are wise too late

sērus, a, um, adj. [cf. series; Sanscr. sărat, thread; that which is long drawn out], late (freq. and class.; cf.: tardus, lentus): nescis quid vesper serus vehat (the title of a work by Varro), Varr. ap. Gell. 1, 22, 4; 13, 11, 1:

sero a vespere,

Ov. M. 4, 415:

serā nocte,

Liv. 1, 57, 9; Col. 1 praef.; Prop. 1, 3, 10; Val. Fl. 7, 400:

crepuscula,

Ov. M. 1, 219:

lux,

id. ib. 15, 651:

dies,

Tac. H. 3, 82 (cf. infra, B.):

hiems,

Liv. 32, 28, 6:

anni,

i. e. ripe years, age, Ov. M. 6, 29; 9, 434; id. F. 5, 63; cf.

aetas,

id. A. A. 1, 65; Plaut. Aul. 4, 1, 4:

gratulatio,

Cic. Fam. 2, 7, 1:

portenta deūm Tarda et sera nimis, id. poët. Div. 2, 30, 64: nepotes,

Ov. M. 6, 138:

posteritas,

id. P. 1, 4, 24: sera eruditio, quam Graeci opsimathian appellant, Gell. 11, 7, 3; cf. poet., of persons, with gen.: o seri studiorum! ye late-learned, opsimatheis (i. e. backward, ignorant), Hor. S. 1, 10, 21 (v. infra, b. a): ulmus, late - or slowly-growing (acc. to others, old), Verg. G. 4, 144; so,

ficus,

late in bearing, Col. 5, 10, 10; cf. serotinus, and v. the foll. under sup.—Comp. (rare; not in Cic. or Cæs.; cf. adv. infra fin.):

serior mors (opp. maturior),

Cels. 2, 6 med.:

senectus,

Mart. 5, 6, 3:

spe omnium serius bellum,

Liv. 2, 3, 1:

serior putatio,

Col. 4, 23, 1; 2, 10, 15.— Poet., for posterior:

serior aetas,

Ov. Tr. 5, 9, 7; Tib. 1, 4, 33:

hora,

Ov. H. 19, 14.— Sup.:

successores quam serissimi,

Vell. 2, 131, 2:

serissima omnium (pirorum) Amerina, etc.,

ripening the latest, Plin. 15, 15, 16, § 55; cf. supra.—

Poet.

For the adv. sero, of one who does any thing late:

serus in caelum redeas,

Hor. C. 1, 2, 45:

serus Graecis admovit acumina chartis,

id. Ep. 2, 1, 161:

jusserit ad se Maecenas serum sub lumina prima venire Convivam,

late in the day, id. S. 2, 7, 33:

nec nisi serus abi,

Ov. A. A. 2, 224:

poena tamen tacitis sera venit pedibus,

Tib. 1, 10, 3:

(me) Arguit incepto serum accessisse labori,

Ov. M. 13, 297.—So with things as subjects:

sera rubens accendit lumina Vesper,

Verg. G. 1, 251:

imposita est sero tandem manus ultima bello,

Ov. M. 13, 403:

seros pedes assumere,

id. ib. 15, 384:

Cantaber serā domitus catenā,

Hor. C. 3, 8, 22:

serum ut veniamus ad amnem Phasidos,

Val. Fl. 4, 708.—With gen.:

o seri studiorum!

Hor. S. 1, 10, 21 (v. supra); so,

belli serus,

Sil. 3, 255.—With inf.:

cur serus versare boves et plaustra Bootes?

Prop. 3, 5 (4, 4), 35.—

For adverb. use of sera and serum, v. adv. infra.—

Substt. ‡

sēra, ae, f. (sc. hora), a late hour, the evening hour, hespera, sera, vespra, crepusculum, Gloss. Vet.—

sērum, i, n., late time, late hour (of the day or night; first in Liv.;

esp. in the historians): serum erat diei,

Liv. 7, 8, 4:

quia serum diei fuerit,

id. 26, 3, 1:

jamque sero diei subducit ex acie legionem,

Tac. A. 2, 21 fin.:

extrahebatur in quam maxime serum diei certamen,

Liv. 10, 28, 2 Drak. N. cr.:

in serum noctis convivium productum,

id. 33, 48; cf.: ad serum [p. 1682] usque diem, Tac. H. 3, 82.— Absol., in Sueton., of a late hour of the day:

in serum dimicatione protractā,

Suet. Aug. 17; id. Ner. 22:

in serum usque patente cubiculo,

id. Oth. 11.—

Pregn., too late (class.):

ut magis exoptatae Kalendae Januariae quam serae esse videantur,

Cic. Phil. 5, 1:

neque rectae voluntati serum est tempus ullum, etc.,

Quint. 12, 1, 31:

tempus cavendi,

Sen. Thyest. 487: bellum, Sall. Fragm. ap. Philarg. Verg. G. 4, 144:

Antiates serum auxilium post proelium venerant,

Liv. 3, 5 fin.; 31, 24:

auxilia,

Val. Fl. 3, 562:

improbum consilium serum, ut debuit, fuit: et jam profectus Virginius erat, etc.,

