a creeping

serpo, psi, ptum, 3 (serpsit antiqui pro serpserit usi sunt, Fest. p. 348 Müll.), v. n. [root serp, kindr. with herpô, repo], to creep, crawl (freq. and class.).

Lit. (only of animals; while repo is also used of persons who creep or go slowly;

v. repo, I.): serpere anguiculos, nare anaticulas, evolare merulas, etc.,

Cic. Fin. 5, 15, 42:

alia animalia gradiendo, alia serpendo ad pastum accedunt,

id. N. D. 2, 47, 122:

serpentes quasdam (bestias), quasdam esse gradientes,

id. Tusc. 5, 13, 38:

(anguis) per humum,

Ov. M. 15, 689:

vipera imā humo,

id. P. 3, 3, 102:

draco In platanum,

id. M. 12, 13:

serpentia secla ferarum,

i. e. the serpents, Lucr. 6, 766.—In late Lat. pass.:

cum terra nullo serpatur angue,

was crawled over, Sol. 22, 10.—

Transf., of things, to move slowly or imperceptibly, to creep along, proceed gradually, etc. (mostly poet.):

has (stellas) inter, torvus Draco serpit, Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 42, 106: sol serpens,

Lucr. 5, 690.—

Of streams: an te, Cydne, canam, qui leniter... placidis per vada serpis aquis,

creepest, windest along, Tib. 1, 7, 14:

in freta vicina Numicius,

Ov. M. 14, 598: Ister tectis [p. 1681] in mare serpit aquis, id. Tr. 3, 10, 30:

in sicco serpentem pulvere rivum,

Luc. 9, 974:

lacrimae serpunt per vulnera,

Stat. Th. 11, 608:

exsistit sacer ignis et urit corpore serpens,

slowly spreading, Lucr. 6, 660; so,

flamma per continua,

Liv. 30, 6:

aestus aetheris,

Lucr. 5, 523; 6, 1120 (with repere):

fallacem patriae serpere dixit equum (Trojanum),

was creeping along, Prop. 3, 13 (4, 12), 64.—Of plants:

vitis serpens multiplici lapsu et erratico,

Cic. Sen. 15, 52; cf.:

lithospermos (herba) jacet atque serpit humi,

Plin. 27, 11, 74, § 99; so,

chamaeleon,

id. 22, 18, 21, § 45; cf.:

liber per colla,

Ov. M. 9, 389:

caules per terram,

Plin. 21, 16, 59, § 99:

rami in terram,

id. 27, 9, 58, § 82:

radices inter se,

id. 17, 20, 33, § 144:

sine tempora circum Inter victrices hederam tibi serpere lauros,

Verg. E. 8, 13; Laber. ap Macr. S. 2, 7; Col. 10, 119.—Of the growth of the hair:

per tua lanugo cum serpere coeperit ora,

Claud. IV. Cons. Hon. 641.—Of fire:

dein per continua serpens (flamma) omnia incendio hausit,

Liv. 30, 6:

sive ipsi (ignes) serpere possunt quo cibus vocat,

Lucr. 5, 523; cf. id. 6, 660.—Of disease, etc.:

si ulcus latius atque altius serpit,

gradually spreads, Cels. 6, 18, 2 med.:

dira contagia per vulgus,

Verg. G. 3, 469:

cancer,

Ov. M. 2, 826:

carcinoma,

Plin. 29, 2, 10, § 37:

atra lues in vultus,

Mart. 1, 79, 2 al.:

per membra senectus,

Lucr. 1, 415:

quies,

Verg. A. 2, 269:

somnus,

Plin. 7, 24, 24, § 90.—

Trop., to creep, crawl; to extend gradually or imperceptibly; to spread abroad, increase, prevail (a favorite trope of Cic.):

neque enim serpit, sed volat in optimum statum res publica,

Cic. Rep. 2, 18, 33:

serpere occulte coepisti nihil dum aliis suspicantibus,

id. de Or. 2, 50, 203:

