LĪBELLA

a small Roman silver coin, which existed in the early age of the city. The name was retained later as a proverbial expre ion for a very small value. The libella was equal in value to the old full-weight as ; and it seems most probable that the coin ceased being struck at the time of the reduction of the as , on account of the inconveniently small size which it would have a umed. The libella was subdivided into the sembella , its half, and the teruncius , its quarter. Cicero uses these words to expre fractions of an estate, with reference to the denarius as the unit, the libella signifying 1-10th, and the teruncius 1-40th of the whole.