signa relinquere,to desert, Sall. C. 9, 4; Liv. 5, 6 al.:
signa deserere,Liv. 8, 34, 9: signa ferre, i. e. to break up the camp, Caes. B. G. 1, 39 fin.; 1, 40; Liv. 2, 49, 3; 10, 5 al.;
for which: movere signa,id. 1, 14, 9; 27, 2, 12; Verg. G. 3, 236; and:
tollere,Vell. 2, 61, 2; Auct. B. Alex. 57, 1;
but: ferte signa in hostem,attack, Liv. 9, 23, 13:
signa constituere,to halt, Caes. B. G. 7, 47; cf.:
infestis contra hostes signis constiterunt,id. ib. 7, 51:
signa proferre,to advance, Liv. 4, 32, 10: signa convertere, to wheel, turn, or face about, Caes. B. G. 1, 25 fin.; 2, 26: Liv. 8, 11; 2, 14; 4, 29; for which, vertere signa, id. 9, 35:
signa inferre (in aliquem),to advance to the attack, make an assault, Caes. B. G. 1, 25 fin.; 2, 26; 7, 67; id. B. C. 2, 42; Cic. Phil. 5, 8, 23; Sall. J. 56, 5; Liv. 2, 53; 9, 27; 44, 12 al; cf.:
signa conferre cum aliquo,to engage with, engage in close fight, Cic. Att. 7, 5, 5; id. Pis. 21, 49;
and cf.: collatis signis pugnare, superare aliquem, etc.,Plaut. Cas. 2, 5, 44; Liv. 1, 33; 2, 50; Cic. Imp. Pomp. 23, 66; but conferre signa also means simply to bring the standards together (to one place), Caes. B. G. 7, 2; 2, 25; Liv. 37, 21:
signa in laevum cornu confert,concentrates his troops, id. 7, 15, 4:
signa transferre,to desert, Caes. B. C. 1, 24: signa convellere, to take up the standards, which had been fixed in the ground, Liv. 3, 7, 3; 3, 54, 10; 5, 37, 4; so,
vellere signa,id. 3, 50, 11; Verg. G. 4, 108:
revellere signa,Luc. 7, 77; cf.:
signa figere,to encamp, Amm. 27, 10, 9:
defigere signa,Sil. 8, 625:
sub signis ducere legiones, ire, esse, etc.,together, in order, in rank and file, Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 71 (with ordine); Cic. Att. 16, 8, 2; Liv. 3, 51; Tac. H. 2, 14:
signa hostium turbare,to throw into disorder, Liv. 9, 73:
ante signa,before the army, id. 5, 18; 6, 7; 7, 16:
post signa,id. 2, 49.—
(b) Transf., in gen.:
infestis prope signis inferuntur Galli in Fonteium,Cic. Font. 20, 44 (16, 34).—
b Esp., the standard or ensign of single cohorts and maniples (opp. aquila, the standard of the entire legion):
cum fasces, cum tubas, cum signa militaria, cum aquilam illam argenteam ... scirem esse praemissam,Cic. Cat. 2, 6, 13; Galb. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30, 5; Suet. Calig. 14 fin. Oud.; Tac. A. 1, 18; id. H. 2, 29 fin.; Plin. 13, 3, 4, § 23; Luc. 1, 6; 1, 224 al. (cf. aquila, 2.):
manipulos exercitus minimas manus quae unum sequuntur signum,Varr. L. L. 5, § 88 Müll.—
(b) Meton., a cohort, a maniple:
octo cohortes in fronte constituit, reliquarum signa in subsidio artius collocat,Sall. C. 59, 2; Liv. 8, 9; 25, 23 fin.; 33, 1; 27, 14; 28, 14; Auct. B. Hisp. 18, 3.—
2 A sign, signal; a watchword, password, given by a wind-instrument, by the tessera, or otherwise:
signum tubā dare,Caes. B. G. 2, 20; 7, 81:
proelii committendi dare,id. ib. 2, 21:
recipiendi dare,id. ib. 7, 52:
receptui dare,Liv. 4, 31; 26, 45; 3, 22; cf. Cic. Rep. 1, 2, 3:
signum dare ut, etc.,Liv. 2, 20; 4, 39:
proelii exposcere,Caes. B. G. 7, 19:
concinere,id. B. C. 3, 92 fin.; Liv. 30, 5; cf. Tac. A. 1, 68:
canere,Sall. C. 59, 1; id. J. 99, 1; Liv. 1, 1; 4, 31; 27, 47; Cic. Rep. 1, 3, 3 al. (v. cano).—For the chariot race:
