I.abl. plur. puellabus, Cn. Gell. ap. Charis. p. 39 P.), f. puellus, a female child, a girl, maiden, lass.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: “eam nunc puellam filiam ejus quaerimus,” Plaut. Cist. 2, 3, 77: “puellam parere,” Ter. Heaut. 4, 1, 14: “parvola puella,” id. Eun. 1, 2, 29: “puella infans,” Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 99: “pueri atque puellae,” id. S. 1, 1, 85; 2, 3, 130; Cic. Att. 1, 5, 6: “audi, Luna, puellas,” Hor. C. S. 36: “puellarum chorus,” id. C 2, 5, 21: pueri innuptaeque puellae, Verg. A. 6, 307.—
B. In partic.
1. A beloved maiden, a sweetheart, mistress (poet.): “vixi puellis nuper idoneus,” Hor. C. 3, 26, 1: “proditor puellae risus ab angulo,” id. ib. 1, 9, 22: “mendax,” id. S. 1, 5, 82: “cara,” id. Ep. 1, 18, 74: “blanda,” Ov. Am. 2, 2, 34; Mart. 10, 109, 3 al.—Transf., in jest, of a kitten, Mart. 1, 109, 16.—*
2. A daughter: “Danai puellae,” Hor. C. 3, 11, 23.—
II. Transf., in gen., a young female, young woman, young wife (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “puellae Jam virum expertes,” Hor. C. 3, 14, 10: “laborantes utero puellae,” id. ib. 3, 22, 2: “viduae cessate puellae,” Ov. F. 2, 557. So of Penelope, who was married, Ov. H. 1, 115; “of Antiope,” Prop. 3, 13 (4, 14), 21; 34; “of Phædra,” Ov. H. 4, 2; “of Helen,” id. A. A. 1, 54 al.; “of the wife of a second husband,” Stat. S. 1, 2, 163; “of Servilia, wife of the exiled Pollio,” Tac. A. 16, 30; “of Octavia, wife of Nero,” id. ib. 14, 64; cf. Gell. 12, 1, 4.—
B. A female slave (very rare), Hor. C. 4, 11, 10.