(hoc malum) obscure serpens multas jam provincias occupavit,

id. Cat. 4, 3, 6:

malum longius,

id. Rab. Post. 6, 15; id. Phil. 1, 2, 5; id. Att. 1, 13, 3; id. de Or. 3, 24, 94:

serpit deinde res,

id. Lael. 12, 41; cf.:

ne latius serperet res,

Liv. 28, 15 fin.; so,

latius,

id. 40, 19 fin.; cf. Plin. Ep. 5, 4, 3:

serpit nescio quo modo per omnium vitas amicitia,

Cic. Lael. 23, 87:

si semel suscipimus genus hoc argumenti, attende quo serpat,

id. N. D. 1, 35, 98; 3, 20, 52:

quam facile serpat injuria et peccandi consuetudo,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 22, § 53; cf. id. Div. in Caecil. 21, 68:

serpit hic rumor,

id. Mur. 21, 45:

fama per coloniam,

Plin. Ep. 9, 33, 5:

per agmina murmur,

Verg. A. 12, 239:

murmura plebis,

Stat. Th. 1, 168:

cura altius,

Plin. 14, 11, 13, § 87:

serpente latius bello,

Flor. 2, 2, 15; 2, 9, 4.—Of a low, grovelling poetic style:

(poëta) Serpit humi tutus,

crawls along the earth, Hor. A. P. 28 (cf.:

sermones Repentes per humum,

id. Ep. 2, 1, 251).—Hence, serpens, entis ( gen. plur. serpentium, Vitr. 8, 4; 9, 6; Nep. Hann. 11, 5; Hor. Epod. 1, 20; Cels. 5, 27, 3; but also, mostly poet. and later, serpentum, Verg. A. 8, 436; 12, 848; Ov. M. 7, 534; Luc. 9, 608 al.), f. (sc. bestia); less freq. and mostly poet. and eccl. Lat., m. (sc. draco), a creeping thing, a creeper, crawler (cf. reptilis).

Kat exochên, i. e. a snake, serpent (syn.: anguis, coluber); fem.:

quaedam serpentes ortae extra aquam, etc.,

Cic. N. D. 2, 48, 124; Lucr. 4, 60; 4, 638; Ov. M. 1, 447; 1, 454; 2, 652; id. Am. 2, 13, 13; Hor. C. 1, 37, 27; Luc. 9, 397; Nep. Hann. 10, 4 al.— Masc., Lucr. 5, 33; Verg. A. 2, 214; 5, 273; 11, 753; Ov. M. 3, 38; 3, 325; 4, 570; Hor. S. 1, 3, 27; Luc. 9, 324; cf. Sall. J. 89, 5, and Quint. 2, 4, 19:

igniti,

Vulg. Num. 21, 6.—

In apposition with draco,

Suet. Tib. 72.— Also neutr. plur. serpentia, Vulg. Act. 10, 12. —

Transf., the Serpent, as a constellation.

Between the Great and the Little Bear, = anguis and draco, Ov. M. 2, 173; Hyg. Astr. 3, 1.—

In the hand of Ophiuchus (Anguitenens, Anguifer), = anguis, Vitr. 9, 6; Hyg. Astr. 2, 14; 3, 13; cf. Plin. 2, 25, 23, § 93.—

A creeping insect on the human body, a louse, Plin. 7, 51, 52, § 172; App. Flor. p. 354, 4.

* * *

formīco, āre, v. n. [id.].

To creep or crawl like ants: venarum inaequali aut [p. 769] formicante percussu, Plin. 7, 51, 52, § 171.—

To feel like the creeping of ants, murmêkizô:

donec formicet cutis,

Plin. 30, 13, 41, § 120.

quā̆drŭpēs ( quā̆drĭpes), pĕdis ( gen. plur. quadrupedium, Capitol. Ver. 5, 2), adj. [quattuor-pes], having four feet, going on four feet; esp.,

Galloping (post-Aug.): ecus, Enn. ap. Gell. 18, 5, 4; cf. Macr. S. 6, 9, 10:

equestri celeritate, quadrupedi cursu solum replaudens,

App. M. 6, p. 185, 7.— Transf.:

dum certum flectit in orbem Quadrupedis cursus,

Ov. M. 6, 226.—

Of persons, on all fours, creeping, going on hands and feet:

atque audin? quadrupedem constringito,

so that he can only move on all fours, Ter. And. 5, 2, 24:

mox quadrupes (infans) rituque tulit sua membra ferarum,

Ov. M. 15, 222:

homines... bestiarum more quadrupedes coërcuit,

Suet. Calig. 27; id. Ner.48.—

Subst.: quā̆drŭpēs, ĕdis, m., f., and n., a quadruped, four-footed creature.

