mĭnae, ārum, f. [root min-, only in Lat.; cf.: mentum, minari, and perh. mons], the projecting points or pinnacles of walls (only poet.). I.Lit.: minae murorum, Verg. A. 4, 88: moenium, Amm. 24, 2, 12; 24, 2, 19; 29, 6, 11; 20, 6, 2.—II.Trop., threats, menaces, of animate and inanimate things (class.). A. Of living beings: si quidem hercle Aeacidinis minis animisque expletus cedit, Plaut. As. 2, 3, 25: virtutem hominibus instituendo et persuadendo, non minis et vi ac metu tradi, Cic. de Or. 1, 58, 247: terrēre minis, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 301 Müll. (Ann. v. 261): minas jactare,
to throw out threats
, Cic. Quint. 14, 47: intendere alicui, Tac. A. 3, 36. —Of the threats used by cattle-drivers, Ov. P. 1, 8, 56.—Poet., of a bull: nullae in fronte minae, Ov. M. 2, 857; of a snake: tol lentemque minas, raising threats, i. e. raising himself in a threatening posture, Verg. G. 3, 421.—B. Of inanimate things (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): aspice, quam saevas increpat aura minas, Prop. 1, 17, 6: hibernae, Tib. 2, 3, 46: ingentes parturit ira minas, Ov. H. 12, 208: caelestes minae territabant, Flor. 2, 8, 3; forebodings of misfortune, Val. Fl. 5, 342.
mĭno, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n., collat. form of minor (ante-class., acc. to Prisc. p. 799, but v. Lachm. ad Lucr. 6, 563.—From the application of the words minari and minae to the threatening cries of cattledrivers is doubtless derived the old rustic signif., also generally adopted in the postclass. per. into the literary lang.), to drive animals: asinos et equum minantes baculis exigunt, App. M. 3, p. 141: asinum, id. ib. 8, p. 216: me ut suam juvencam, Aus. Epigr. 67, 3: gregem ad interiora deserti, Vulg. Exod. 3, 1: per omnem mundum (so, vaccam), Schol. Juv. 6, 526: agasones equos agentes, id est minantes, Paul. ex Fest. s. v. agasones, p. 25 Müll.—Pass. transf.: cum a validis ventis minentur (naves), Vulg. Jac. 3, 4; id. Nah. 2, 7.—Of men: eos a tribunali, Vulg. Act. 18, 16.—Hence the Ital. menare; Fl. mener.