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MILLE PASSUS

Volume 14 · 89 words · 1815 Edition

or Millia Passuum**; a very common expression among the ancient Romans for a measure of distance, commonly called a mile. *Milliarium*, rarely used. Which Hesychius made to consist of seven stadia; Plutarch, little short of eight; but many others, as Strabo and Polybius, make it just eight stadia. The reason of this difference seems to be, that the former had a regard to the Grecian foot, which is greater than the Roman or Italico. This distance is oftentimes called *lapis*, which see. Each passus consisted of five feet (Columella).