keenness

săgācĭtas, ātis, f. [sagax], keenness of perception, acuteness of the senses, sagacity.

Lit.

Keenness of scent in dogs:

canum tam incredibilis ad investigandum sagacitas narium,

Cic. N. D. 2, 63, 158; so,

canum,

Plin. 9, 30, 48, § 92.—

Transf., of hunters:

ut domitas feras mentita sagacitate colligerent,

Plin. Pan. 81, 3.—

Keenness, acuteness of the other senses:

sensuum,

Sen. Ep. 95, 58.—

Trop., intellectual keenness of perception, acuteness, shrewdness, sagacity (good prose;

syn.: sollertia, acumen): utrum admonitus ac tentatus, an, quā est ipse sagacitate in his rebus, sine duce ullo, sine indice, pervenerit ad hanc improbitatem, nescio,

Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 41, § 105:

tuam tantam fuisse sagacitatem,

id. ib. 2, 4, 12, §

29: erat eā sagacitate, ut decipi non posset,

Nep. Alc. 5, 2:

consilii,

Val. Max. 7, 3, 3:

Hipparchi sagacitate compertum est, lunae defectum, etc.,

Plin. 2, 13, 10, § 57.

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ăcĭēs, ēi, f. [v. 2. acer] ( gen. acii and [p. 23] acie, like dii and die, facii and facie, fr. dies, facies, Cn. Mat. ap. Gell. 9, 14; Caes. B. G. 2, 23; Sall. ap. Serv. ad Verg. G. 1, 208, or Sall. Fragm. ed. Kritz. p. 118; cf. Prisc. p. 780 P.), a sharp edge or point.

Lit., of a sword, dagger, sickle, etc.:

gladiorum,

Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 11: Vulg. Heb. 11, 34:

securium,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43, § 113:

falcis,

Verg. G. 2, 365:

hastae,

Ov. M. 3, 107:

ferri,

Plin. 7, 15, 13.—

Transf.

Of the sense or faculty of sight,

Keenness of look or glance, sharpness of vision or sight: oculorum, Lucil. ap. Non. 34, 32; cf. Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4; Lucr. 1, 324;

also acies alone,

id. 2, 420; and in plur., id. 4, 693:

ne vultum quidem atque aciem oculorum ferre potuisse,

Caes. B. G. 1, 39:

pupula ad te dirigit aciem,

Cat. 63, 56:

tanta tenuitas, ut fugiat aciem,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 22:

bonum incolumis acies, misera caecitas,

id. Fin. 5, 28, 84; so ib. 4, 24; Verg. A. 12, 558 al.—Hence,

Concr., the pupil of the eye, Lucr. 3, 411; cf.

with 414: acies ipsa, quā cernimus, quae pupula vocatur,

Cic. N. D. 2, 57:

in Albania gigni quosdam glaucā oculorum acie,

Plin. 7, 2, 2 (cf. ib.: glaucis oculis); and poet. (as pars pro toto) for the eye, Lucr. 3, 363; 4, 249; 281; 358;

720: huc geminas nunc flecte acies,

Verg. A. 6, 789; 12, 658 (hence the word is also used in the plur., cf. below, 2.).—

A looking at an object with fixed attention, look, aim:

ad eam rem habeo omnem aciem,

Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 38.—On the contr., prima acie, at the first glance, Lucr. 2, 448 (cf. primo aspectu, Cic. de Or. 3, 25, 98).—

In milit. lang., the front of an army (conceived of as the edge of a sword), line of battle, battle-array.

In abstr. (cf. Vitr. praef. 1. 7, p. 154 Rod.):

quibus ego si aciem exercitus nostri ostendero,

Cic. Cat. 2, 3, 5:

aciem instruere,

Caes. B. G. 1, 22:

dirigere,

id. ib. 6, 8:

extra aciem procurrere,

id. B. C. 1, 55:

statuit non proeliis, neque in acie, sed alio more bellum gerendum,

Sall. J. 54; cf. Liv. 5, 41, 4;

also of the arrangement of ships for a naval engagement,

Nep. Hann. 11; cf. Caes. B. C. 1, 58.—Hence, metaph.

