noun · neutersecond declension
tēlum
tēlum n (genitive tēlī)
Classical[ˈteː.ɫũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛː.lum]
№ 255 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- a spear (whether used for throwing or thrusting)
- a missile or projectile weapon: an arrow, javelin, dart etc.
- a missile or projectile weapon: an arrow, javelin, dart etc.
Mūnīre urbem, frūmentum convehere, tēla arma parāre.
To strengthen the city's defences, accumulate stores of corn and prepare a supply of armaments.27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 29.4 - generalany weapon
- a stinger, prickle etc. (of natural weapons of animals and plants)
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
omne quod in hostem mittitur: pīlum, sagitta, hasta.tēlum -ī n — in Mille Verba, Bellum et Arma
quod iacitur in hostem (hasta, sagitta)tēlum -ī (n) — in Metamorphoses I, †
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | tēlum | tēla |
| genitive | tēlī | tēlōrum |
| dative | tēlō | tēlīs |
| accusative | tēlum | tēla |
| ablative | tēlō | tēlīs |
| vocative | tēlum | tēla |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- cum telo esse
- to be armed.
- se obicere telis
- to expose oneself to missiles.
- tela ingerere, conicere
- to discharge showers of missiles.
- fortunae telis propositum esse
- to be exposed to the assaults of fate.
- tela iacere, conicere, mittere
- to discharge missiles.
- extra teli iactum, coniectum esse
- to be out of range.
- ad teli coniectum venire (Liv. 2. 31)
- to come within javelin-range.
tēlum, i, n. for texlum; root τεκ-, of τίκτω, to beget; τυκ-, τυχ-, of τυγχάνω, to hit, chance upon; v. texo; cf. τόξον, a bow,
I. a weapon used for fighting at a distance; a missile weapon, missile, as a dart, spear, javelin, etc. (while arma signifies arms for defence or close fight; v. arma; cf.: jaculum, tormentum).
I. Lit.: tela proprie dici videntur ea, quae missilia sunt: ex Graeco videlicet translato eorum nomine, quoniam illi τηλόθεν missa dicunt, quae nos eminus;
sicut arma ea, quae ab umeris dependentia retinentur manibus, Fest. p. 364 Müll.; cf. id. p. 3; and Serv. Verg. A. 8, 249; 9, 509: telum vulgo quidem id appellatur, quod ab arcu mittitur, sed nunc omne significatur, quod mittitur manu. Itaque sequitur, ut et lapis et lignum et ferrum hoc nomine contineatur, dictum ab eo, quod in longinquum mittitur, Graecā voce figuratum ἀπὸ τοῦ τηλοῦ, Dig. 50, 16, 233: arma rigent, horrescunt tela, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 4 (Trag. v. 177 Vahl.); so, opp. arma, Sall. C. 42, 2; 51, 38; id. J. 43, 3; Ov. M. 9, 201: tela manu jacere, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 3 (Ann. v. 438 Vahl.); cf.: si quis jaciat volatile telum, Lucr. 1, 970: tela depellere...telum jacere, Cic. Quint. 2, 8: conicere, Caes. B. G. 1, 26; 1, 46; 1, 47; 2, 27; Cic. Quint. 16, 52 al.; cf.: nubes levium telorum conjecta obruit aciem Gallorum, Liv. 38, 26, 7; and with this cf.: it toto turbida caelo Tempestas telorum ac ferreus ingruit imber, Verg. A. 12, 284: telum ex loco superiore mittere, Caes. B. G. 3, 4: Romani omni genere missilium telorum ac saxis maxime vulnerabantur, Liv. 44, 35, 21; cf. Sisenn. ap. Non. 449, 3: priusquam ad conjectum teli veniretur, Liv. 2, 31, 6: tela vitare, Caes. B. G. 2, 25: telis repulsi, id. ib. 1, 8; Cic. Rep. 1, 3, 5: non primus Teucer tela Cydonio Direxit arcu, Hor. C. 4, 9, 17: in medios telum torsisti primus Achivos, Verg. A. 5, 497: tela spargere, Luc. 3, 326; Quint. 4, 5, 14: aërias telum contendit in auras, Verg. A. 5, 520: telum volatile sensit, Ov. A. A. 1, 169: volucre, Val. Fl. 2, 524: hic confixum ferrea texit Telorum seges, Verg. A. 3, 46: nubes telorum, Liv. 38, 26, 7: nimbus, Luc. 4, 776. — B. Transf.
