setting mark

distinctĭo, ōnis, f. [distinguo].

(Acc. to distinguo, I. B.)

In gen.

Subject., a distinguishing, discriminating, a distinction:

harum rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio,

Cic. Fin. 1, 10, 33; so,

facilis ingenui et illiberalis jocis,

id. Off. 1, 29 fin.:

justorum injustorumque (lex),

id. Leg. 2, 5 fin.:

veri a falso,

id. Fin. 1, 19 fin.:

quaestionum,

Quint. 4, 5, 6 et saep.—

Object., a difference, distinction:

causarum distinctio ac dissimilitudo,

Cic. Fat. 19; so,

volucrum,

Plin. 10, 11, 13, § 29:

quae distinctio sit inter ea, quae gignantur, et ea, quae sint semper eadem,

Cic. Univ. 8:

nulla in visis distinctio,

id. Ac. 2, 15 fin.; Dig. 47, 2, 44.—Pregn.:

lunae siderumque omnium distinctio, varietas, pulchritudo, ordo,

i. e. the differences in their appearance and motions, Cic. N. D. 2, 5, 15.—

In rhet. and gram.

A separation, division, in discourse;

and concr.,

a mark of separation, sign of interpunction, Cic. de Or. 3, 48, 186; Quint. 1, 5, 27; Diom. p. 432 P.—

A figure of speech, separation, distinction, Cic. de Or. 3, 54, 206; Quint. 9, 3, 65; esp. the contrast of opposing ideas, id. 9, 3, 82; the parting of opposing voices or votes, Plin. Ep. 8, 14, 6. —

(Acc. to distinguo, II.) A setting off, garnishing; an ornament:

distinctio honosque civitatis,

Plin. 28, 3, 3, § 13.

mergo, si, sum, 3, v. a. [cf. Sanscr. madsh-, majan, to dip; Zend, masga, marrow; Germ. Mark; Engl. marrow], to dip, dip in, immerse; absol. also to plunge into water, to sink.

Lit. (class.):

eos (pullos) mergi in aquam jussit,

Cic. N. D. 2, 3, 7:

aves, quae se in mari mergunt,

id. ib. 2, 49, 124:

putealibus undis,

Ov. Ib. 391:

Stygia undā,

id. M. 10, 697:

prodigia indomitis merge sub aequoribus,

Tib. 2, 5, 80:

ab hoc (the sword-fish) perfossas naves mergi,

Plin. 32, 2, 6, § 15:

mersa navis omnes destituit,

Curt. 4, 8, 8:

mersa carina,

Luc. 3, 632:

cum coepisset mergi,

Vulg. Matt. 14, 30:

in immensam altitudinem mergi, ac sine ulla respirandi vice perpeti maria,

Sen. Dial. 4, 12, 4:

naves,

Eutr. 2, 20:

partem classis,

Vell. 2, 42, 2:

pars maxima classis mergitur,

Luc. 3, 753 sq.:

nec me deus aequore mersit,

Verg. A. 6, 348:

sub aequora,

Ov. M. 13, 948; Luc. 3, 753:

ter matutino Tiberi mergetur,

bathe, Juv. 6, 523.— Poet., of overwhelming waters, to engulf, swallow up, overwhelm, etc.:

sic te mersuras adjuvet ignis aquas,

Ov. Ib. 340:

mersa rate,

Juv. 14, 302.—

Transf.

To sink down, sink in, to plunge, thrust, or drive in, to fix in, etc. ( poet. and post-Aug. prose):

palmitem per jugum mergere, et alligare,

to thrust, push, Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 180:

aliquem ad Styga,

Sen. Thyest. 1007:

manum in ora (ursae),

to thrust into, Mart. 3, 19, 4:

mersisque in corpore rostris Dilacerant (canes) falsi dominum sub imagine cervi,

Ov. M. 3, 249: fluvius in Euphratem mergitur, runs or empties into, Plin. 6, 27, 31, § 128: visceribus ferrum. to thrust into, Claud. ap. Eutr. 1, 447.—Of heavenly bodies, etc.:

Bootes, Qui vix sero alto mergitur Oceano,

sinks into, Cat. 66, 68.—

In partic., to hide, conceal:

mersitque suos in cortice vultus,

Ov. M. 10, 498:

vultum,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 1348:

diem or lucem, of the setting of the sun,

id. Thyest. 771:

terra caelum mergens, i. e. occidentalis, because there the sky seems to sink into the sea,

Luc. 4, 54. —Of those on board a vessel: mergere Pelion et templum, i. e. to sail away from until they sink below the horizon:

condere,

Val. Fl. 2, 6.—

Trop., to plunge into, sink, overwhelm, cover, bury, immerse, drown:

aliquem malis,

Verg. A. 6, 512:

funere acerbo,

to bring to a painful death, id. ib. 11, 28:

mergi in voluptates,

to plunge into, yield one's self up to sensual delights, Curt. 10, 3, 9:

se in voluptates,

Liv. 23, 18:

mergit longa atque insignis honorum pagina,

Juv. 10, 57.—Esp. in part. pass.:

