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hăbēna , ae, f. habeo; lit., that by which a thing is held; hence, in partic.,
I.a thong, strap.
I. Lit.: “ille (turbo) actus habenā,” Verg. A. 7, 380: “cum jaculum parvā Libys amentavit habenā,” Luc. 6, 221: “Balearis tortor habenae,” id. 3, 710: “in scalis latuit metuens pendentis habenae,” i. e. of the whip-lash, whip, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 15: “molles galeae habenae,” Val. Fl. 6, 365: “plantarum calces tantum infimae teguntur: cetera prope nuda et teretibus habenis vincta sunt,” shoestrings, Gell. 13, 21, 5.—
B. Esp., a rein (usually in plur.; cf.: “lorum, corrigia): exhortatur equos, quorum per colla jubasque Excutit habenas,” Ov. M. 5, 404; cf.: “omnes effundit habenas,” Verg. A. 5, 818; “so of the reins,” id. ib. 10, 576; 11, 600; 670; “765 et saep.: quam potuit effusissimis habenis, stationem hostium invadit,” Liv. 37, 20, 10.—Poet.: “pedes aequat habenas,” the riders, Val. Fl. 6, 95.—
II. Transf.
A. A small strip of diseased flesh cut out from the body: “tenuis excidenda habena est,” Cels. 7, 17 fin.; cf.: habenula.—Far more freq.,
B. In gen., a rein; also abstr., direction, management, government: “quis regere immensi summam, quis habere profundi indu manu validas potis est moderanter habenas?” Lucr. 2, 1096: “fluminibus vestris totas immittite habenas,” give the reins to, Ov. M. 1, 280; Val. Fl. 6, 391: “(ventis) regem dedit, qui foedere certo Et premere et laxas sciret dare jussus habenas,” Verg. A. 1, 63: “furit immissis Vulcanus habenis,” id. ib. 5, 662: “classique immittit habenas,” id. ib. 6, 1; cf. Lucr. 5, 787; Verg. G. 2, 364: “vates rege vatis habenas,” Ov. F. 1, 25: legum, Poët. ap. Cic. de Or. 3, 41, 166: “commodissimum est quam laxissimas habenas habere amicitiae, quas vel adducas cum velis vel remittas,” Cic. Lael. 13, 45: “alicui moderandi et regendi sui potestatem quasi quasdam habenas tradere,” id. de Or. 1, 52, 226; id. Rep. 1, 5: “accepisse Numam populi Latialis habenas,” Ov. M. 15, 481; cf. “also: rerumque reliquit habenas,” Verg. A. 7, 600: “linquam datas habenas,” Val. Fl. 1, 560: irarumque omnes effundit habenas, Verg. A. 12, 499.—In sing.: “Latiae diffisus habenae,” i. e. of the Roman dominion, Sil. 13, 34; Gell. 14, 1, 4.
A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by. Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and. Charles Short, LL.D. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1879.

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hide References (26 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (26):
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 15.481
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 5.404
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 12.499
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 1.63
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 5.818
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 7.380
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 7.600
    • Vergil, Georgics, 2.364
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 1.280
    • Cicero, On Oratory, 1.52
    • Cicero, On Oratory, 3.41
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 2.1096
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 5.787
    • Lucan, Civil War, 3.710
    • Lucan, Civil War, 6.221
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 37, 20.10
    • Cicero, De Republica, 1.5
    • Cicero, De Amicitia, 13
    • C. Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica, 1.560
    • C. Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica, 6.365
    • C. Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica, 6.391
    • C. Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica, 6.95
    • Gellius, Noctes Atticae, 13.21.5
    • Gellius, Noctes Atticae, 14.1.4
    • A. Cornelius Celsus, De Medicina, 7.17
    • Ovid, Fasti, 1
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