I.a mine or quarry, of gold, silver, iron, or stone; voc. metalle, as if from metallus, Spart. Pesc. Nig. 126.
I. Lit., the place where metals are dug, a mine: “metalla vetera intermissa recoluit, et nova multis locis instituit,” Liv. 39, 24: “sandaracae,” Vitr. 7, 7, 5: “aurifera,” gold-mines, Luc. 3, 209: “silicum,” stone-quarry, id. 4, 304: “miniarium,” Plin. 33, 7, 40, § 118: “praeter annuum, quod ex metallis regiis capia, vectigal,” Liv. 42, 12: herba tantae suavitatis, ut metallum esse coeperit, a mine, i. e. that a tax was raised from it as from a mine, Plin. 21, 7, 20, § 44: damnare in metallum, to condemn to labor in the mines or quarries: “damnatus in metallum,” Plin. Ep. 2, 11, 8: “condemnare aliquem ad metalla,” Suet. Calig. 27: “mediocrium delictorum poenae sunt metallum, ludus, deportatio,” Paul. Sent. 5, 17, 3; 5, 3, 5: “dare aliquem in metallum,” Dig. 48, 19, 8: “metallo plecti,” ib. 47, 11, 7: “puniri,” ib. 48, 13, 6.—
II. Transf., the product of a mine or quarry.
1. A metal, as gold, silver, or iron: “ubicumque una inventa vena argenti est, non procul invenitur alia. Hoc quidem et in omni fere materia: unde metalla Graeci videntur dixisse,” Plin. 33. 6, 31, § “96: auri,” Verg. A. 8, 445: “potior metallis libertas,” i. e. gold and silver, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 39: “aeris,” Verg. G. 2, 165: “pejoraque saecula ferri temporibus, quorum ... nomen a nullo posuit natura metallo,” Juv. 13, 30.—
2. Other things dug from the earth.
(α).
Marble, Stat. S. 4, 3, 98.—
(γ).
Chalk: “admiscetur creta ... Campani negant alicam confici sine eo metallo posse,” Plin. 18, 11, 29, § 114.—
