A dore or gate: an entrie. Ostium & limen carceris. Cic. Reclusa ostia. Lucret. Auscultare ab ostio. Vide AVSCVLTO. Aperto ostio dormire. Cic. Obdere ostio pessulum, Vide OBDO. Pernoctare ad ostium carceris. Pulsare ostium. Vide PVLSO. Ab ostio quærere aliquem. Cic. To aske for one at the doore. Ostia, ostiorum, tantum pluraliter, Vir. The mouthes or entries of riuers. Ostium. Virg. The mouth & entrie into an hauen. Introitus atque ostium portus. Cic. The entrie and mouth of the hauen. Fluminis ostium. Cic. Occani ostium. Cic. Sacra ostia inferni. Virg. Turbida ostia Tartariæ portæ. Sil. Recta ostia viarum. Lucret. Oppilare ostia. Lucret. To stop the entries of riuers.

I. Lit.: omnia istaec auscultavi ab ostio, Plaut. Merc. 2, 4, 9: observare, id. Mil. 2, 3, 81: rectum ostium, the front-door (cf. posticum), Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 58 Brix ad loc.: aperire, to open, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 35: operire, to shut, id. Phorm. 5, 3, 33: obserare intus, to bolt, id. Eun. 4, 6, 25: obdere pessulum ostio, id. ib. 3, 5, 55: concrepuit ostium a Glycerio, id. And. 4, 1, 58: inscribat aliquis arse verse in ostio, Afran. ap. Fest. p. 18 Müll.: ostium limenque carceris, Cic. Tusc. 5, 5, 13: aperto ostio dormire, id. Rosc. Am. 23, 65: quaerere ab ostio, id. de Or. 2, 68, 276: exactio ostiorum, doortax, id. Fam. 3, 8, 5; v. 2. ostiarius, III.: sepulcri, Dig. 43, 23, 11.—

II. Transf., a mouth, an entrance of any kind: Acheruntis ostium in nostrost agro, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 124: aperto ex ostio Alti Acheruntis. Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 16, 37: sacra Inferni ostia, Verg. G. 4, 467; id. A. 6, 109: ne in rimis areae grana oblitescant, et ostia aperiant muribus ac formicis, entrances, Varr. R. R. 1, 51, 1: portūs, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 53, 118: fluminis, mouth, id. Phil. 2, 11, 26; Liv. 24, 40; 44, 6; 44, 45; cf. Rhodani, Caes. B. C. 2, 1: Tiberinaque ad ostia venit, Ov. M. 15, 728; cf. Verg. A. 1, 13: Oceani, i. e. the Strait of Gibraltar, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 12, 33; Mel. 3, 9, 3.—Fig.: ego sum ostium ovium, Vulg. Johan. 10, 7.