caterva

căterva, ae, f., a crowd, troop, a band of men; in the sing. and plur. (class. in prose and poet.; syn.: turba, manus, agmen).

I.

In gen.:

comitum,

Lucr. 2, 628; cf. id. 2, 611; Verg. A. 1, 497; 11, 533; Ov. M. 12, 216:

Postumius obviam cum bene magnā catervā suā venit,

Cic. Mur. 33, 69; so id. de Or. 1, 40, 184; cf. Sall. C. 14, 1:

catervae testium,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43, § 113:

contra dicentium,

id. Tusc. 1, 31, 77:

pugilum,

Suet. Calig. 18:

infernae,

Tib. 1, 2, 47 al. — Poet., of animals:

pecudum,

Lucr. 6, 1092:

avium,

flocks, Verg. A. 11, 456:

canum,

App. M. 4, p. 151, 26:

anguinea,

Tib. 3, 4, 87.—

B.

Trop.: verborum. a farrago of words, Gell. 15, 2, 3.—

II.

Esp.

A.

In milit. lang. freq., a body of soldiers, a troop, company, band; esp. of the loose order of barbarian nations (opp. to the Roman legions); cf. Veg. Mil. 2, 2; Isid. Orig. 9, 3, 46; so Nep. Chabr. 1, 2; Tac. A. 1, 56; 2, 17; 2, 45; 12, 33; Tib. 1, 2, 67; Verg. A. 8, 593; 12, 264; Hor. C. 1, 8, 16 al.—Of foot-soldiers (opp. equites), Verg. A. 7, 804; 11, 433; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 190.—Rare of Roman troops, Petr. poët. 124, 281;

or of cavalry,

Sen. Agam. 598.—

B.

In dramatic lang., the whole company or troop of actors (usu. called grex). Plaut. Capt. fin.; and perh. also id. Cas. fin.; cf. Cic. de. Or 3, 50, 196; id. Sest. 55. 118.