The name of an ancient Italian deity, regarded as the doorkeeper of heaven, as guardian of doors and gates, and as presiding over the entrance upon or beginning of things; represented with a face on the front and another on the back of his head; the doors of his temple in the Roman Forum were always open in time of war, and shut in time of peace. Often used allusively, and in attributive and other relations.
1508. Dunbar, Gold. Targe, 120. Ianus, god of entree delytable.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 488. Certaine idoll puppets … which they fasten to the doore of their walking houses, to be as Ianusses or keepers of their house.
1667. Milton, P. L., XI. 129. Four faces each Had, like a double Janus.
1713. Lond. Gaz., No. 5118/6. Janus’s Gate is now shut.
1814. Cary, Dante, Paradise, VI. 83. Composed the world to such a peace That of his temple Janus barr’d the door.
b. attrib. and Comb., referring to the two-faced figure, as Janus face, glance, line, word, etc.; janus-faced, -like, -visaged, adjs.
1654. R. Whitlock, Ζωοτομια, 549. An Experiment it is with a *Janus face.
1711. Shaftesb., Charac., II. i. § 3. This Janus-face of writers, who with one countenance force a smile, and with another show nothing beside rage and fury.
1682. Sir T. Browne, Chr. Mor., III. § 3. Bivious Theorems and *Janus-faced Doctrines.
1841–4. Emerson, Ess., Friendship, 172. A friend is Janus-faced: he looks to the past and the future.
1648. Sanderson, Serm. Heb. xii. 3 § 35. Every affliction, *Janus-like, hath two faces, and looketh two ways.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 150. The Janus-like character of the Republic.
1822. Shelley, Triumph Life, 94. A *Janus-visaged Shadow.
