something very insignificant

lĕvis, e, adj. [for leg-vis; Sanscr. laghu-s, little; cf. O. H. Germ. ring-i; Germ. gering; Gr. elachus], light in weight, not heavy (opp. gravis).

Lit.:

leviora corpora (opp. graviora),

Lucr. 2, 227:

aether,

id. 5, 459:

aura,

id. 3, 196:

levior quam pluma,

Plaut. Men. 3, 2, 23:

stipulae,

Verg. G. 1, 289: armatura, light armor:

levis armaturae Numidae,

the light-armed Numidians, Caes. B. G. 2, 10; also, by metonymy, lightarmed troops; v. armatura, and cf.:

sed haec fuerit nobis tamquam levis armaturae prima orationis excursio,

Cic. Div. 2, 10 fin.; so,

miles,

a light-armed soldier, Liv. 8, 8; cf.

of clothing: nudi, aut sagulo leves,

Tac. G. 6:

flebis in solo levis angiportu,

Hor. C. 1, 25, 10.—Of the earth upon the dead:

terraque securae sit super ossa levis,

Tib. 2, 4, 50;

esp. freq. on tombstones: sit tibi terra levis (abbreviated, S. T. T. L.): per leves populos,

the shades, bodiless persons, Ov. M. 10, 14:

virgaque levem coerces aurea turbam,

Hor. C. 1, 10, 18.— Poet. with inf.: fessis leviora tolli Pergama Grais, a lighter burden, i. e. easier to be destroyed, Hor. C. 2, 4, 11.—

Transf.

Light of digestion, easy to digest (mostly poet. and post-Aug.):

quae in aqua degunt, leviorem cibum praestant. Inter domesticas quadrupedes levissima suilla est, gravissima bubula,

lightest of digestion, Cels. 1, 18:

leves malvae,

Hor. C. 1, 31, 16 (cf.:

gravi Malvae salubres corpori,

id. Epod. 2, 57).—

Light in motion, swift, quick, fleet, nimble, rapid (syn.:

agilis, alacer, pernix): ipsa (diva) levi fecit volitantem flamine currum (i. e. Argo),

a quick, favorable wind, Cat. 64, 9; cf.:

leves venti,

Ov. M. 15, 346:

flatus,

Sil. 15, 162:

currus,

light, swift, Ov. M. 2, 150:

levi deducens pollice filum,

light, nimble, id. ib. 4, 36; so,

pollex,

id. ib. 6, 22:

saltus,

id. ib. 7, 767;

3, 599: peltam pro parma fecit, ut ad motus concursusque essent leviores,

Nep. Iphicr. 1:

Messapus levis cursu,

Verg. A. 12, 489:

leves Parthi,

id. G. 4, 314:

equus,

Val. Fl. 1, 389:

Nympharumque leves cum Satyris chori,

Hor. C. 1, 1, 31:

quaere modos leviore plectro,

nimbler, gayer, id. ib. 2, 1, 40:

et levis erecta consurgit ad oscula plantā,

Juv. 6, 507.—With inf. ( poet.):

omnes ire leves,

Sil. 16, 488:

exsultare levis,

id. 10, 605:

levior discurrere,

id. 4, 549:

nullo levis terrore moveri,

Claud. IV. Cons. Hon. 514:

hora,

fleeting, Ov. M. 15, 181:

terra,

light, thin soil, Verg. G. 2, 92:

et ubi montana (loca) quod leviora et ideo salubriora,

Varr. R. R. 1, 6, 3;

so (opp graviora),

id. ib. —

Slight, trifling, small (mostly poet.): ignis, Ov. M. 3, 488:

tactus,

a slight, gentle touch, id. ib. 4, 180:

strepitus,

id. ib. 7, 840:

stridor,

id. ib. 4, 413.

Trop.

Without weight, i. e. of no consequence; hence, in gen., light, trifling, unimportant, inconsiderable, trivial, slight, little, petty, easy (class.):

nunquam erit alienis gravis qui suis se concinnat levem,

Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 58:

grave est nomen imperii atque id etiam in levi persona pertimescitur,

Cic. Agr. 2, 17, 45:

leve et infirmum,

id. Rosc. Com. 2, 6: quae mihi ad spem obtinendae veritatis gravissima sunt;

ad motum animi... leviora,

id. Deiot. 2, 5:

quod alia quaedam inania et levia conquiras,

id. Planc. 26, 63:

auditio,

a light, unfounded report, Caes. B. G. 7, 42:

cui res et pecunia levissima et existimatio sanctissima fuit semper,

something very insignificant, Cic. Rosc. Com. 5, 15:

dolor,

id. Fin. 1, 12, 40:

proelium,

Caes. B. G. 7, 36:

periculum,

id. B. C. 3, 26:

in aliquem merita,

id. ib. 2, 32, 10:

leviore de causa,

id. B. G. 7, 4 fin.:

praecordia levibus flagrantia causis,

Juv. 13, 182:

effutire leves indigna tragoedia versus,

Hor. A. P. 231.—As subst.:

in levi habitum,

was made little of, was regarded as a trifle, Tac. H. 2, 21; id. A. 3, 54:

levia sed nimium queror,

Sen. Herc. Fur. 63:

quid leviora loquor? Petr. poët. 134, 12: non est leve tot puerorum observare manus,

no easy matter, Juv. 7, 240:

quidquid levius putaris,

easier, id. 10, 344.—

With gen. ( poet.):

opum levior,

Sil. 2, 102.—

In disposition or character.

