“thousand” in Latin

mille (a thousand is PROP. a substantive, indeclinable in the sing., but found only in positions which admit a nominative or an accusative. As a substantive, it governs the genitive; e.g., mille hominum, mille passuum; but mille is also very frequently used as an indeclinable adjective, and that in the place of all the cases): milia, -ium, neuter (several thousand; the declinable plur. of mille). The number of thousands is denoted either by the cardinal numerals or by distributives, e.g., duo or bina, decem or dena, millia; the objects enumerated are put in the genitive after millia; e.g., trecenta millia armatorum, unless followed by one of the numeral adjectives; e.g., habuit tria millia trecentos milites. ☞ The substantive is very rarely put in the same case as millia; as in Verg., Aen., 9, 132, tot millia gentes arma ferunt Italiae. ☞ None but the poets express the number of thousands by the indeclinable mille, preceded by numeral adverbs; as, bis mille equi, for duo or bina millia equorum. Octavius left a thousand sesterces to each of the praetorian soldiers, Octavianus legavit praetorianis militibus singula millia nummorum (☞ not millenos nummos): you shall give a thousand talents every twelve years, dabitis millia talentum (☞ not millena talenta) per duodecim annos. When “thousand” is employed to denote a large indefinite number, the Latin is mille or sexcenti; e.g., a thousand new plans, mille nova consilia: a thousand such things, sexcenta similia: multa similia: a thousand thanks, summas gratias ago: containing a thousand, milliarius: captain of a thousand, chiliarchus; (the number), a thousand, chilias; or Latin (in late writers), numerus millenarius: by thousands, millia; e.g., millia crabronum coeunt: a thousand-fold, millies tantum (☞ there is no good authority for millecuplus): a thousand times, millies: in a thousand ways, mille modis.