The battlearray; in concr., an army drawn up in order of battle: acies est instructa a nobis decem cohortium, Galba ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30:

hostium acies cernebatur,

Caes. B. G. 7, 62: altera pars acii vitassent fluminis undas, Matius ap. Gell. 9, 14 (as transl. of Il. 21 init.):

dubitavit acie pars, Sall. Fragm. l. l.: stabit ante aciem,

Vulg. Deut. 20, 2; 1 Par. 12, 33:

prima acies hastati erant,

the van, the first line, Liv. 8, 8:

tertiam aciem laborantibus subsidio mittere,

Caes. B. G. 1, 52: ab novissima acie, from the rear:

ante signa procedere,

Liv. 8, 10:

dextra acies (= dextrum cornu),

the right wing, Liv. 27, 48, 8:

agmina magis quam acies pugnabant,

in marching order, rather than in order of battle, id. 25, 34 (acies is here, and in similar cases, considered as the sing. used collectively; v. Oud. and Herz. Caes. B. G. 7, 62; yet the plur. is more than probable). Rarely of cavalry, Liv. 8, 39; Vell. 2, 112.— Poet.: acies Vulcania, of a long line of fire, Verg. A. 10, 408.—

The action of the troops drawn up in battlearray, a battle, engagement, = pugna: in acie celebri objectans vitam, Pac. ap. Non. 234, 25; Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4: mea facta in acie obliti, Att. ap. Non. 502, 1:

in acie Pharsalica,

Cic. Lig. 3; so id. Fam. 6, 3:

in acie vincere,

Caes. B. G. 7, 29:

dimicare,

ib. 7, 64:

copias in aciem ducere,

Liv. 31, 34:

producere in aciem,

Nep. Milt. 5:

excedere acie,

Caes. B. C. 2, 41; Liv. 31, 17:

direxerunt aciem contra eos,

Vulg. Gen. 14, 8; 2 Par. 18, 33.—

Acies ferri, steel, Plin. 34, 14, 41.—

Poet., sheen, brightness:

obtunsa stellarum,

Verg. G. 1, 395.

Fig.

(Acc. to I. B.) (like acumen.) Acuteness of the mind, sharpness, force, power (so very often in Cicero, but always with the gen. mentis, animi, ingenii):

(cum animus) exacuerit illam, ut oculorum, sic ingenii aciem ad bona eligenda, etc.,

Cic. Leg. 1, 23, 60; so,

ingenii,

id. Ac. 2, 39, 122:

mentis,

id. N. D. 2, 17, 45; id. Tusc. 1, 30, 73:

animi,

id. Sen. 23, 83; id. Phil. 12, 2; Vell. 2, 118, 4; cf.:

rerum diversitas aciem intentionis abrumpit,

Flor. 1 prol., § 3.—

A verbal contest, disputation, discussion, debate:

orationis aciem contra conferam,

Plaut. Ep. 4, 1, 20: ad philosophos me revocas, qui in aciem non saepe prodeunt, Cic. Tusc. 2, 25, 60:

nos jam in aciem dimicationemque veniamus,

id. Or. 13 fin.; cf. id. Opt. Gen. Or. 5, 17; Quint. 2, 10, 8; 6, 4, 17; 10, 1, 29.

ăcūmĕn, ĭnis, n. [acuo], a point to prick or sting with; diff. fr. cacumen, which designates merely the summit or extremity of a thing, Doed. Syn. 2, 108.

Lit.: tum clupei resonunt et ferri stridit acumen, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 838 P. (Ann. v. 369 ed. Vahl.):

coni,

Lucr. 4, 431:

nasi,

id. 6, 1193 (i.e. the pointed contraction of the nose before death; cf. Bentl. ad Hor. S. 1, 3, 29):

stili,

Cic. de Or. 1, 33:

ferrum Diana volanti abstulerat jaculo: lignum sine acumine venit,

Ov. M. 8, 353; 3, 84.—Hence, also, the sting of an animal:

scorpii,

Cic. Arat. 685:—auspicium ex acuminibus, a military omen of victory, when the spears stuck in the ground suddenly begin to burn or shine at the points, Cic. Div. 2, 36, 77, and id. N. D. 2, 3; cf. Liv. 22, 1; 43, 13.—In Plin., of the taste: sharpness or pungency, 14, 20, 25.—

Fig., of the mind, like acies.

Acuteness, shrewdness, keenness, acumen:

sermonis leporem, ingeniorum acumen, dicendi copiam,

Cic. Fl. 4; so Nep. Alc. 11; Plin. 2, 27, 27, § 97.—Also without a gen.:

ubi est acumen tuum?

Cic. Tusc. 1, 6; so Lucr. ap. Cic. Fam. 5, 14, 2: Empedocles an Stertinium deliret acumen, Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 20.— Poet. also in plur.:

serus Graecis admovit acumina chartis,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 161.—

Cunning, subtlety:

argutiae et acumen Hyperidis,

Cic. Or. 31; so id. de Or. 2, 63.—Also in plur.:

dialectici ipsi se compungunt suis acuminibus,

id. de Or. 2, 38:

meretricis acumina,

Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 55. —Hence,

pĕr-ăcūtus, a, um, adj., very sharp.