Alexander mersus secundis rebus,

overwhelmed with prosperity, Liv. 9, 18:

vino somnoque mersi jacent,

dead drunk and buried in sleep, id. 41, 3; Luc. 1, 159; cf.:

lumina somno,

Val. Fl. 8, 66:

cum mergeretur somno,

Vulg. Act. 20, 9.—Esp. of those whose fortune is swallowed up in debts or debauchery: mersus foro, bankrupt, Plaut [p. 1137] Ep. 1, 2, 13:

aere paterno Ac rebus mersis in ventrem,

Juv. 11, 39:

censum domini,

Plin. 9, 17, 31, § 67:

mergentibus sortem usuris,

sinking, destroying his capital, Liv. 6, 14:

ut mergantur pupilli,

be robbed of their fortune, ruined, Dig. 27, 4, 3:

mersis fer opem rebus,

bring aid to utter distress, Ov. M. 1, 380.—Of drinking to excess:

potatio quae mergit,

Sen. Ep. 12.

stĭlus (not stylus), i, m. [for stiglus; Gr. stizô, to stick, puncture; stigma, mark, point; Sanscr. tig, to be sharp; tigmas, sharp; cf. Engl. stick, sting; Lat. stimulus; not connected with stulos].

In gen., a stake, pale: extra vallum stili caeci, concealed stakes, Auct. B. Afr. 31, 5; cf. Sil. 10, 415 (for which stimuli, Caes. B. G. 7, 73 fin.):

ligneus,

Amm. 23, 4, 5; 15, 10, 5.—In agriculture, a pointed instrument for freeing plants from worms or from shoots which grow too rankly, etc., Col. 11, 3, 53; Pall. Mart. 10, 20.—Of the stem or stalk of many plants (e. g. of the asparagus), Col. 11, 3, 46; 11, 3, 58; 5, 10, 13; 5, 10, 21.—

In partic.

A style used by the Romans for writing on waxen tablets (pointed, and usually made of iron):

effer cito stilum, ceram et tabellas et linum,

Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 64; cf. id. ib. 4, 4, 76; 4, 9, 73; Quint. 1, 1, 27:

cum otiosus stilum prehenderat, flaccebat oratio,

Cic. Brut. 24, 93:

orationes paene Attico stilo scriptae,

with an Attic pen, id. ib. 45, 167; so,

(comoediae quaedam) resipiant stilum Plautinum,

Gell. 3, 3, 13.—And with reference to the ecenomical use, in a double sense, Cic. de Or. 2, 23, 96.—Writing on wax was erased with the broad upper end of the style; hence the phrase stilum vertere, for to erase what one has written, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 41, § 101:

saepe stilum vertas, iterum quae digna legi sint, Scripturus,

Hor. S. 1, 10, 73.—But cf.:

et mihi vertenti stilum in Gallias,

i. e. turning to write of, Amm. 29, 3, 1.—Comically:

stilis me totum usque ulmeis conscribito,

i. e. with elm switches, Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 131 (cf. conscribo).—

Transf.

= scriptio and scriptura, a setting down in writing, composing, composition; the practice of composing; manner of writing, mode of composition:

stilus optimus et praestantissimus dicendi effector ac magister,

Cic. de Or. 1, 33, 150; 1, 60, 257; cf. id. ib. 3, 49, 190; Quint. 1, 9, 2; cf.:

multus stilus et assidua lectio,

id. 10, 7, 4:

stilus exercitatus,

i. e. a practised pen, Cic. Or. 44, 150:

tardior stilus cogitationem moratur,

Quint. 1, 1, 28:

neglegens,

id. 2, 4, 13:

multus,

id. 10, 1, 1:

tardus,

id. 10, 3, 5:

rudis et confusus,

id. 1, 1, 28:

fidelis,

id. 10, 7, 7:

stilo incumbere,

Plin. Ep. 7, 29, 9:

aliquid stilo prosequi,

id. ib. 1, 8, 8;

2, 3, 3: signare stilo,

Vell. 1, 16, 1:

non ita dissimili sunt argumento, sed tamen Dissimili oratione sunt factae ac stilo,

in speech and writing, Ter. And. prol. 12 (for which:

oratione et scripturā,

id. Phorm. prol. 5); cf.:

unus sonus est totius orationis et idem stilus,

the same tone and the same style of composition run through the whole speech, Cic. Brut. 26, 100:

artifex stilus,

an artistic style, id. ib. 25, 96:

familiares opes velut supremo distribuens stilo,

i. e. by his last will, Amm. 25, 3, 21.—

A manner of speaking, mode of expression, style in speaking (post-Aug. and very rare; not as early as Quint.;

in class. Lat. sermo, oratio, dictio, dicendi modus, ars, genus or forma): stilus pressus demissusque,

Plin. Ep. 1, 8, 5:

pugnax et quasi bellatorins,

id. ib. 7, 9, 7:

laetior,

id. ib. 3, 18, 10; cf.:

diligentis stili anxietas,

Tac. Or. 39:

(Octavius) tragoediam magno impetu exorsus, non succedente stilo, abolevit,

Suet. Aug. 85:

affectatione obscurabat stilum,

id. Tib. 70:

stili dicendi duo sunt: unus est maturus et gravis, alter ardens erectus et infensus, etc.,

Macr. S. 5, 1; 6, 3.—

A decision, verdict, opinion, App. M. 10, p. 242, 20.