Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I.armed with a spear.

I. In gen. (very rare): “Bellona,” Stat. Th. 2, 718: “prima utcumque acies hastata: ceteris praeusta aut brevia tela,” Tac. A. 2, 14: “currum decem milia hastatorum sequebantur,” Curt. 3, 3, 10; 4, 15, 7.—

II. In partic., milit. t. t.: hastāti , ōrum, m., the first line of a Roman army drawn up in order of battle (behind them were the Principes and Triarii): “hastati dicti qui primi hastis pugnabant,” Varr. L. L. 5, § 89 Müll.: hastati spargunt hastas, Enn. ap. Macr. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 287 Vahl.); so Liv. 8, 8, 6; 22, 5; Veg. Mil. 1, 20 al.; cf. “Dict. of Antiq.—The hastati were divided into ten ordines (companies),” Ov. F. 3, 128.—Hence,

B. Transf.: primus, secundus, etc., ordo hastatus, and more freq. absol.: primus, secundus, etc., hastatus, the first, second, etc., company of hastati: in eo exercitu miles gregarius fui: tertio anno virtutis causa, mihi T. Quintius decimum ordinem hastatum assignavit, i. e. made me captain of the tenth (last) company, Liv. 42, 34, 5: “cum signifer primi hastati signum non posset movere loco,” Cic. Div. 1, 35, 77; cf. id. ib. 2, 31, 67: “signifer secundi hastati,” Liv. 26, 5 fin.—Hence, transf.,

2. (Ellipt. for centurio ordinis hastati primus, secundus, etc., hastatus.) The captain of the first, second, etc., company, Veg. Mil. 2, 8: Q. Fulginius ex primo hastato, late first centurio (i. e. who had been discharged as first centurio, and then served as evocatus), Caes. B. C. 1, 46, 4.—

b. Κατ̓ ἐξοχήν, hastatus, i, m., the captain of the first company, Flor. 1, 18; Inscr. Orell. 3455.