previous next
porta , ae (portabus for portis, Cn. Gell. ap. Charis. p. 40 P.), f. from root par-, to pierce, pass through; Gr. περάω, πείρω, πόρος, ford; Lat.: peritus, ex-perior, and v. periculum,
I.a city-gate, a gate.
I. Lit.: “hic (miles) portas frangit, at ille (amans) fores,Ov. Am. 1, 9, 20: “rectā portā invadam extemplo in oppidum antiquom et vetus,Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 60; id. Ps. 2, 2, 3: “si Hannibal ad portas venisset,Cic. Fin. 4, 9, 22: “pedem portā efferre,id. Att. 8, 2, 4; 7, 2, 6; Verg. A. 4, 130: “ad portam praesto esse,Cic. Pis. 23, 55: “portā introire,id. ib. 23, 55: “egressus portā Capenā,id. Tusc. 1, 7, 13: “extra portam Collinam,id. Leg. 2, 23, 58: “porta Carmentalis,Liv. 2, 49, 8: “pars egressa portis erat,id. 3, 60, 9; 23, 46, 10: “omnibus portis effundi,id. 24, 1, 3: “portā Capenā Romam ingressus,id. 26, 10, 1; 33, 26, 9: “signa portis efferre,id. 27, 2, 5: “portis ruere,id. 27, 41, 8: “eādem portā signa infesta urbi inferre,id. 28, 3, 13: “patefactā portā Romani erumpunt,id. 28, 36, 8: “subito omnibus portis eruptione factā,Caes. B. G. 3, 6; 19; 5, 51: “omnibus portis prorumpunt,Tac. H. 4, 20; 34: “portarum claustra,Verg. A. 7, 185: “limina portarum,id. ib. 2, 803: “portas obice firmā claudere,Ov. M. 14, 780: “portas reserare hosti,id. A. A. 3, 577: “portā triumphali ducere funus,Tac. A. 3, 47: “sanctae quoque res, veluti muri et portae, quodammodo divini juris sunt,Gai. Inst. 2, 8: “vidi Portas (Carthaginis) non clausas, a proof that the people were fearless,Hor. C. 3, 5, 23.—Connected with urbis: “qui urbis portas occuparent,Cic. Phil. 14, 6, 15: “bellum a portis hujus urbis avolsum,id. Rep. 1, 1, 1.—With per (rare except in Livy): “per unam portam praesidium Romanum irrumpit,Liv. 9, 24, 12: “paulo ante lucem per effractam portam urbem ingreditur,id. 24, 46, 7: “per aversam portam silentio excedere,id. 10, 34, 4; 4, 46, 6; 23, 47, 8: “elapsus per eam portam quae ... ad Darii castra pervenit,Curt. 4, 10, 25; Vulg. Gen. 34, 20: “in fastigio portae,id. 2 Reg. 18, 24.—Prov.: porta itineri longissima, the way to the gate is the longest (sc. in making a journey), i. e. it is the first step that costs, Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 2.—
B. Transf., in gen., like our gate, of an avenue, entrance, passage, outlet, door of any kind (syn.: fores, janua, ostium). —Of the gates of a camp: “ab decumanā portā castra munita,Caes. B. G. 3, 25; so, “principalis,Liv. 40, 27: “quaestoria,id. ib.: “villarum,Plin. 28, 10, 44, § 157: venti, velut agmine facto, Quā data porta, ruunt, Verg. A. 1, 82.—Of a cage: “ex portā ludis emitti, said of hares,Plaut. Pers. 3, 3, 30: porta tonat caeli, Enn. ap. Vet. Gram. ap. Col. (Ann. v. 597 Vahl.); Verg. G. 3, 261: “somni,id. A. 6, 893; cf. “eburna,Hor. C. 3, 27, 41: “ubi portitor aera recepit, Obserat umbrosos lurida porta rogos,the portal of the infernal regions, Prop. 4 (5), 11, 8. belli portae, Enn. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 7, 622; Hor. S. 1, 4, 61 (Ann. v. 271 Vahl.): “mortis,Vulg. Psa. 9, 15: “inferi,id. Isa. 38, 10: “portae, quae alibi Armeniae, alibi Caspiae, alibi Ciliciae vocantur,passes, gorges, defiles, Plin. 5, 27, 27, § 99; Nep. Dat. 7, 3; Val. Fl. 3, 496: “solis,the signs of Cancer and Aries in the zodiac, Macr. Somn. Scip. 1, 12, and S. 1, 17: jecoris, a part of the liver (so too in Gr. πύλη), Cic. N. D. 2, 55, 137: “fluviorum,Vulg. Nahum, 2, 6.—Of the fundament, Cat. 15, 17.—*
II. Trop.
A. Et quibus e portis occurri cuique deceret, by what way, by what means, Lucr. 6, 32.—
B. As the symbol of strength: “portae inferi,the powers of hell, Vulg. Matt. 16, 18.
hide Dictionary Entry Lookup
Use this tool to search for dictionary entries in all lexica.
Search for in
hide References (47 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (47):
    • Cicero, Letters to Atticus, 8.2.4
    • New Testament, Matthew, 16.18
    • Old Testament, Isaiah, 38.10
    • Caesar, Gallic War, 3.25
    • Caesar, Gallic War, 3.6
    • Cicero, Philippics, 14.6.15
    • Cicero, Against Piso, 23.55
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 10, 34.4
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 14.780
    • Plautus, Persa, 3.3
    • Plautus, Pseudolus, 2.2
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 1.82
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 4.130
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 6.893
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 7.185
    • Vergil, Georgics, 3.261
    • Old Testament, 2 Samuel, 18.24
    • Old Testament, Genesis, 34.20
    • Old Testament, Psalm, 9.15
    • Horace, Satires, 1.4.61
    • Tacitus, Annales, 3.47
    • Tacitus, Historiae, 4.20
    • Plautus, Bacchides, 4.4
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 6.32
    • Cornelius Nepos, Datames, 7.3
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 3, 60.9
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 23, 46
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 23, 47
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 24, 1
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 24, 46
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 28, 3.13
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 28, 36.8
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 2, 49.8
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 9, 24
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 4, 46.6
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 26, 10.1
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 27, 2.5
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 27, 41.8
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 40, 27
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 33, 26.9
    • Cicero, De Legibus, 2.23
    • Cicero, De Republica, 1.1
    • Cicero, de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, 4.9
    • Cicero, de Natura Deorum, 2.55
    • Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes, 1.7
    • C. Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica, 3.496
    • Curtius, Historiarum Alexandri Magni, 4.10.25
hide Display Preferences
Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar: