sublimity

* * *

loftiness, height, elevation, sublimity.

ad-mīror, ātus, 1, v. dep., to wonder at, to be astonished at, to regard with admiration, to admire, to be in a state of mind in which something pleases us by its extraordinary greatness, its sublimity, or perfection; while mirari signifies to be surprised at, to have the feeling of the new, singular, unusual.

In gen.:

quorum ego copiam non modo non contemno, sed etiam vehementer admiror,

Cic. de Or. 1, 51:

ingenium tuum, Crasse, vehementer admirans,

id. ib. 1, 20 fin.:

res gestas,

id. Brut. 94, 323:

quem et admiror et diligo,

id. Ac. 2, 36; so id. Scaur. 1, 4:

magnitudinem animi,

id. Fam. 1, 7; Nep. Dion. 2; id. Alcib. 11:

illum,

Verg. G. 4, 215 (cf. mirari in Hor. C. 4, 14, 43, and the Gr. thaumazein, Eurip. Med. 1144).—

Esp.

To gaze at passionately, to strive after a thing from admiration of it, to desire to obtain it:

nihil hominem nisi quod honestum decorumque sit, aut admirari aut optare aut expetere oportere,

Cic. Off. 1, 20: nil admirari prope res est una, Numici, Solaque quae possit facere et servare beatum, not to be brought by any thing into an impassioned state of mind, or into a state of desire or longing (as in the Gr. mê thaumazein;

acc. to Pythagoras the limit of all philos. effort),

Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 1.—

More freq., to fall into a state of wonder or astonishment at a thing, to wonder at, be astonished at. —Constr. with acc., acc. with inf., de, super aliquam rem, with a relat. clause, quod, cur, etc.:

quid admirati estis?

why are you so surprised? Plaut. Am. prol. 99:

admiratus sum brevitatem epistulae,

Cic. Att. 6, 9:

hoc maxime admiratus sum, mentionem te hereditatum ausum esse facere,

id. Phil. 2, 16 fin.; so Nep. Alcib. 1; id. Epam. 6, 3:

de diplomate admiraris, quasi, etc.,

Cic. Att. 10, 17:

de Dionysio sum admiratus, qui, etc.,

id. ib. 9, 12; so id. Mur. 19:

super quae admiratus pater,

Vulg. Tob. 5, 10; ib. Act. 13, 12:

cave quidquam admiratus sis, quā causā id fiat,

Ter. Heaut. 4, 6, 22:

admirantium, unde hoc studium exstitisset,

Cic. N. D. 1, 3:

admiratur quidnam Vettius dicturus sit,

id. Verr. 3, 167:

admiror, quo pacto, etc.,

Hor. S. 1, 4, 99:

admiratus sum, quod, etc.,

Cic. Att. 6, 9:

ne quis sit admiratus, cur, etc.,

id. Off. 2, 10, 35.

► Pass.: Propter venustatem vestimentorum admirari, to be admired, Canutius ap. Prisc. 792 P.— Part. fut. pass.: admīrandus, a, um, to be admired; admirable, wonderful:

suspicienda et admiranda,

Cic. Div. 2, 72, 148:

quo magis pravitas eorum admiranda est,

Sall. J. 2, 4. —Hence also adj., = admirabilis:

patiens admirandum in modum,

Nep. Ep. 3: exposuit quae in Italia viderentur admiranda, id. Cat. fin.:

admiranda spectacula,

Verg. G. 4, 3:

vir subtilis et in plurimis admirandus,

Quint. 3, 11, 22.— Comp. and adv. not used.— Sup. is found in Salv. Ep. 8: admirandissimi juvenes; cf. Barth, Adv. 35, 9.

grandĭtas, ātis, f. [grandis], greatness. *

Lit., of age (acc. to grandis, I. B.): aetatis granditas, Sisenn. ap. Non. 115, 13. —

Trop., of style (v. grandis, II. B.), grandeur, sublimity (very rare): idque apparet ex genere et granditate verborum, * Cic. Brut. 31, 121:

non illi vis, non granditas, non sublimitas defuit,

Plin. Ep. 6, 21, 5.

praeceps, cĭpĭtis (old form praecĭ-pes, cĭpis, Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 8; id. et Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 725 P. (Ann. v. 391 Vahl.; abl. praecipiti), adj. [prae-caput].

