Bes, siue Bessis, huius bessis, m. g. Cic.A weight of 8. ounces also 8. partes of an acre denided in 12.Vsora ex besse.The gaine of eight in the hundred.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
bes, bessis, m. (nom. bessis, Paul. ex Fest. p. 33 Müll.; Prisc. Ponder. p. 1348 P.) [be-is = binae partes assis]. I.Two thirds of a unit (the as); eight unciae, or twelfths (cf. as): bessis octo sunt unciae (8/12 = 2/3), triens quattuor, Paul. ex Fest. l. l. A. As a coin: fenus ex triente Idib. Quint. factum erat bessibus, i. e. instead of the previous monthly interest of 1/3 %, 2/3 % was now reckoned; thus, acc. to the present mode of calculating, for the year, the interest advanced from 4 % (12X1/3) to 8 % (12X2/3), Cic. Att. 4, 15, 7.—B. In gen., two thirds of any whole. 1. Of shares in a partnership: Nerva constituit, ut tu ex triente socius esses, ego ex besse, Dig. 17, 2, 76.—2. Of a sum of money: exsolvere bessem pretii, Dig. 17, 1, 12.—3. Of a tract of land: emere bessem fundi, Dig. 16, 21, 2, 39: bisque novem, Nemeaee, dabis, bessemque (i. e. eight months) sub illis, Manil. 3, 367.—4. Of a jugerum: partes duae tertiae pedes decem novem milia et ducentos, hoc est bes, in quo sunt scripula CXCII., Col. 5, 1, 11.—5. Of a measure of capacity: bes sextarii, Scrib. Comp. 126.— 6. Of a pound, = 8 ounces: in binos semodios farinae satis esse bessem fermenti, Plin. 18, 11, 26, 102; Scrib. Comp. 157.— 7. Of an inheritance: heres ex besse, Plin. Ep. 7, 24, 2.—C.Meton. for eight: quincunces et sex cyathos bessemque bibamus, Caïus ut fiat Julius et Proculus (i. e. so many letters were comprised in these names; cf. 1. bibo, 2. e.), Mart. 11, 36, 7 and 8.—D. Bes alter = (12+8)/12 = 1 2/3, Fest. s. v. triens, p. 363 Müll.—II. In mathematics, where the cardinal number is six (cf. as !*?), bes = 4, Gr. di/moiros, Vitr. 3, 1, p. 61 Rod. and bes alter = (6+4)/6 = 1 2/3, Gr. e)pidi/moiros, id. ib.