Crates, cratis, f. g. Liu.The watling of houses with roddes: also hurdels.Crates sicariæ. Cato. Crates stercorariæ. Cato. Cratibus tecta facta. Liu. Crates.Virg.An harrow or dragge to breake clods.Dentata crates. Plin. An harrow with teeth. Aeratæ crates.Stat. Arbuteæ crates. Virg.Rara crates. Iuuenal. Textæ crates. Hor. Hurdels.Vimineæ crates.Virg.Hurdels.Fauorum crates soluere.Virg. Spinæ crates.Ouid.The chine of the backe. Crates.A grate of yron or woode.Cratícula. læ, f. g. pen. cor. Diminutiuum. Mart. A gredyron.Cratitius. Adiect. Made like hurdels. vt Cratitij parietes. Vitr. Watled walles.
crātis, is (nom. sing. only Veg. Art. Vet. 1, 56, 5; acc. sing. cratim, Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 65), f. [Sanscr. kart, to spin; cf. crassus], wicker-work, a hurdle. I.Lit.A. In gen. 1.Sing. (rare): flexilis, Plin. 16, 40, 77, 209; 10, 44, 61, 126: juncea, id. 21, 14, 49, 84; Juv. 11, 82.—2.Plur. (so most freq.; and by the ancient gram. sometimes regarded as plur. tantum; v. Neue, Formenl. I. p. 455), Cato, R. R. 10, 2; 11, 4; Verg. A. 11, 64; Hor. Epod. 2, 45; Col. 12, 15, 1 al.—B. Esp. 1.A harrow; sing., Plin. 18, 16, 43, 145; 18, 20, 49, 180; 18, 18, 48, 173.—Plur., Verg. G. 1, 94.—2.A hurdle with which criminals were covered, and on which stones were thrown; sing., Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 65; Liv. 1, 51, 9; 4, 50, 4; Tac. G. 12.—3. Milit., fascines, Caes. B. G. 4, 17; 5, 40; Liv. 10, 38, 5; Tac. A. 1, 68 al. —As a covering for besiegers in attacks, Curt. 5, 3, 7.—4.The ribs of a shield: umbonum, Verg. A. 7, 633; Curt. 10, 2, 23; Sil. 5, 522 sq.—5. = testudo, the interlocked shields of a rank of soldiers, Luc. 3, 485.— II.Transf., a joint, rib, etc.: pectoris, Verg. A. 12, 508: laterum, Ov. M. 12, 370; cf. spinae,