sēstertius or HS (i. e. II semis), adj. num.
for * semis-tertius,
two and a half
.—As subst
m
. (sc. nummus; gen
plur
. sestertiūm),
a sesterce
(a small silver coin, originally two and a half asses, worth twopence and half
a farthing sterling, or four and one tenth cents): cum esset tritici modius sestertiis
duobus: cum HS XXX scripta essent pro HS CCC: praedia pluris sestertiūm XXX
milium habere, L.—Plur
n
. as subst., with ellipse of
milia, thousands of sesterces
.—Usu. with num
distr.
: fundus, qui sestertia dena meritasset: HS quingena
(i. e. quindecim milia sestertiūm).— Rarely with num
card.
: sestertia centum, S.: septem donat sestertia, H.—With ellipse of
centena milia
: HS quater deciens (i. e. sestertiūm
quater deciens centena milia, or 1,400,000 sesterces).—For the phrase, centena
milia sestertiūm, the word sestertium was commonly used, and declined as
subst
n
., with the numeral adverbs from deciens upward: quom ei testamento sestertium
milies relinquatur: sestertium centiens et octogiens: HS LX, quod advexerat Domitius,
Cs.: sestertium deciens numeratum esse: argenti ad
summam sestertii deciens in aerarium rettulit, L.: in sestertio centiens adfluentius vivere,
N.—With
nummus
, in abl. of
price, at an insignificant sum, for a trifle
: bona nummo sestertio sibi addici velle: si amplius HS nummo
petisti.
