View source for tellus

{{Lewis
|lshtext=<b>tellūs</b>: (-ŭs [[short]], Mart. Cap. 5, § 584), ūris, f. perh. [[root]] [[tollo]], to [[bear]],<br /><b>I</b> the [[earth]], opp. to the [[other]] planets or to the [[sea]], the [[globe]] (a [[word]] belonging [[almost]] [[entirely]] to [[poetry]]).<br /><b>I</b> Lit.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>A</b> In gen.: ea, quae est media et [[nona]], [[tellus]], [[neque]] movetur et infima, Cic. Rep. 6, 17, 17 (for [[which]]: [[terra]] in [[medio]] [[mundo]] sita, id. Tusc. 1, 17, 40; id. N D. 2, 39, 98 al.; v. [[terra]]): animae vis aut [[extrinsecus]] aut ipsā tellure coörta, Lucr 6, 579: telluris operta subire, Verg. A. 6, 140. —<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> In partic., [[earth]], [[land]], [[ground]] (cf. [[solum]]): quāque fuit [[tellus]], [[illic]] et [[pontus]] et aër; Sic erat [[instabilis]] [[tellus]], [[innabilis]] [[unda]], Ov. M. 1, 15; cf.: jamque [[mare]] et [[tellus]] nullum [[discrimen]] habebant; Omnia [[pontus]] erant, id. ib. 1, 291: nec ullis Saucia vomeribus per se dabat omnia [[tellus]], id. ib. 1, 102: exercetque [[frequens]] tellurem [[atque]] imperat arvis, Verg. G. 1, 99: reddit ubi Cererem [[tellus]] inarata, Hor. Epod. 16, 43: non [[presso]] [[tellus]] exsurgit [[aratro]], Tib. 4, 1, 161: [[sterilis]] [[sine]] arbore [[tellus]], Ov. M. 8, 789: fundit [[humo]] facilem victum justissima [[tellus]], Verg. G. 2, 460.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>C</b> Personified, Tellus, [[Earth]], as a [[productive]], [[nourishing]] [[divinity]]: unam eandemque terram habere geminam vim, et masculinam, [[quod]] semina producat et femininam, [[quod]] recipiat [[atque]] enutriat. Inde a vi femininā dictam esse Tellurem, a masculinā Tellumonem, Varr. ap. Aug. Civ. Dei, 7, 23 fin.; cf.: [[primum]] (invocabo), qui omnes [[fructus]] agriculturae [[caelo]] et terrā [[continent]], Jovem et Tellurem: [[itaque]] [[quod]] ii parentes magni dicuntur, [[Juppiter]] [[pater]] appellatur, Tellus, [[terra]] [[mater]], id. R. R. 1, 1, 5; and; si est [[Ceres]] a gerendo, [[terra]] ipsa dea est: quae [[enim]] est [[alia]] Tellus? Cic. N. D. 3, 20, 52: Tellurem porco, Silvanum [[lacte]] piabant, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 143: [[aedis]] Telluris, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 4, § 14: in Telluris (sc. aede), id. Att. 16, 14, 1: Tellus [[mater]], Liv. 10, 29.—<br /><b>II</b> Transf., a [[land]], [[country]], [[district]], [[region]], [[territory]] ([[poet]].; syn.: [[regio]], [[terra]]): Tuscula, Tib. 1, 7, 57: [[tellus]] [[barbara]] Scythiae, id. 3, 4, 91; so, [[barbara]], Ov. M. 7, 53: Delphica, id. ib. 1, 515: Aegyptia, id. ib. 5, 323: Gnosia, Verg. A. 6, 23: nova, Hor. C. 1, 7, 29: Jubae, id. ib. 1, 22, 15: Assaraci, id. Epod. 13, 13 et saep.
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