Liv. 3, 46 fin.:

redit Alcidae jam sera cupido,

Val. Fl. 4, 247:

seras conditiones pacis tentare,

Suet. Aug. 17:

cum tandem ex somno surrexissent, in quod serum erat, aliquot horas remis in naves collocandis absumpserunt,

which was too late, Liv. 33, 48, 8:

hoc serum est,

Mart. 8, 44, 1; and with a subj.-clause:

dum deliberamus, quando incipiendum sit, incipere jam serum est,

Quint. 12, 6, 3; so,

serum est, advocare iis rebus affectum, etc.,

id. 4, 2, 115.—

Poet. for the adverb (cf. supra, I. b. a):

tum decuit metuisse tuis: nunc sera querelis Haud justis assurgis,

too late, Verg. A. 10, 94:

ad possessa venis praeceptaque gaudia serus,

Ov. H. 17, 107:

Herculeas jam serus opes spretique vocabis Arma viri,

Val. Fl. 3, 713:

serā ope vincere fata Nititur,

Ov. M. 2, 617:

auxilia ciere,

Val. Fl. 3, 562.—Hence, adv., in three forms.

sēră, late ( poet. and very rare):

sera comans Narcissus,

late in flowering, Verg. G. 4, 122.—

sērum, late at night ( poet. and very rare):

quae nocte sedens serum canit,

Verg. A. 12, 864.—

sērō̆.

(Acc. to I.) Late.

Late, at a late hour of the day or night (rare but class.):

eo die Lentulus venit sero,

Cic. Att. 7, 21, 1 (cf. infra, B.):

domum sero redire,

id. Fam. 7, 22.—

Late, at a late period of time, in gen. (freq. and class.):

res rustica sic est: si unam rem sero feceris omnia opera sero facies,

Cato, R. R. 5, 7; Cic. Brut. 10, 39; Quint. 6, 3, 103:

doctores artis sero repertos,

id. 2, 17, 7; 2, 5, 3.— Comp.:

modo surgis Eoo Temperius caelo, modo serius incidis undis,

Ov. M. 4, 198; Liv. 31, 11, 10:

serius, quam ratio postulat,

Quint. 2, 1, 1:

scripsi ad Pompeium serius quam oportuit,

Cic. Fam. 14, 10; 15, 1, 4; id. Sest. 31, 67; Liv. 37, 45, 18; 42, 28, 1:

itaque serius aliquanto notatus et cognitus (numerus),

Cic. Or. 56, 186:

serius egressus vestigia vidit in alto Pulvere,

Ov. M. 4, 105:

ipse salutabo decimā vel serius horā,

Mart. 1, 109, 9: omnium Versatur urna serius ocius Sors exitura, later or earlier (or, as we say, inverting the order, sooner or later), Hor. C. 2, 3, 26; so,

serius aut citius sedem properamus ad unam,

Ov. M. 10, 33:

serius ei triumphandi causa fuit, ne, etc.,

Liv. 39, 6, 4; 38, 27, 4:

in acutis morbis serius aeger alendus est,

Cels. 3, 2.— Sup.:

ut quam serissime ejus profectio cognosceretur,

Caes. B. C. 3, 75 (Scaliger ex conj.); so,

legi pira Tarentina,

Plin. 15, 17, 18, § 61 (al. serissima).—

(Acc to II.) Too late (freq. and class.):

abi stultus, sero post tempus venis,

Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 90:

idem, quando illaec occasio periit, post sero cupit,

id. Aul. 2, 2, 71; id. Am. 2, 2, 34; id. Men. 5, 6, 31; id. Pers. 5, 1, 16 (Opp. temperi); id. Trin. 2, 4, 14; 2, 4, 167; 4, 2, 147; Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 103; id. Ad. 2, 4, 8. (Scipio) factus est consul bis:

primum ante tempus: iterum sibi suo tempore, rei publicae paene sero,

Cic. Lael. 3, 11; id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 3, § 9:

sero resistimus ei, quem per annos decem aluimus contra nos,

id. Att. 7, 5, 5; id. Verr. 2, 5, 63, § 164 et saep.:

ne nimis sero ad extrema veniamus,

far too late, id. Phil. 2, 19, 47; Liv. 21, 3, 5.—Hence, in a double sense, alluding to the signif. A. a.:

cum interrogaret (accusator), quo tempore Clodius occisus esset? respondit (Milo), Sero,

Quint. 6, 3, 49.—Prov.: sero sapiunt Phryges, are wise too late, are troubled with after-wit; v. sapio.— Comp., in the same sense:

possumus audire aliquid, an serius venimus?

Cic. Rep. 1, 13, 20:

ad quae (mysteria) biduo serius veneram,

id. de Or. 3, 20, 75:

doleo me in vitam paulo serius tamquam in viam ingressum,

id. Brut. 96, 330: erit verendum mihi, ne non hoc potius omnes boni serius a me, quam quisquam crudelius factum esse dicat, id. Cat. 1, 2, 5:

serius a terrā provectae naves,

Caes. B. C. 3, 8; Suet. Tib. 52.

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