vinculum

vincŭlum, or (also in class. prose), contr., vinclum, i, n. [id.], that with which any thing is bound, a band, bond, rope, cord, fetter, tie (cf.: catena, manica, compes).

I.

Lit.:

corpora constricta vinculis,

Cic. de Or. 1, 52, 226:

nodos et vincula rupit,

Verg. A. 5, 510:

hic fessas non vincula naves Ulla tenent,

id. ib. 1, 168:

Chio solvite vincla cado,

Tib. 2, 1, 28:

tunicarum vincla relaxat,

Ov. F. 2, 321:

quamvis Charta sit a vinclis non labefacta suis,

i. e. the seal, id. P. 3, 7, 6:

chartae sua vincula dempsi,

id. Tr. 4, 7, 7:

epistolae laxare,

Nep. Paus. 4, 1:

pennarum vincula,

Ov. M. 8, 226:

et Tyrrhena pedum circumdat vincula plantis,

Verg. A. 8, 458;

so of sandals,

Tib. 1, 5, 66; Ov. F. 1, 410; 2, 324; 3, 823.—

2.

Esp. in the plur., of the fetters of prisoners, and hence sometimes to be rendered prison; and vincula publica, the state-prison:

mitto vincla, mitto carcerem, mitto verbera, mitto secures,

Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 24, § 59:

aliquem aeternis tenebris vinculisque mandare,

id. Cat. 4, 5, 10:

de convivio in vincla atque in tenebras abripi,

id. Verr. 2, 4, 10, § 24: in vincula conjectus, Caes. B. G, 3, 9;

4, 27: in vincula duci,

Liv. 3, 13, 4; 3, 49, 2; 3, 56, 4; 3, 57, 5; 5, 9, 4; 9, 34, 24; 38, 56, 9; Vell. 2, 7, 2 al.:

in vinculis et catenis,

Liv. 6, 16, 2;

ex vinculis causam dicere,

i. e. to plead in chains, Caes. B. G. 1, 4:

publica,

Nep. Milt. 7, 6; id. Paus. 2, 2; id. Cim. 1, 1; Paul. Sent. 5, 17, 3; 5, 26, 1.—

II.

Trop., a bond, fetter, tie, band:

qui ex corporum vinculis tamquam e carcere evolaverunt,

Cic. Rep. 6, 14, 14:

vinculum ad astringendam fidem,

id. Off. 3, 31, 111; cf.:

victum ingens vinculum fidei,

Liv. 8, 28, 8:

vincula revellit non modo judiciorum, sed etiam utilitatis vitaeque communis,

Cic. Caecin. 25, 70:

vinculum ingens immodicae cupiditatis injectum est,

Liv. 10, 13, 14: quae (beneficium et gratia) sunt vincula concordiae, Cic. Fin. 2, 35, 117:

vinculis et propinquitatis et affinitatis conjunctus,

id. Planc. 11, 27:

vincla summae conjunctionis,

id. Att. 6, 2, 1:

accedit maximum vinculum, quod ita rem publicam geris, ut, etc.,

id. Fam. 15, 11, 2:

quod vinclum, quaeso, deest nostrae conjunctioni,

id. ib. 5, 15, 2:

ne cui me vinclo vellem jugali,

Verg. A. 4, 16; cf. Ov. M. 9, 549:

excusare laborem et mercenaria vincla,

Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 67.