Masc., mostly of beasts of draught or burden; v. Quint. 8, 6, 20:

calcari quadrupedem agitabo advorsum clivum,

Plaut. As. 3, 3, 11: reprime parumper vim citatūm quadrupedum, Att. ap. Non. 495, 20:

quadrupedum vectiones, quorum, etc.,

Cic. N. D. 2, 60, 151:

de omnibus quadrupedibus... qui idonei sunt, etc.,

Varr. R. R. 1, 20, 1; Verg. A. 11, 714:

saucius quadrupes,

id. ib. 7, 500.—

Contemptuously (opp. bipes),

Cic. Dom. 18, 48:

nihil inter te atque inter quadrupedem interesse,

id. Par. 1, 3, 14:

quadrupes nequissime,

App. M. 7, p. 200, 10.—

Fem. (sc. bestia): ducite eo mutas quadrupedes, Naev. ap. Non. p. 924 (Trag. Rel. v. 28 Rib.):

si quamvis quadrupedem serpens momorderit,

Cato, R. R. 102; Enn. ap. Non. p. 407, 22 (Trag. Rel. v. 219 Vahl.): quadrupes tardigrada, Pac. ap. Cic. Div. 2, 64, 133 (Trag. Rel. v. 2 Rib.):

quadrupes qua vasta tenetur,

Cic. N. D. 2, 44, 114; Varr. L. L. 7, § 39 Müll.; Verg. E. 5, 26:

sollicitari quadripedes cunctas,

Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—

Neutr. (sc. animal):

cetera quadrupedia,

Col. 11, 2, 33:

majora,

id. 11, 2, 14:

crocodilum, quadripes malum et infestum,

Plin. 8, 25, 37, § 89:

plurima autem obruerit quadrupedia,

Jul. Val. Rer. Gest. Alex. 3, 36.

rēpo, psi, ptum, 3, v. n. [Gr. herpô; Sanscr. root sarp-, creep; cf. Lat. serpo, serpens], to creep, crawl (cf. serpo).

Lit.

Of animals:

repens animans,

Lucr. 3, 388:

cochleae inter saxa,

Sall. J. 93, 2:

millipeda,

Plin. 29, 6, 39, § 136:

formica,

id. 37, 11, 72, § 187:

muraenae,

id. 9, 20, 37, § 73:

volpecula,

Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 29 dub.:

elephas genibus in catervas,

Plin. 8, 7, 7, § 20 et saep.—

Of creeping children, Quint. 1, 2, 6; Stat. Th. 9, 427.—

Of other persons in gen.:

quā unus homo inermis vix poterat repere,

Nep. Hann. 3 fin.:

super altitudinem fastigii (templi),

Plin. 22, 17, 20, § 44:

Pyrrho regi, quo die periit, praecisa hostiarum capita repsisse,

id. 11, 37, 77, § 197.—

Transf., to creep, crawl, of persons travelling slowly:

milia tum pransi tria repimus,

Hor. S. 1, 5, 25.—Of persons swimming:

qui flumen repunt,

Arn. 1, 20.— Of cranes slowly stalking, Enn. ap. Serv. Verg. G. 3, 76 (Ann. v. 545 Vahl.).—Of boats moving slowly along: aequore in alto ratibus repentibus, Poet. (Enn.?) ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 23 Müll. (cf. Enn. p. 87 Vahl.;

Trag. Rel. p. 292 Rib.).—Of water flowing slowly: aqua palustris, quae pigro lapsu repit,

Col. 1, 5, 3.—

Of clouds,

Lucr. 6, 1121.—

Of fire: ignis per artus,

Lucr. 6, 661.—Of plants, Col. Arb. 4 fin.; 16, 4: genus cucurbitarum, quod humi repit, Plin. 19, 5, 24, § 70; 22, 22, 39, § 82.—Of movable towers, Luc. 3, 458.—Of the stealthy advance of a snare, Stat. S. 1, 2, 60.—

Trop.:

sermones Repentes per humum,

i. e. low, common, mean, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 251.

reptātus, ūs, m. [id.], a creeping, crawling (post-Aug., and only in abl. sing.).

Lit.:

spumans limacum,

Tert. Anim. 10 med. —

Transf., of plants:

vitium,

Plin. 14, 1, 3, § 13.