Malleus, mallei, masc. g. Plaut. Var. An hammer: a mallette: a beetle.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
mallĕus, i, m., a hammer, mallet, maul. I.Lit.: (navis) excussa malleo, Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 52: malleorum rostra, Plin. 34, 14, 41, 144: stuparius,
a swingle-staff
, id. 19, 1, 3, 17.—Of the maul or axe for felling animals to be sacrificed: tempora discussit claro cava malleus ictu, Ov. M. 2, 624: elato alte malleo, cultrarium mactavit, Suet. Calig. 32.—Prov.: malleum sapientiorem vidi excusso manubrio,
the hammer wiser than the handle
, Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 87.—II.Transf., a disease among animals: sunt species mallei septem, Veg. Vet. 1, 2, 1; 1, 10, 1.
