I.a small hammer or mallet.
I. Lit., Cels. 8, 3, 29; Vulg. Jud. 4, 21: “verba mea sunt quasi malleus conterens petram,” id. Jer. 23, 29.—
II. Transf.
A. A hammershaped slip, a mallet-shoot for planting: “malleolus novellus est palmes, innatus prioris anni flagello, cognominatusque a similitudine rei, quod in ea parte, quae deciditur, ex vetere sarmento prominens utrinque, malleoli speciem praebet,” Col. 3, 6, 3; cf. Plin. 17, 21, 35, § 156: “malleolos pangere,” to set in, plant, Col. 3, 3, 12; so, “deponere,” id. ib.: “conserere,” id. 3, 14, 2: “demergere,” id. 3, 18, 2: “serere sulco, vel scrobe,” Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 169.—
B. In milit. lang., a kind of fire-dart, Amm. 23, 4, 14; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p. 135 Müll.: “malleoli, manipuli spartei pice contecti, qui incensi aut in muros aut in testudines jaciuntur,” Non. 556, 11 sq.: partim malleolos, partim fasces sarmentorum incensos supra vallum, etc., Sisenn. ap. Non. 556, 13: “malleolos et faces ad inflammandam urbem comparare,” Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 32; cf. id. Mil. 24, 64: faces taedamque et malleolos stupae illitos pice parari jubet, Liv 42, 64, 3; cf. id. 38, 6, 2. —
