hastātus, a, um, adj. hasta, I. A., armed with a spear. In gen. (very rare): Bellona, Stat. Th. 2, 718: prima utcumque acies hastata: ceteris praeusta aut brevia tela, Tac. A. 2, 14: currum decem milia hastatorum sequebantur, Curt. 3, 3, 10; 4, 15, 7.

— In partic., milit. t. t.: hastāti, ōrum, m., the first line of a Roman army drawn up in order of battle (behind them were the Principes and Triarii): hastati dicti qui primi hastis pugnabant, Varr. L. L. 5, § 89 Mull.: hastati spargunt hastas, Enn. ap. Macr. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 287 Vahl.); so Liv. 8, 8, 6; 22, 5; Veg. Mil. 1, 20 al.; cf. Dict. of Antiq.

—The hastati were divided into ten ordines (companies), Ov. F. 3, 128.

—Hence, Transf.: primus, secundus, etc., ordo hastatus, and more freq. absol.: primus, secundus, etc., hastatus, the first, second, etc., company of hastati: in eo exercitu miles gregarius fui: tertio anno virtutis causa, mihi T. Quintius decimum ordinem hastatum assignavit, i. e. made me captain of the tenth (last) company, Liv. 42, 34, 5: cum signifer primi hastati signum non posset movere loco, Cic. Div. 1, 35, 77; cf. id. ib. 2, 31, 67: signifer secundi hastati, Liv. 26, 5 fin.

—Hence, transf., (Ellipt. for centurio ordinis hastati primus, secundus, etc., hastatus.) The captain of the first, second, etc., company, Veg. Mil. 2, 8: Q. Fulginius ex primo hastato, late first centurio (i. e. who had been discharged as first centurio, and then served as evocatus), Caes. B. C. 1, 46, 4.

— Κατ̓ ἐξοχήν, hastatus, i, m., the captain of the first company, Flor. 1, 18; Inscr. Orell. 3455.