A crosse path or way: a bound or butting in fields. Accliuus limes. Ouid. Arctior Hmes. Stat. Artritus limes aquarÛ. Ouid. The way that water hath made. Curuus. Senec. Obliquus. Senec. Directus. Stat. Scopulosus. Stat. Latus. Virg. Sectus in obliquum. Ouid. Laxus. Senec. Spatiosus. Ouid. Longo limite sulcus. Virg. Tenuis limes. Ouid. Recto grassari limite. Ouid. Curuo limite descÊdere. Oui. To come downe a croked way. Incidere rectum limitem. Quint. To stoppe that one can not keepe the strait way. Partire limite campum. Virg. Reseindere limites. Stat. Limites duo maximi in agris, cardo & decumanus. Pli. Vide CARDO. & Decumanus in DECEM. Limes mille ferme passus in Academiæ gymnasium ferens pediti equitíque hostium liberum spacium præbebat. Liu. Limes. Liu A great broade way. Limites. Theodosius. Certaine passages or wayes made by the Romaines for the defence of their frontiers or marches of the Empire.

I. Lit., the Romans usually had in their fields two broad and two narrower paths; the principal balk from east to west was called limes decumanus; that from north to south was called cardo; of the two smaller ones, that running from east to west was called prorus, the other, from north to south, transversus, Hyg. de Limit. Const. 18, 33 and 34; Col. 1, 8, 7: lutosi limites, Varr. R. R. 2, 4, 8. —

B. Transf. (mostly poet.).

1. A boundary, limit between two fields or estates, consisting of a stone or a balk: partiri limite campum, Verg. G. 1, 126: saxum antiquum, ingens, campo quod forte jacebat, Limes agro positus, litem ut discerneret arvis, id. A. 12, 897: effodit medio de limite saxum, Juv. 16, 38.—

2. A fortified boundaryline, a boundary-wall: cuncta inter castellum Alisonem ac Rhenum novis limitibus aggeribusque permunita, Tac. A. 2, 7: limite acto promotisque praesidiis, id. G. 29: penetrat interius, aperit limites, Vell. 2, 120.—

3. In gen., any path, passage, road, way; also, by-street, by-road: eo limite Athenienses signa extulerunt, Liv. 31, 39: profectus inde transversis limitibus, id. ib.: lato te limite ducam, Verg. A. 9, 323: acclivis, Ov. M. 2, 19: limite recto fugere, id. ib. 7, 782: transversi, by-roads, Liv. 22, 12, 2 Fabr.; 31, 39, 5; 41, 14 init.: limes Appiae, the line of the Appian street (for the street itself), id. 22, 15, 11: limite acto (i. e. facto), Tac. G. 29.— Of the channel of a stream: solito dum flumina currant Limite, Ov. M. 8, 558; Prop. 5, 9, 60.—Of the track of light left behind them by comets, fiery meteors, torches, etc.: flammiferumque trahens spatioso limite crinem, Stella micat, Ov. M. 15, 849: tum longo limite sulcus Dat lucem, Verg. A. 2, 697; Plin. 2, 26, 25, 96: sectus in obliquo est lato curvamine limes, the zodiac, Ov. M. 2, 130: latum per agmen Ardens limitem agit ferro, Verg. A. 10, 514; cf. Sil. 4, 463; 9, 379; Stat. Th. 9, 182.—

4. A line or vein in a precious stone: nigram materiam distinguente limite albo, Plin. 37, 10, 69, 184.—

II. Trop.

A. A boundary, limit: limes carminis, Stat. Th. 1, 16: aestuat infelix angusto limite mundi, Juv. 10, 169.—

B. A distinction, difference: judicium brevi limite falle tuum, Ov. R. Am. 325: quaedam perquam tenui limite dividuntur, Quint. 9, 1, 3.—

C. A way, path: si maledicitis vostro gradiar limite, Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 18: bene meritis de patria quasi limes ad caeli aditum patet, Cic. Somn. Scip. 8; Sen. Ben. 1, 15, 2: eundem limitem agere, to go the same way, employ the same means, Ov. A. A. 3, 558.

I. Lit.: vineas limitari decumano XVIII. pedum latitudinis, Plin. 17, 22, 35, 169; cf.: limitatus ager est in centurias dimensus, Paul. ex Fest. p. 116 Müll.—

II. Trop., to fix, settle, determine: limitata est pecuaria quaestio, Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 1.