Legio, legiônis, f. g. Varro. After Varro an armie contayning 12500. men of warre. Vegetius writeth that there be in a legion. 6000. footemen. 732. men of armes, which in the whole number is 6732. But by Liuie it is euident that the number of a legion is mcertaine, now more, now lesse.Acies legionum.Tacit.Contubernium legionum.Tacit.Attenuatæ prælijs legiones. Cæsar. The legions diminished by sundrie battaises.Completa legio per maniplos. Sil. Conferta maniplis legio Sil. Validæ legiones. Lucret. Curare legiones.Tacit.Decernete legiones in Siciliam.Cic.To appoint certaine legions to go into Sicilie.Decimare legiones, Vide Decimo in DECEM.Dissociant legionem legione.Tacit.Dare alicui legiones.Liu.Dare legiones in discrimen. Tac. To put the legions in daunger. Longa legio cohortes explicuit. Virg.Magnis legionibus imperitare. Horat. Instruere legiones, Vide INSTRVO.Locare legionem.Tacit. Pugnare legione. Quint. Legio parebat Tribuno. Horat. Supplere legiones.Liu.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
lĕgĭo, ōnis, f. [2. lego] (prop., a selecting, choosing; hence), transf., a body of soldiers: legio, quod leguntur milites in delectu, Varr. L. L. 5, 87 Müll. I.Lit., a Roman legion. It consisted of 10 cohorts of foot-soldiers and 300 cavalry, making together between 4200 and 6000 men. As a general rule, the legion was composed of Roman citizens; it was only on the most pressing occasions that slaves were taken into it. The standard was a silver eagle. The legions were usually designated by numerals, according to the order in which they were levied; though sometimes they were named after the emperor who raised them, or after their leader, after a deity, after some exploit performed by them, etc.: cum legionibus secunda ac tertia, Liv. 10, 18: undevicesima, id. 27, 14: vicesima, id. 27, 38: Claudiana, Tac. H. 2, 84: Galbiana, id. ib. 2, 86: Martia, Cic. Phil. 4, 2: adjutrix, Tac. H. 2, 43: rapax, id. ib.: in legione sunt centuriae sexaginta, manipuli triginta, cohortes decem, Gell. 16, 4, 6; cf. Inscr. Orell. Index rerum, s. v. legio.—II.Transf.A.Plur., of the troops of other nations, legions, soldiers: Bruttiae Lucanaeque legiones, Liv. 8, 24: Latinae, id. 6, 32; cf. of the troops of the Samnites, id. 10, 17; of the Gauls, id. 22, 14; of the Carthaginians, id. 26, 6: Teleboae ex oppido Legiones educunt suas, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 62: in quorum (i. e. Thebanorum) sulcis legiones dentibus anguis nascuntur, Juv. 14, 241.—B. In gen., an army, a large body of troops: legio rediit, Enn. ap. Non. 385, 17 (Ann. v. 535 Vahl.): quia cotidie ipse ad me ab legione epistolas mittebat, Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 56; 83; 2, 2, 22; id. Most. 1, 2, 48: si tu ad legionem bellator cluis, at ego in culina clueo, id. Truc. 2, 7, 53: cetera dum legio campis instructa tenetur, Verg. A. 9, 368: de colle videri poterat legio, id. ib. 8, 605; 10, 120: horruit Argoae legio ratis, Val. Fl. 7, 573.—C. Of a large body of men: idem istuc aliis adscriptivis fieri ad legionem solet, Plaut. Men. 1, 3, 2; cf.: legio mihi nomen est, quod multi sumus, Vulg. Marc. 5, 9; id. Luc. 8, 30; 36: duodecim legiones angelorum, id. Matt. 26, 53.—2.Trop.: sibi nunc uterque contra legiones parat,