To creep along

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.

* * *

prō-rēpo, psi, ptum, 3, v. n., to creep forth, crawl out, come out in a gradual or unobserved manner ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose).

Lit.:

(formica) non usquam prorepit,

Hor. S. 1, 1, 37:

cum prorepserunt primis animalia terris,

id. ib. 1, 3, 99:

cochleae prorepunt e cavis terrae,

Plin. 8, 39, 59, § 140:

aegri quoque ad conspectum tui prorepere,

Plin. Pan. 22, 3.—

Transf.

To creep along, crawl forwards to a place:

rumore caedis exterritus prorepsit ad solarium proximum,

Suet. Claud. 10.—

Of inanimate subjects, to come forth gradually, to put forth, to ooze out, exude, of the vine:

prorepentes oculi,

Col. 11, 2, 38; 3, 10, 3:

pampinus e duro prorepsit,

id. 4, 22, 4:

tardaque sudanti prorepunt balsama ligno, Claud. Nupt. Honor. et Mar. 96: ne palmites libero excursu in luxuriam prorepant,

Col. 5, 5, 13:

umor lente prorepit,

gradually flows off, id. 2, 16, 5:

nervus prorepit usque ad ultimam partem caudae,

extends, id. 7, 12, 14.

prō-serpo, ĕre, v. n., to creep forwards or forth, to creep or crawl along (ante- and post-class.).

Lit.:

proserpens bestia,

Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 74; cf. id. As. 3, 3, 105; id. Pers. 4, 28; Varr. L. L. 5, § 68 Müll.:

servulus proserpit leniter,

App. M. 4, p. 151, 13:

de specu funesta proserpit ursa,

id. ib. 7, p. 198, 25.— Transf., of plants, to come forth imperceptibly:

sata in lucem proserpunt,

Arn. 3, 119.—

Trop., to move on imperceptibly, to glide or steal along (postclass.):

proserpit ad intima vulnus,

Ser. Samm. 14, 251:

malo proserpenti occurrere,

Amm. 15, 8, 7.

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.

sur-rēpo ( subr-), psi, ptum, 3 (sync. form of perf. surrepsti, Cat. 77, 3), v. n. and a., to creep under, to creep or steal along, creep softly on, steal upon, to come on unawares, insensibly, or by degrees, etc. (not freq. till after the Aug. per.).

Lit.: sub tabulas, * Cic. Sest. 59, 126:

clathris facile,

Col. 9, 1, 9:

urbis moenia,

Hor. S. 2, 6, 100:

surrepens lacerta,

Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 70: in aulam, Claud. ap. Ruf. 1, 177.— Poet., of inanim. subjects:

mediis surrepit vinea muris,

advances slowly, Luc. 2, 506:

surrepit crinibus umor,

Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 251:

ars mea cogit, Insita praecoquibus surrepere persica prunis,

to grow out, Calp. Ecl. 2, 43.—

Trop.:

alicui,

Cat. 77, 3: vide, quam non subrepam tibi. Sen. Cons. ad Marc. 1, 5:

blanda quies furtim surrepit ocellis,

Ov. F. 3, 19:

surrepsit fratribus horror,

Stat. Th. 11, 476: surrepet iners aetasTib. [p. 1818] 1, 1, 71:

insinuatio surrepat animis,

Quint. 4, 1, 42:

dissimulata actio,

id. 4, 1, 60:

oblivio cibi huic,

Plin. 8, 22, 34, § 84:

paulatimque et Romae subrepsit appellatio,

id. 21, 2, 3, § 5:

vitia,

Sen. Ep. 90, 5:

terror pectora,

Sil. 15, 136:

nullosque Catonis in actus surrepsit voluptas,

Luc. 2, 391.— Impers. pass.:

ita surrepetur animo judicis,

Quint. 4, 5, 20. — Hence, P. a. as subst.: subreptum, i, n., only adverb.:

scandentes in subreptum felium modo,

stealthily, Plin. 10, 18, 20, § 40.

sur-rēpo ( subr-), psi, ptum, 3 (sync. form of perf. surrepsti, Cat. 77, 3), v. n. and a., to creep under, to creep or steal along, creep softly on, steal upon, to come on unawares, insensibly, or by degrees, etc. (not freq. till after the Aug. per.).

