Cancelli, cancellorum per diminutionem vocantur. Cicer.Lattises: secret places to looke out at: windowes made with crosse barres of tymber or yron: rayles to compasse in: little crabbes of the sea.Circundati cancelli homini improbo.Cic.He is restrayned or brideled.Cancellis. circunscripta scientia. Cic.Limitted within certaynt boundes.Cancellos sibi circundare.Cicer.To appoint him selfe certaine boundes, within which he will restraine his talke.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
cancelli, ōrum (sing. cancellus, Dig. 43, 24, 9, 1), m.dim. [2. cancer], a lattice, enclosure, grating, grate, balustrade, bars, railings: ( = kigkli/des; Latini tamen cancellos non tantum fores tou= dikasthri/ou, sed etiam omne consaeptum appellant, Salmas. Hist. Aug. p. 483) scenici et theatri, Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 4: aenei rivorum, Col. 8, 17, 6; the bar in a court of justice, Cic. Verr 2, 3, 59, 135: tantus ex fori cancellis plausus excitatus,
the barrier in public spectacles
, id. Sest. 58, 124: circi, Ov. Am. 3, 2, 64: aedium, Dig. 30, 41, 10; 33, 7, 12, 26: fenestrarum, Aug. Trin. 11, 2: saepta cancellorum, Amm. 30, 4, 19.—Of the reticulated skin of the elephant, Plin. 8, 10, 10, 30; cf. cancello.—B.Trop., boundaries, limits (so perh. only in Cic.): si extra hos cancellos egredi conabor, quos mihi ipse circumdedi, Cic. Quint. 10, 36: esse certam rerum forensibus cancellis circumscriptam scientiam, id. de Or. 1, 12, 52: severitatis, Cod. Th. 1, 12, 8.—II.Meton., the space enclosed by boundaries, Auct. B. Afr. 15 fin.