signum mittendis quadrigis dare,Liv. 8, 40, 3: signum mittere, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 48, 107: signo Felicitatis dato, the word, watchword, Felicitas, Auct. B. Afr. 83:
signum petere,Suet. Calig. 56; id. Claud. 42; id. Ner. 9; cf.:
it bello tessera signum,Verg. A. 7, 637.—Transf.:
tu illam (virtutem) jubes signum petere,i. e. to be in subjection, Sen. Ben. 4, 2, 2.—
B A sign or token of any thing to come; a prognostic, symptom (cf.:
portentum, indicium): ipse et equus ejus repente concidit: nec eam rem habuit religioni, objecto signo, ut peritis videbatur, ne committeret proelium,Cic. Div. 1, 35, 77:
medici signa quaedam habent ex venis et ex spiritu aegroti,id. ib. 2, 70, 145; cf. Verg. G. 3, 440; 3, 503; 4, 253; Cels. 2, 3:
prospera signa dare,Ov. H. 18 (19), 152.—
C An image, as a work of art; a figure, statue, picture, etc. (syn.: effigies, imago, simulacrum);
inerant (classi) signa expressa, Titani quomodo, etc.,Naev. 2, 13: statuas deorum, exempla earum facierum, s gna domi pro supellectile statuere, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 782 P.:
signum pictum in pariete,Plaut. Merc. 2, 2, 44:
signum in fano,id. Rud. 2, 7, 2:
aëna signa,Lucr. 1, 318:
ante signum Jovis Statoris concidit,Cic. Div. 1, 35, 77:
signum aeneum, marmoreum, eburneum,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 1, § 1; cf. id. Off. 1, 41, 147; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 248:
cratera impressum signis,Verg. A. 5, 536; 5, 267; 9, 263:
(vestis) auro signisque ingentibus apta,Lucr. 5, 1428:
ex ornatis aedibus per aulaea et signa,Sall. H. 2, 23, 2 Dietsch:
pallam signis auroque rigentem,Verg. A. 1, 648:
e Pario formatum marmore signum,Ov. M. 3, 419; cf. id. ib. 5, 183;
12, 398: statuas, signa, picturas commendet,Plin. Ep. 1, 20, 5.—
D An image or device on a seal-ring; a seal, signet: ostendi tabellas Lentulo, et quaesivi, cognosceretne signum. Annuit. Est vero, inquam, notum signum, imago avi tui, etc., Cic. Cat. 3, 5, 10:
(patera) in cistulā obsignata signo est,Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 265; cf. Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 45, § 117:
tabulae maximae signis hominum nobilium consignantur,id. Quint. 6, 25:
imprimat his signa tabellis,Hor. S. 2, 6, 38:
litterae integris signis praetoribus traduntur,Cic. Cat. 3, 3, 6; Sall. C. 47, 3:
signo laeso non insanire lagenae,Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 134:
volumen sub signo habere,to have under seal, Cic. Att. 9, 10, 4; cf.:
sub signo claustrisque rei publicae positum vectigal,id. Agr. 1, 7, 21:
nec pacta conventaque inpressis signis custodirentur,Sen. Ben. 3, 15, 1:
cum sol duodena peregit signa,Ov. M. 13, 618.—
E A sign in the heavens, a constellation (cf. sidus):
caeli subter labentia signa,Lucr. 1, 2:
loca caelio Omnia, dispositis signis ornata,id. 5, 695:
signorum ortus et obitus,Cic. Inv. 1, 34, 59:
signis omnibus ad idem principium stellisque revocatis,id. Rep. 6, 22, 24:
in signo leonis,id. Div. 1, 53, 121:
signorum obitus speculari et ortus,Verg. G. 1, 257; id. A. 7, 138:
signum pluviale Capellae,Ov. F. 5, 113:
ponemusque suos ad vaga signa dies,id. ib. 1, 310:
nox caelo diffundere signa parabat,Hor. S. 1, 5, 10; cf. id. C. 2, 8, 11.—
F Miraculous works (eccl. Lat.), Vulg. Dan. 3, 99; id. Matt. 24, 24; id. Joan. 2, 11 et saep.