ala

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

āla: ae, f. for axla, contr. from axilla, Cic. Or. 45, 153; cf. ἄγχος = ὦμος (Hesych.) = shoulder = O. H. Germ. Ahsala; Germ. Achsel.
I Lit., a wing, as of a bird: galli plausu premunt alas, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 2, 26; Verg. A. 3, 226 al.: Me. Vox mihi ad aurīs advolavit. So. Ne ego homo infelix fui, qui non alas intervelli, that I did not pluck off its wings, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 170.—Poet., of the gods: Mors atris circumvolat alis, Hor. S. 2, 1, 58: volucris Fati Tardavit alas, id. C. 2, 17, 25: bibulae Cupidinis alae, Ov. A. A. 1, 233: furvis circumdatus alis Somnus, Tib. 2, 1, 89: me jocundis Sopor impulit alis, Prop. 1, 3, 45: Madidis Notus evolat alis, Ov. M. 1, 264.—Of sails: velorum pandimus alas, Verg. A. 3, 520.—Of oars: classis centenis remiget alis, Prop. 4, 6, 47: remigium alarum, Verg. A. 1, 301 (cf. Hom. Od. 11, 125); so inversely remi is used of wings: super fluctus alarum insistere remis, Ov. M. 5, 558 (cf. πτεροῖς ἐρέσσει, Eur. Iphig. Taur. 289; Aeschyl. Agam. 52; and cf. Lucr. 6, 743). —Of wind and lightning: Nisus Emicat et ventis et fulminis ocior alis, Verg. A. 5, 319 al.—
II Transf.
   A In man, the upper and under part of the arm, where it unites with the shoulder; the armpit, Liv. 9, 41; 30, 34: aliquid sub alā portare, Hor. Ep. 1, 13, 12: hirquinae, Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 51: hirsutae, Hor. Epod. 12, 5: halitus oris et alarum vitia, Plin. 21, 20, 83, § 142: virus alarum et sudores, id. 35, 15, 52, § 185: sudor alarum, Petr. 128 (many Romans were accustomed to pluck out the hair from the armpits, Sen. Ep. 114; Juv. 11, 157; v. alipilus).—
   B In animals, the hollow where the foreleg is joined to the shoulder; the shoulder - blade.—Of elephants, Plin. 11, 40, 95, § 324.—Of frogs, Plin. 9, 51, 74, § 159.—
   C In trees and plants, the hollow where the branch unites with the stem, Plin. 16, 7, 10, § 29; so id. 22, 18, 21, § 45; 25, 5, 18, § 38 al.—
   D In buildings, the wings, the side apartments on the right and left of the court, the side halls or porches, the colonnades; called also in Gr. πτερά, Vitr. 6, 4, 137; 4, 7, 92.—
   E In milit. lang., the wing of an army (thus conceived of as a bird of prey), commonly composed of the Roman cavalry and the troops of the allies, esp. their horsemen; hence, alarii in contrast with legionarii, and separated from them in enumeration, also having a leader, called praefectus alae, Tac. H. 2, 59 al.; cf. Lips. de Milit. Rom. 1, 10 Manut.; Cic. Fam. 2, 17 fin.; Herz. ad Caes. B. G. 1, 51; Smith, Dict. Antiq.; Cincius ap. Gell. 16, 4, 6; cf. Gell. 10, 9, 1: Alae, equites: ob hoc alae dicti, quia pedites tegunt alarum vice, Serv. ad Verg. A. 4, 121: peditatu, equitibus atque alis cum hostium legionibus pugnavit, Cato ap. Gell. 15, 9, 5; Cic. Off. 2, 13, 45: dextera ala (in alas divisum socialem exercitum habebat) in primā acie locata est, Liv. 31, 21; Vell. 2, 117 al.—An ala, as a military division, usu. consisted of about 500 men, Liv. 10, 29.!*? Such alae gave names to several towns, since they were either levied from them, quartered in them, or, after the expiration of their time of service, received the lands of such towns.—So, Ala Flaviana, Ala Nova, et saep. (cf. castrum, II. 1. fin.).

Latin > French (Gaffiot 2016)

āla,⁸ æ, f. (axla, cf. dimin. axilla),
1 aile [en tant que membre formant en qq. sorte l’aisselle, l’épaule de l’oiseau, tandis que pennæ est l’aile en tant que plumage]: meæ alæ pennas non habent Pl. Pœn. 871 mes ailes n’ont point de plumes ; alis se levare Liv. 7, 26, 5, se soulever sur ses ailes || seu mors atris circumvolat alis Hor. S. 2, 1, 58, soit que la mort me frôle de ses noires ailes ; fulminis alæ Virg. En. 5, 319, les ailes de la foudre
2 aisselle : sub ala fasciculum librorum portare Hor. Ep. 1, 13, 12, porter un paquet de livres sous le bras
3 sens métaph. divers par ex. en parlant de la partie creuse formée à l’emboîtement du rameau, de la feuille sur une tige] : Plin. 16, 22 ; 16, 29 ; 22, 45, etc. || ailes de bâtiment : Vitr. Arch. 4, 7, 2 ; 6, 3, 4
4 [le plus usuel] aile d’une armée : ala dextra Liv. 27, 2, 6 ; sinistra Liv. 27, 1, 8, aile droite, aile gauche ; [avant la guerre sociale les ailes étaient occupées par les troupes alliées, infanterie et cavalerie] : Liv. 26, 14, 6 ; 31, 21, 7 ; Cato Orig. Inc. lib. rel., 2 ; [duæ alæ, les deux ailes de la légion = le contingent allié] Liv. 27, 1, 7 ; 27, 2, 6, etc.; [mais ala a fini par s’appliquer plus spécialement à la cavalerie] : ala equitum Liv. 26, 38, 14, etc., corps de cavalerie alliée ; [chaque ala comportait cinq turmæ, escadrons, de 60 cavaliers] || [après la guerre sociale, la cavalerie auxiliaire fournie par les pays étrangers occupe les ailes ; ala désigne alors un corps de cavalerie auxiliaire] : Cic. Off. 2, 45 ; Tac. H. 1, 54 ; [cohortes, cohortes = infanterie, alæ = cavalerie, le tout formant les auxilia, troupes auxiliaires] Tac. H. 1, 60, etc. || en dehors de Rome : ala Numidarum Liv. 21, 45, 2, corps de cavaliers Numides, cf. 22, 47, 7 ; 26, 38, 14, etc. || [poét.] alæ, escadrons : Virg. En. 11, 604, etc.; [en gén.] troupe à cheval [chasseurs] : Virg. En. 4, 121.