catena
τὸν αὐτὸν ἔρανον ἀποδοῦναι → pay him back in his own coin, repay him in his own coin, pay someone back in their own coin, pay back in someone's own coin, give tit for tat, pay back in kind
Latin > English (Lewis & Short)
cătēna: ae, f. (once with
I num. distrib. as piur. tantum: trinis catenis vinctus, Caes. B. G. 1, 53) [Sanscr. kat, to fall away; cf. catax.
I A wooden bracket, brace, etc., for holding two beams together, Cato, R. R. 18, 9; Vitr. 7, 3; Pall. 1, 3, 1.—
II A chain,
A Used as a fetter, shackle, etc.; usu. in plur. (syn. vincula): catenis vincire aliquem, Plaut. Men. 1, 1, 3; Ov. M. 15, 601 al.: catenas indere alicui, Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 3: in catenas conicere aliquem, Caes. B. G. 1, 47; Liv. 29, 21, 2: catenas inicere alicui, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 41, § 106: in catenis aliquem Romam mittere, Liv. 29, 21, 12: in catenis aliquem per urbem ducere, id. 45, 40, 6: eximere se ex catenis, Plaut. Men. 1, 1, 8: rumpere catenas, Hor. S. 2, 7, 71: catenas alicui exsolvere, Tac. H. 3, 31 al.—In sing., Liv. 24, 34, 10; Cat. 64, 297; Verg. A. 6, 558; Hor. S. 1, 5, 65; Curt. 4, 3, 22; 7, 5, 36; Tac. A. 4, 28; 6, 14; Suet. Aug. 94; Sen. Ep. 9, 8; Plin. 34, 15, 43, § 150.—
2 Of a chain stopping the entrance of a harbor: catena ferrea valde robusta, Amm. 26, 8, 8.—
3 Trop., a constraint, fetter, barrier, bond: taetra belua, constricta legum sacratarum catenis, Cic. Sest. 7, 16: compesce animum frenis, catenā, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 63: validā teneamur catenā, Tib. 4, 5, 15; 4, 1, 117: splendidiore nunc eos catenā sed multo graviore vinctos esse, quam cum, etc., Liv. 35, 38, 10: qui ad superiora progressus est.. laxam catenam trahit nondum liber, Sen. Vit. Beat. 16, 3; id. Tranq. 10, 3.—
B A chain of gold or silver worn by women as an ornament, Plin. 33, 3, 12, § 40; Paul. Sent. 3, 6, 84.—
C A series of things connected together, a chain, series, Lucr. 6, 910 (but id. 2, 630, is a false reading for quod armis; v. Lachm.).—
D Trop.: (praecepta oratoria) in catenas ligare, Quint. 5, 14, 32.