1. In gen., an offensive weapon of any kind, as a sword, dagger, poniard, axe, etc. (class.): Ajax gladio incubuit;
Ulixes intervenit ... e corpore cruentum telum educit, Auct. Her. 1, 11, 18: ex quibus (telis) ille maximum sicarum numerum et gladiorum extulit, Cic. Cat. 3, 3, 8: elatam securim in caput dejecit: relictoque in vulnere telo ambo se foras eiciunt, Liv. 1, 40, 7: non tuba terruerit, non strictis agmina telis, Ov. M. 3, 535: tela aliis hastae, aliis secures erant, Curt. 9, 1, 15: clavae tela erant, id. 9, 4, 3: stare in comitio cum telo, Cic. Cat. 1, 6, 15; so esp. freq.: esse cum telo, to be armed, id. Att. 2, 24, 3; id. Vatin. 10, 24; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 3, § 7; Sall. C. 27, 2 al.; cf.: esse cum telo hominis occidendi causā (lex) vetat, Cic. Mil. 4, 11: qui caedem telo quocumque commiserint, Quint. 10, 1, 12: ut pereat positum rubigine telum, my sheathed sword, Hor. S. 2, 1, 43 et saep.: pars caret altera telo Frontis, i. e. a horn, Ov. M. 8, 883; so of the caestus, Verg. A. 5, 438; Stat. Th. 6, 772.—2. Poet., like the Gr. βέλος (v. Lidd. and Scott, sub voce),
a. A sunbeam:
non radii solis neque lucida tela diei, Lucr. 1, 147; 2, 60; 3, 92; 6, 40.—b. Lightning:
arbitrium est in sua tela Jovi, Ov. F. 3, 316: excutere irato tela trisulca Jovi, id. Am. 2, 5, 52.—3. A stitch in the side, Ser. Samm. 22, 402; cf. Isid. Orig. 4, 6.—
II. Trop., a weapon, shaft, dart (class.), Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 113: usque quāque sapere oportet: id erit telum acerrimum, Poët. ap. Cic. Fam. 7, 16, 1; cf.: nec mediocre telum ad res gerendas existimare oportet benevolen, tiam civium, Cic. Lael. 17, 61:
nec gelidis torpet telis perfixa pavoris, Lucr. 3, 305: Veneris telis accipere ictus, id. 4, 1052: necessitas, quae ultimum ac maximum telum est, Liv. 4, 28, 5; 5, 29, 9: quā lege tribunitiis rogationibus telum acerrimum datum est, id. 3, 55, 3: de corpore rei publicae tuorum scelerum tela revellere, Cic. Pis. 11, 25: tela fortunae, id. Fam. 5, 16, 2: lucubrationis telum, Suet. Calig. 53: vis tribunicia, telum a majoribus libertati paratum, Sall. Or. Macri Licinii ad Pleb. 6; Liv. 6, 35, 8: sentire et linguae tela subire tuae, Ov. P. 4, 6, 36.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
tēlum ī, n
TEC-, a missile weapon, missile, dart, spear, shaft, javelin : arma atque tela, S.: coniectio telorum: si telum manu fugit, magis quam iecit: nubes levium telorum, L.: turbida Tempestas telorum, V.: telum ex loco superiore mittere, Cs.: omni genere missilium telorum volnerari, L.: tela Direxit arcu, H.: In medios telum torsisti Achivos, V.: volatile, O.— An offensive weapon, sword, dagger, poniard, axe : ex quibus (telis) ille maximum sicarum numerum et gladiorum extulit: securim in caput deiecit; relictoque in volnere telo, etc., L.: strictis telis, O.: clavae tela erant, Cu.: cum telo esse, i. e. to be armed : positum rubigine telum, my sheathed sword , H.: Frontis, i. e. a horn , O.: corpore tela exit, i. e. avoids the blows of the caestus , V.: arbitrium est in sua tela Iovi, i. e. the thunderbolts , O.—Fig., a weapon, shaft, dart : nec mediocre telum ad res gerendas existimare benevolentiam civium: necessitas, quae maximum telum est, L.: tela fortunae: linguae tela subire tuae, O.
Origins
Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“beam, stake”) (whence also tignum).
Borrowings
- Italiantelo
Elsewhere
- Vulgar Latin*tēlāria