Lit.:

falx,

Mart. 3, 24, 5 (dub.).—

Transf., of sound, very clear or penetrating:

vox,

Cic. Brut. 68, 241.—

Trop., [p. 1333] very keen, very acute, very penetrating:

cum peracutus esset ad excogitandum,

Cic. Brut. 39, 145:

oratio,

id. ib. 76, 264; id. Verr. 2, 2, 44, § 108.— Adv.: pĕrăcūtē, very sharply, very acutely, with great keenness:

moveri,

Cic. Ac. 1, 9, 35:

peracute querebare, quod, etc.,

id. Fam. 3, 7, 2:

reperisse,

App. Mag. 34.

subtīlĭtas ( supt-), ātis, f. [subtilis], fineness, thinness, slenderness, minuteness (syn. tenuitas).

Lit. (mostly post-Aug.;

not in Cic.): linearum,

Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 82:

ferramentorum,

the keen edge, sharpness, id. 28, 9, 41, § 148:

inenarrabilis florum,

id. 21, 1, 1, § 1:

muliebris,

Vitr. 4, 1 med.:

immensa animalium,

Plin. 11, prooem. 1, §

1: caelandi fingendique ac tingendi,

id. 35, prooem. §

1: umoris,

id. 2, 65, 65, § 163. —

Trop.

In gen., keenness, acuteness, penetration, definiteness, exactness, subtlety, etc. (class.;

syn.: acumen, sollertia): sententiarum,

Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 1:

disputandi,

id. Tusc. 3, 23, 56:

ea subtilitas, quam Atticam appellant,

id. Brut. 17, 67:

subtilitas sermonis,

id. Rep. 1, 10, 16:

credunt plerique militaribus ingeniis subtilitatem deesse,

Tac. Agr. 9:

ingens,

Petr. 31:

tanta,

id. 38; Sen. Ep. 113, 1:

Aristoteles, vir immensae subtilitatis,

Plin. 18, 34, 77, § 335; cf.:

litterarum,

id. 2, 108, 112, § 247:

geometrica,

id. 2, 65, 65, § 164:

perversa grammaticorum,

id. 35, 3, 4, § 13:

subtilitas parcimoniae compendia invenit,

id. 17, 22, 35, § 171:

picturae summa suptilitas,

id. 35, 9, 36, § 67:

inutilis,

Sen. Ep. 65, 16:

quaedam inutilia et inefficacia ipsa subtilitas reddit,

id. ib. 82, 24: nimia, id. ib 88, 43.—

In partic., in rhet., plainness, simplicity, absence of ornament:

orationis subtilitas imitabilis quidem illa videtur esse existimanti, sed nihil est experienti minus,

Cic. Or. 23, 76; id. Brut. 84, 291:

suavitatem Isocrates, subtilitatem Lysias, vim Demosthenes habuit,

id. de Or. 3, 7, 28:

subtilitas et elegantia scriptorum,

id. Fam. 4, 4, 1.

subtīlĭtas ( supt-), ātis, f. [subtilis], fineness, thinness, slenderness, minuteness (syn. tenuitas).

Lit. (mostly post-Aug.;

not in Cic.): linearum,

Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 82:

ferramentorum,

the keen edge, sharpness, id. 28, 9, 41, § 148:

inenarrabilis florum,

id. 21, 1, 1, § 1:

muliebris,

Vitr. 4, 1 med.:

immensa animalium,

Plin. 11, prooem. 1, §

1: caelandi fingendique ac tingendi,

id. 35, prooem. §

1: umoris,

id. 2, 65, 65, § 163. —

Trop.

In gen., keenness, acuteness, penetration, definiteness, exactness, subtlety, etc. (class.;

syn.: acumen, sollertia): sententiarum,

Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 1:

disputandi,

id. Tusc. 3, 23, 56:

ea subtilitas, quam Atticam appellant,

id. Brut. 17, 67:

subtilitas sermonis,

id. Rep. 1, 10, 16:

credunt plerique militaribus ingeniis subtilitatem deesse,

Tac. Agr. 9:

ingens,

Petr. 31:

tanta,

id. 38; Sen. Ep. 113, 1:

Aristoteles, vir immensae subtilitatis,

Plin. 18, 34, 77, § 335; cf.:

litterarum,

id. 2, 108, 112, § 247:

geometrica,

id. 2, 65, 65, § 164:

perversa grammaticorum,

id. 35, 3, 4, § 13:

subtilitas parcimoniae compendia invenit,

id. 17, 22, 35, § 171:

picturae summa suptilitas,

id. 35, 9, 36, § 67:

inutilis,

Sen. Ep. 65, 16:

quaedam inutilia et inefficacia ipsa subtilitas reddit,

id. ib. 82, 24: nimia, id. ib 88, 43.—

In partic., in rhet., plainness, simplicity, absence of ornament:

orationis subtilitas imitabilis quidem illa videtur esse existimanti, sed nihil est experienti minus,

Cic. Or. 23, 76; id. Brut. 84, 291:

suavitatem Isocrates, subtilitatem Lysias, vim Demosthenes habuit,

id. de Or. 3, 7, 28:

subtilitas et elegantia scriptorum,

id. Fam. 4, 4, 1.