Light, light-minded, capricious, fickle, inconstant, unreliable, false:

homo levior quam pluma,

Plaut. Men. 3, 2, 23:

ne me leviorem erga te putes,

id. Trin. 5, 2, 34:

tu levior cortice,

Hor. C. 3, 9, 22:

vitium levium hominum atque fallacium,

Cic. Lael. 25, 91:

quidam saepe in parva pecunia perspiciuntur quam sint leves,

id. ib. 17, 63:

leves ac nummarii judices,

id. Clu. 28, 75:

sit precor illa levis,

Tib. 1, 6, 56:

levi brachio aliquid agere,

Cic. Att. 4, 16, 6:

quid levius aut turpius,

Caes. B. G. 5, 28 fin.:

auctor,

Liv. 5, 15:

leves amicitiae,

Cic. Lael. 26, 100:

spes,

vain, empty, Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 8:

leviores mores,

Ulp. Fragm. 6, 12.—

Mild, gentle, pleasant (rare):

quos qui leviore nomine appellant, percussores vocant,

Cic. Rosc. Am. 33, 93; and:

levior reprehensio,

id. Ac. 2, 32, 102:

tandem eo, quod levissimum videbatur, decursum est,

the gentlest, mildest, Liv. 5, 23 fin.:

nec leves somnos timor aut cupido Sordidus aufert,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 15; id. Epod. 2, 28:

exsilium,

mild, tolerable, Suet. Aug. 51.—Hence, adv.: lĕ-vĭter, lightly, not heavily.

Lit. (rare):

armati,

light-armed, Curt. 4, 13.—Of the blow of a weapon:

levius casura pila sperabat,

Caes. B. C. 3, 92, 2.—

Trop.

Slightly, a little, not much, somewhat:

leviter densae nubes,

Lucr. 6, 248:

inflexum bacillum,

Cic. Div. 1, 17, 30:

genae leviter eminentes (al. leniter),

id. N. D. 2, 57, 143:

qui (medici) leviter aegrotantes leniter curant, gravioribus autem morbis, etc.,

id. Off. 1, 24, 83:

saucius,

id. Inv. 2, 51, 154:

non leviter lucra liguriens,

id. Verr. 2, 3, 76, § 177:

agnoscere aliquid,

id. Fin. 2, 11, 33:

eruditus,

id. de Or. 3, 6, 24.— Comp.:

quanto constantior idem In vitiis, tanto levius miser,

so much less, Hor. S. 2, 7, 18:

dolere,

Ov. P. 1, 9, 30.— Sup.:

ut levissime dicam,

to express it in the mildest manner, Cic. Cat. 3, 7 fin. —

Easily, lightly, without difficulty, with equanimity:

id eo levius ferendum est, quod, etc.,

Cic. Fam. 4, 3, 2; cf.:

sed levissime feram, si, etc.,

id. Prov. Cons. 20, 47; Liv. 29, 9.— Comp.:

levius torquetis Arachne,

more dexterously, Juv. 2, 56.

lēvis (erroneously laevis), e, adj. [Gr. leios, leuros], smooth, smoothed, not rough, opp. asper (class.).

Lit.

In gen.:

corpuscula quaedam levia, alia aspera, etc.,

Cic. N. D. 1, 24, 66:

in locis (spectatur): leves an asperi,

id. Part. Or. 10, 36:

Deus levem eum (mundum) fecit et undique aequabilem,

id. Univ. 6:

pocula,

smooth, shining, Verg. A. 5, 91:

pharetrae,

id. ib. 5, 558:

brassica,

Cato, R. R. 15, 7:

levissima corpora,

Lucr. 4, 659:

coma pectine levis,

Ov. M. 12, 409:

nascunturque leves per digitos umerosque plumae,

Hor. C. 2, 20, 11:

levior assiduo detritis aequore conchis,

Ov. M. 13, 792: inimicus pumice levis, rubbed (cf. pumicatus), Juv. 9, 95.— Poet.: levi cum sanguine Nisus labitur infelix, slippery, [p. 1055] Verg. A. 5, 328:

levis Juventas ( = imberbis),

smooth, without hair, beardless, Hor. C. 2, 11, 6; so,

ora,

Tib. 1, 9 (8), 31:

crura,

Juv. 8, 115:

sponsus,

id. 3, 111:

caput,

id. 10, 199; 2, 12; hence, also, poet. for youthful, delicate, beautiful:

pectus,

Verg. A. 11, 40:

frons,

id. E. 6, 51:

umeri,

id. A. 7, 815:

colla,

Ov. M. 10, 698.—Also, finely dressed, spruce, effeminate:

vir,

Ov. A. A. 3, 437; Pers. 1, 82: argentum, smooth, not engraved or chased, Juv. 14, 62.—In neutr. absol.:

externi ne quid valeat per leve morari,

smoothness, Hor. S. 2, 7, 87; so,

per leve,

Pers. 1, 64:

per levia,

Aus. Idyll. 16, 4.—

Transf., rubbed smooth, ground down, softened, soft (rare), Scrib. Comp. 228; Cels. 2, 8.—

Trop., of speech, smooth, flowing (rare but class.):

oratio (opp. aspera),

Cic. Or. 5 fin.; so,

levis verborum concursus (opp. asper),

id. de Or. 3, 43, 171:

levis et aspera (vox),

Quint. 11, 3, 15:

levis et quadrata compositio,

id. 2, 5, 9:

levia ac nitida,

id. 5, 12, 18:

(aures) fragosis offenduntur et levibus mulcentur,

id. 9, 4, 116.— Adv. does not occur.