Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I.twice, at two times, on two occasions, in two ways, = δίς (very freq. in prose and poetry).

I. In gen.: “inde ad nos elisa bis advolat (imago),” Lucr. 4, 315; Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 8, 6; Hor. Epod. 5, 33; id. A. P. 358; 440; Verg. A. 6, 32; Ov. M. 4, 517 al.: “non semel sed bis,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 77, § 179: “semel aut bis,” Quint. 11, 2, 34: “bis ac saepius,” id. 10, 5, 7; Nep. Thras. 2, 5: “bis mori,” Hor. C. 3, 9, 15: bis consul, who has been twice consul in all (diff. from iterum consul, who is a second time consul), Cic. Ac. 2, 5, 13; id. Lael. 11, 39; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 23, § 59; Liv. 23, 30, 15; 23, 31, 6; 23, 34, 15; 25, 5, 3; cf. Val. Max. 4, 1, 3; Suet. Ner. 35.—Sometimes (among later writers) for iterum, now a second time: “bis consul,” Mart. 10, 48, 20; Prid. Kal. Febr.; Coll. Leg. Mos. et Rom. 1, § 11.—

2. Bis is followed by,

(α). Semel ... iterum, Cic. Dom. 52, 134: “bis dimicavit: semel ad Dyrrhachium, iterum in Hispaniā,” Suet. Caes. 36; so id. Aug. 25; id. Tib. 6; 72; id. Claud. 6; cf. Wolf, ejusd. id. Tib. 6.—

(β). Primo... rursus, Suet. Aug. 17; 28.—

(γ). Et rursus, without a preceding primo, Suet. Aug. 22; id. Tib. 48.—

B. Transf., doubly, twofold, in two ways, in a twofold manner: “bis periit amator, ab re atque animo simul,” Plaut. Truc. 1, 1, 26: nam qui amat cui odio ipsus est, bis facere stulte duco; “laborem inanem ipsus capit, et illi molestiam adfert,” Ter. Hec. 3, 2, 8 sq.: “in unā civitate bis improbus fuisti, cum et remisisti quod non oportebat, et accepisti quod non licebat,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 23, § 59: “in quo bis laberis, primum, quod... deinde, quod, etc.,” id. Phil. 8, 4, 13: “inopi beneficium bis dat qui dat celeriter, Publ. Syr. v. 235 Rib.: bis gratum est,” id. v. 44 ib.: “bis est mori alterius arbitrio mori,” id. v. 50 ib.—

II. Particular connections.

A. Bis in die, mense, anno, etc., or bis die, mense, anno, etc., twice a day, month, year, etc.; cf. Suet. Aug. 31 Oud.; id. Galb. 4; id. Vit. Ter. 2: “bis in die,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 35, 100; Cato, R. R. 26; 87: “bis die,” Tib. 1, 3, 31; Verg. E. 3, 34; Hor. C. 4, 1, 25; Cels. 1, 1; 1, 8; 3, 27, n. 2; Plin. 10, 53, 74, § 146; cf. “cotidie,” Liv. 44, 16, 5: “in mense,” Plin. 11, 18, 19, § 59; Suet. Aug. 35: “in anno,” Varr. R. R. 2, 11, 7: “anno,” Plin. 2, 73, 75, § 184.—

B. With other numerals, and particularly with distributives (class. in prose and poetry): “bis binos,” Lucr. 5, 1299; Cic. N. D. 2, 18, 49: “bis quinos dies,” Verg. A. 2, 126; Mart. 10, 75, 3; Ov. F. 3, 124: “bis senos dies,” Verg. E. 1, 44: “bis septeni,” Plin. 8, 36, 54, § 127: “bis octoni,” Ov. M. 5, 50: “bis deni,” Verg. A. 1, 381; Prop. 2 (3), 9, 3; Mart. 9. 78: “bis quinquageni,” id. 12, 67: bis milies, Liv. 38, 55, 12; Auct. B. Afr. 90; Val. Max. 3, 7, 1.—

2. Esp., with cardinal numbers to express twice a given number (in the poets very freq., but not in prose): “bis mille sagittae,” Lucr. 4, 408; so Hor. Epod. 9, 17: bis sex, Varr. ap. Prob. Verg. E. 6, 31, p. 354 Lion.; Verg. A. 11, 9: “bis quinque viri,” Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 24; Ov. M. 8, 500; 8, 579; 11, 96: “bis trium ulnarum toga,” Hor. Epod. 4, 8: “duo,” Ov. M. 13, 642: “centum,” id. ib. 5, 208 and 209; “12, 188: quattuor,” id. ib. 12, 15: “sex,” id. ib. 6, 72; 6, 571; 4, 220; 12, 553; 12, 554; “15, 39: septem,” id. ib. 11, 302: “novem,” id. ib. 14, 253 al.—

C. Bis terve, two or three times, very rarely: “a te bis terve summum et eas perbrevis (litteras) accepi,” Cic. Fam. 2, 1, 1: “quem bis terve bonum cum risu miror,” Hor. A. P. 358.—

D. Bis terque, several times, repeatedly, Mart. 4, 82, 3; cf.: “stulte bis terque,” utterly, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 8, 6. —

E. Bis tanto or tantum, twice as great, twice as much: “bis tanto amici sunt inter se quam prius,” Plaut. Am. 3, 2, 62; id. Men. 4, 3, 6; id. Merc. 2, 2, 26: “bis tantum quam tuus fundus reddit,” Varr. R. R. 3, 2, 15: “Tartarus ipse Bis patet in praeceps tantum, quantus, etc.,” Verg. A. 6, 578.—

F. Bis ad eundem (sc.: lapidem offendi, as in Aus. Ep. 11 med.); “prov.,” to commit the same error twice, Cic. Fam. 10, 20, 2.—

G. Bis minus, in an old enigma in Gell. 12, 6, 2, whose solution is Terminus (ter-minus): semel minusne an bis minus, non sat scio: at utrumque eorum, ut quondam audivi dicier, Jovi ipsi regi noluit concedere.!*? In composition, bis, like the Gr. δίς, loses the s: biceps, bidens, bifer, bigener, bijugus, bilix, etc.; “hence bissenus,” Sen. Agam. 812; id. Herc. Fur. 1282; Stat. Th. 3, 574; “and bisseni,” id. ib. 12, 811; Aus. Monos. Idyll. 12, and Prud. Cath. 12, 192, are better written as two words: bis senus (seni); so either bisextus, or as two words, bis sextus (Stat. S. 4, 1, 9); v. bisextus.