in Roman Antiquity, priests instituted to perform certain ceremonies and expiations when thunder fell on any place. Their principal office was the sacrificing a sheep of two years old, which in Latin is called bidens; from whence the place struck with thunder got the name of bidental.

RIDENTES, in middle-age writers, denotes two yearlings, or sheep of the second year. The wool of these bidentes, or two years old sheep, being the first sheering, was sometimes claimed as a heriot to the king, on the death of an abbot. Among the ancient Romans, the word was extended further to any sorts of beasts used for victims, especially those of that age: whence we meet with fides bidentes.