BALL Copy link • BALLany round body, pila: a ball to throw or play with, pila with or without lusoria. The Romans had four kinds of balls: pila trigonalis or trigon (a small, hard ball stuffed with hair, played by three persons who stood in the form of a triangle, each striking it to the other with the hand or with a racket, Martialis, 4, 19, 5: to play with this ball was datatim pila ludere, Plaut., Curc, 2, 3, 17): follis: folliculus (a large leathern ball, also called follis pugillatorius. According to Georges and the Dictionary of Antiquities, it was filled with air; but Martial would seem to make it stuffed with feathers: plumea seu laxi partiris pondera follis, 4, 19, 7. To play with this ball was, pila expulsim ludere, Varr. in Non., 104, 27): paganica (a large ball, but smaller than the follis: it was stuffed with feathers, and played with in the open air, in country districts, etc.: in pagis): harpastum (ἄρπαστον, ἁρπάζω: a ball filled with cloth, feathers, etc. It was played by two parties, each of which endeavored to snatch it from the other and keep it from them; hence Martialis: sive harpasta manu pulverulenta rapis, 4, 19, 6): to throw a ball, pilam jactare or mittere: to return a ball, pilam remittere: repercutere or retorquere: the ball slips, pila e manibus labitur: to keep the ball up, pilam cadentem revocare: to raise it up again after it has fallen, repetere pilam, quae terram contigit: to play at ball, pila ludere; pila se exercere; pila exerceri: to be fond of playing at ball, ludere studiose pila: pilae studio teneri: a good player at ball, lusor bonus or exercitatus et doctns, opposed to tiro et indoctus: a play-fellow at ball, collusor: we are but balls in the hands of the gods, dii nos qua si pilas homines habent (Plaut., Capt. Prol., 22): a billiard-ball, globulus eburneus. Foot ball. follis, folliculus. Any round mass, globus, pila. The earth-ball, pila terrae; or, better, globus terrae. The eyeball, pupula, pupilla, acies. The ball of the thigh-bone, caput ossis femoris. Ink-ball, used in printing, folliculus typographicus. The ball of the foot, plantae pars exstantior. For musket-ball we may say glans; for cannon-ball, globus; for bomb, pila. A little ball, globulus, pilula, folliculus. An entertainment for dancing, saltatio: to give a ball, saltationem instituere: to go to a ball, saltatum ire: to be at a ball, saltationi interesse.