Lit.: sub tabulas, * Cic. Sest. 59, 126:

clathris facile,

Col. 9, 1, 9:

urbis moenia,

Hor. S. 2, 6, 100:

surrepens lacerta,

Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 70: in aulam, Claud. ap. Ruf. 1, 177.— Poet., of inanim. subjects:

mediis surrepit vinea muris,

advances slowly, Luc. 2, 506:

surrepit crinibus umor,

Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 251:

ars mea cogit, Insita praecoquibus surrepere persica prunis,

to grow out, Calp. Ecl. 2, 43.—

Trop.:

alicui,

Cat. 77, 3: vide, quam non subrepam tibi. Sen. Cons. ad Marc. 1, 5:

blanda quies furtim surrepit ocellis,

Ov. F. 3, 19:

surrepsit fratribus horror,

Stat. Th. 11, 476: surrepet iners aetasTib. [p. 1818] 1, 1, 71:

insinuatio surrepat animis,

Quint. 4, 1, 42:

dissimulata actio,

id. 4, 1, 60:

oblivio cibi huic,

Plin. 8, 22, 34, § 84:

paulatimque et Romae subrepsit appellatio,

id. 21, 2, 3, § 5:

vitia,

Sen. Ep. 90, 5:

terror pectora,

Sil. 15, 136:

nullosque Catonis in actus surrepsit voluptas,

Luc. 2, 391.— Impers. pass.:

ita surrepetur animo judicis,

Quint. 4, 5, 20. — Hence, P. a. as subst.: subreptum, i, n., only adverb.:

scandentes in subreptum felium modo,

stealthily, Plin. 10, 18, 20, § 40.

sur-rēpo ( subr-), psi, ptum, 3 (sync. form of perf. surrepsti, Cat. 77, 3), v. n. and a., to creep under, to creep or steal along, creep softly on, steal upon, to come on unawares, insensibly, or by degrees, etc. (not freq. till after the Aug. per.).

Lit.: sub tabulas, * Cic. Sest. 59, 126:

clathris facile,

Col. 9, 1, 9:

urbis moenia,

Hor. S. 2, 6, 100:

surrepens lacerta,

Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 70: in aulam, Claud. ap. Ruf. 1, 177.— Poet., of inanim. subjects:

mediis surrepit vinea muris,

advances slowly, Luc. 2, 506:

surrepit crinibus umor,

Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 251:

ars mea cogit, Insita praecoquibus surrepere persica prunis,

to grow out, Calp. Ecl. 2, 43.—

Trop.:

alicui,

Cat. 77, 3: vide, quam non subrepam tibi. Sen. Cons. ad Marc. 1, 5:

blanda quies furtim surrepit ocellis,

Ov. F. 3, 19:

surrepsit fratribus horror,

Stat. Th. 11, 476: surrepet iners aetasTib. [p. 1818] 1, 1, 71:

insinuatio surrepat animis,

Quint. 4, 1, 42:

dissimulata actio,

id. 4, 1, 60:

oblivio cibi huic,

Plin. 8, 22, 34, § 84:

paulatimque et Romae subrepsit appellatio,

id. 21, 2, 3, § 5:

vitia,

Sen. Ep. 90, 5:

terror pectora,

Sil. 15, 136:

nullosque Catonis in actus surrepsit voluptas,

Luc. 2, 391.— Impers. pass.:

ita surrepetur animo judicis,

Quint. 4, 5, 20. — Hence, P. a. as subst.: subreptum, i, n., only adverb.:

scandentes in subreptum felium modo,

stealthily, Plin. 10, 18, 20, § 40.