I.a mountain in the eastern part of Crete (now Sethia), in a cave of which Jupiter, acc. to fable, was concealed from Saturn, Plin. 24, 17, 102, § 164.—
II. Derivv.,
A. Dictaeus , a, um, adj., Dictaean, among poets for Cretan: “arva,” Verg. A. 3, 171: “saltus,” id. ib. 4, 73: “rura,” Ov. M. 3, 2: “greges,” id. F. 5, 118: “antrum,” Verg. G. 4, 152: “Nymphae,” id. E. 6, 57: “rex,” i. e. Jupiter, id. G. 2, 536; “also,” Minos, Ov. M. 8, 43: “Telestes,” id. 9, 717: “Dictaeae astra coronae,” i. e. of Ariadne, Claud. II. Cons. Stil. 208: arundo, i. e. of the Cretans, who were famous archers, Sil. 13, 184; so, “pennae,” id. 15, 634.—
B. dictamnus , i, f., or dic-tamnum , i, n., the plant dittany, growing in great abundance on Mount Dicte and Mount Ida: Origanum dictamnus, Linn.; Plin. 8, 27, 41, § 97; 25, 8, 53, § 93; 26, 14, 87, § 142; Verg. A. 12, 412; Cic. N. D. 2, 50, 126.