an artful concealment of a fault

cŏlor (old form cŏlos, like arbos, clamos, honos, etc., Plaut. Mil. 4, 4, 43; Lucr. 6, 208; 6, 1073; Sall. C. 15, 5, acc. to Prob. II. pp. 1456 and 1467 P.; Plin. 13, 15, 30, § 98; 35, 11, 42, § 150), ōris, m. [root cal-, to cover; cf.: caligo, occulere, calyx], color, hue, tint.

Lit.

In gen.:

varii rerum,

Lucr. 2, 786:

nequeunt sine luce Esse,

id. 2, 795:

aureus ignis,

id. 6, 205:

albus,

id. 2, 823; cf.:

color albus praecipue decorus deo est,

Cic. Leg. 2, 18, 45:

purpureus conchyli,

Lucr. 6, 1073:

Tyrios mirare,

Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 18; Ov. M. 4, 165; 10, 261; cf. id. ib. 6, 65; Verg. G. 1, 452:

colorem accipere,

Plin. 11, 38, 91, § 225:

bibere,

id. 8, 48, 73, § 193:

inducere picturae,

id. 35, 10, 36, § 102:

color caerulo albidior, viridior et pressior,

Plin. Ep. 8, 20, 4:

amethystinus,

Suet. Ner. 32:

color in pomo est, ubi permaturuit, ater,

Ov. M. 4, 165; Plin. 30, 2, 6, § 16:

bonus,

Varr. R. R. 3, 7, 10:

melior,

Plin. 7, 6, 5, § 41: colores, oculos qui pascere possunt, [p. 371] Lucr. 2, 419:

rebus nox abstulit atra colorem,

Verg. A. 6, 272:

quam cito purpureos deperdit terra colores,

Tib. 1, 4, 30:

nec varios discet mentiri lana colores,

Verg. E. 4, 42:

Iris, Mille trahens varios adverso sole colores,

id. A. 4, 701.— Poet.:

ducere, of grapes, etc.,

to acquire color, become colored, Verg. E. 9, 49; Ov. M. 3, 485; cf. Sen. Ep. 71, 30.—

Meton.

Coloring stuff, dyestuff:

regionis naturā minii et chrysocollae et aliorum colorum ferax,

Flor. 4, 12, 60; Plin. 35, 6, 12, § 30 sq.—

Flowers of varied colors:

aspice quo submittat humus formosa colores,

Prop. 1, 2, 9; Val. Fl. 6, 492.—

Specif., the natural color of men, the complexion, tint, hue:

qui color, nitor, vestitus,

Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 11:

formae autem dignitas coloris bonitate tuenda est, color exercitationibus corporis,

Cic. Off. 1, 36, 130:

venusti oculi, color suavis,

id. Tusc. 5, 16, 46:

verus (opp. to paint),

Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 27 Don.; cf. Ov. A. A. 3, 164;

and fucatus,

Hor. Epod. 12, 10:

senex colore mustellino,

Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 22:

niveus,

Hor. C. 2, 4, 3:

albus,

fair, Ov. M. 2, 541:

egregius,

Cic. Fin. 2, 20, 64:

verecundus,

Hor. Epod. 17, 21; cf.:

vide Num ejus color pudoris signum indicat,

Ter. And. 5, 3, 7: colorem mutare, to change or lose color (on account of any excitement of the passions, from shame, fear, pain, etc.), to blush, etc., Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 38; cf. Cic. Clu. 19, 54:

color excidit,

Ov. M. 2, 602:

perdere,

id. ib. 3, 99:

adeo perturbavit ea vox regem, ut non color, non voltus ei constaret,

Liv. 39, 34, 7.—

Prov.:

homo nullius coloris,

an unknown man, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 99 (like the phrase: albus an ater sit; v. albus).—

Sometimes for beautiful complexion, fine tint, beauty:

o formose puer, nimium ne crede colori,

Verg. E. 2, 17:

quo fugit Venus, heu, quove color?

Hor. C. 4, 13, 17; Ov. H. 3, 141.—

Trop.

In gen., color, i.e. external form, state, condition, position, outward show, appearance (predominant in rhet.; v. 2.; elsewh. rare, and mostly poet.):

amisimus omnem non modo sucum ac sanguinem, sed etiam colorem et speciem pristinam civitatis,

Cic. Att. 4, 16, 10:

vitae,

Hor. S. 2, 1, 60; cf.: omnis Aristippum decuit color et status et res, every color became him, i. e. he accommodated himself to every condition, id. Ep. 1, 17, 23: novimus quosdam, qui multis apud philosophum annis persederint, et ne colorem quidem duxerint, have not acquired even the outward appearance, i.e. have imbibed or learned nothing, Sen. Ep. 108, 5; cf. Quint. 10, 1, 59: omnia eundem ducunt colorem;

nec Persis Macedonum mores adumbrare nec Macedonibus Persas imitari indecorum,

Curt. 10, 3, 14 Vogel ad loc. —

A class, fashion, kind.

In gen. (rare):

hos maxime laudat.. egregium hoc quoque, sed secundae sortis ingenium... hic tertius color est,

Sen. Ep. 52, 4:

tertium illud genus... sed ne hic quidem contemnendus est color tertius,

id. ib. 75, 15; cf.:

in omni vitae colore,

Stat. S. 2 prooem. init. —

Esp., of diction, character, fashion, cast, coloring, style:

ornatur igitur oratio genere primum et quasi colore quodam et suco suo,

Cic. de Or 3, 25, 95; cf. id. ib. 3, 52, 199:

non unus color prooemii, narrationis, argumentorum, etc.,

Quint. 12, 10, 71:

qui est, inquit, iste tandem urbanitatis color?

Cic. Brut. 46, 171:

color dicendi maculis conspergitur,

Quint. 8, 5, 28; cf.:

color totus orationis,

id. 6, 3, 110:

simplicis atque inaffectati gratia,

id. 9, 4, 17:

tragicus,

Hor. A. P. 236:

operum colores,

id. ib. 86.—

Pregn. (cf. supra, 1. B. 2.), a beautiful, brilliant quality or nature, splendor, lustre, brilliancy (freq. only in rhet. lang.):

nullus argento color est avaris Abdito terris,

Hor. C. 2, 2, 1.—

Of diction.

A high, lively coloring, embellishment:

intelleges nihil illius (Catonis) lineamentis nisi eorum pigmentorum quae inventa nondum erant, florem et colorem defuisse,

Cic. Brut. 87, 298; id. de Or. 3, 25, 100; id. Q. Fr. 2, 13 (15 a), 2.—

In a bad sense, t. t., an artful concealment of a fault, a pretext, palliation, excuse, Quint. 4, 2, 88 Spald.; 6, 5, 5; 10, 1, 116; 11, 1, 81; 12, 1, 33; cf. Sen. Contr. 3, 21; 3, 25:

res illo colore defenditur apud judicem, ut videatur ille non sanae mentis fuisse, etc.,

Dig. 5, 2, 5: sub colore adipiscendae possessionis, Cod. Th. 3, 6, 3; Juv. 6, 280.