a noiseless stream flowing on in majestic size and fulness

amnis, is, m. ( fem., Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 18; Naev. and Att. ap. Non. 191, 33; Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 9; cf. Prisc. pp. 652 and 658 P.; Rudd. I. p. 26, n. 37; Schneid. Gram. 2, 98; abl. regularly amne;

but freq. amni in the poets,

Verg. G. 1, 203; 3, 447; Hor. S. 1, 10, 62; Col. R. R. 10, 136;

also in prose,

Liv. 21, 5; 21, 27 al.; cf. Prisc. p. 766; Rhem. Pal. 1374 P.; Rudd. I. p. 85, n. 85) [qs. for apnis from Sanscr. ap = water; n. plur. āpas. Van.; v. aqua], orig., any broad and deep-flowing, rapid water; a stream, torrent, river (hence, esp. in the poets, sometimes for a rapidly-flowing stream or a torrent rushing down from a mountain = torrens; sometimes for a large river, opp. fluvius (a common river); sometimes also for the ocean as flowing round the land; it most nearly corresponds with our stream; in prose not often used before the histt. of the Aug. per.; in Cic. only in Aratus and in his more elevated prose; never in his Epistt.).

Lit.: acervos altā in amni, Att., Trag. Rel. p. 178 Rib.: apud abundantem antiquam amnem et rapidas undas Inachi, Att. ap. Non. 192, 4 (Trag. Rel. p. 175 Rib.):

Sic quasi amnis celeris rapit, sed tamen inflexu flectitur,

Naev. Trag. Rel. p. 12 Rib.; Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 15:

molibus incurrit validis cum viribus amnis,

Lucr. 1, 288 (v. the whole magnificent description, 1, 282- 290):

Nilus unicus in terris, Aegypti totius amnis,

id. 6, 714:

ruunt de montibus amnes,

Verg. A. 4, 164:

amnes magnitudinis vastae,

Sen. Q. N. 3, 19.—Also in distinction from the sea:

cum pontus et amnes cuncti invicem commeant,

Sen. Q. N. 4, 2.—On the contr. of the ocean, acc. to the Gr. Ôkeanos potamos (Hom. Od. 11, 639):

Oceani amnis,

the ocean-stream, Verg. G. 4, 233:

quā fluitantibus undis Solis anhelantes abluit amnis equos,

Tib. 2, 5, 60: Nox Mundum caeruleo laverat amne rotas, id. 3, 4, 18 al.—

Transf.

Poet., of the constellation Eridanus:

Eridanum cernes funestum magnis cum viribus amnem,

Cic. Arat. 145 (as a transl. of the Gr. leipsanon Êridanoio, poluklaustou potamoio, Arat. Phaenom. 360): Scorpios exoriens cum clarus fugerit amnis, Germanic. Arat. 648; cf. id. ib. 362. —

Also poet. and in post-class. prose, any thing flowing, liquid, Verg. A. 12, 417; 7, 465:

amnis musti,

Pall. 11, 14, 18.—

Of a writer, whose eloquence is thus compared to a flowing stream (v. flumen, II. B. and fluo, II. 2. B. 1.): alter (Herodotus) sine ullis salebris quasi sedatus amnis (i. e. a noiseless stream flowing on in majestic size and fulness) fluit;

alter (Thucydides) incitatior fertur,

Cic. Or. 12, 39.—

Like flumen, as abstr., a current, stream: secundo amni, down or with the stream, Verg. G. 3, 447:

adverso amne,

up the stream, Curt. 10, 1 al.