Lit., headforemost, headlong (class.):

praecipitem trahi,

Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 79:

aliquem praecipitem deicere,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 40, § 86:

praeceps ad terram datus,

dashed to the ground, Liv. 31, 37:

praeceps curru ab alto Desilit,

Ov. M. 12, 128:

hic se praecipitem tecto dedit,

threw himself headlong from the roof, Hor. S. 1, 2, 41:

aliquem in praeceps jacere,

headlong, Tac. A. 4, 22; so,

jacto in praeceps corpore,

id. ib. 6, 49; cf.:

in praeceps deferri,

Liv. 5, 47.—For in praeceps, in late Lat., per praeceps occurs:

abiit grex per praeceps in mare,

Vulg. Matt. 8, 32; id. Judic. 5, 22.—Hence, of one going rapidly, headforemost, headlong:

de ponte Ire praecipitem in lutum per caputque pedesque,

Cat. 17, 9:

se jacere praecipitem e vertice,

id. 63, 244; Verg. A. 5, 860:

ab equo praeceps decidit,

Ov. Ib. 259:

(apes) praecipites Cadunt,

Verg. G. 4, 80:

aliquem praecipitem agere,

to drive headlong, Cic. Caecin. 21, 60; Verg. A. 5, 456:

praecipites se fugae mandabant,

Caes. B. G. 2, 24:

Monoeten In mare praecipitem deturbat,

Verg. A. 5, 175; cf.:

praeceps amensque cucurri,

Ov. M. 7, 844:

praeceps Fertur,

is borne headlong, rushes, Hor. S. 1, 4, 30:

nuntii,

Tac. H. 2, 6.—

Transf., of inanim. things.

Of localities, qs. that descend suddenly in front, i. e. downhill, steep, precipitous:

in declivi ac praecipiti loco,

Caes. B. G. 4, 33:

via (opp. plana),

Cic. Fl. 42, 105:

saxa,

Liv. 38, 23:

fossae,

Ov. M. 1, 97; Verg. A. 11, 888:

iter,

Ov. Tr. 4, 3, 74; cf.

trop.: iter ad malum praeceps ac lubricum,

Cic. Rep. 1, 28, 44:

loci,

Col. 1, 2:

mons,

Plin. Pan. 16.—

Subst.: praeceps, cĭpĭtis, n., a steep place, a precipice:

turrim in praecipiti stantem,

Verg. A. 2, 460:

specus vasto in praeceps hiatu,

Plin. 2, 45, 44, § 115:

in praeceps pervenitur,

Vell. 2, 3, 4:

immane,

Juv. 10, 107:

altissimum,

App. M. 4, p. 144 med. —In plur.:

in praecipitia cursus iste deducit,

Sen. Ep. 8, 4.—

Sinking, declining:

(in vitibus) praecipites palmites dicuntur, qui de hornotinis virgis enati in duro alligantur,

Col. 5, 6, 33:

sol Praecipitem lavit aequore currum,

Verg. G. 3, 359:

jam praeceps in occasum sol erat,

Liv. 10, 42:

dies,

id. 4, 9; cf.:

senectus,

Curt. 6, 5, 3. —

In gen., swift, rapid, rushing, violent ( poet.;

syn.: celer, velox): praeceps Anio,

Hor. C. 1, 7, 13:

Boreas,

Ov. M. 2, 185:

nox,

fleeting, transient, id. ib. 9, 485:

procella,

Stat. Th. 5, 419:

oceani fragor,

Val. Fl. 3, 404:

letum,

Sen. Hippol. 262:

remedium,

Curt. 3, 6, 2.—

Trop., headlong, hasty, rash, precipitate.

In gen. (class.):

noster erus, qui scelestus sacerdotem anum praecipes Reppulit,

Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 10:

sol jam praecipitans me quoque haec praecipitem paene evolvere coëgit,

almost headlong, precipitately, Cic. de Or. 3, 55, 209:

agunt eum praecipitem poenae civium Romanorum,

chase, pursue, id. Verr. 2, 1, 3, § 7:

praecipitem amicum ferri sinere,

to rush into the abyss, id. Lael. 24, 89:

quoniam ab inimicis praeceps agor,

am pursued, Sall. C. 31, 9:

praeceps celeritas dicendi,

Cic. Fl. 20, 48: profectio, Att. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 10, 6: occumbunt multi letum... praecipe cursu, in rapid destruction, Enn. l. l.—With gen.:

SI NON FATORVM PRAECEPS HIC MORTIS OBISSET,

sudden as regards fate, Inscr. Grut. 695, 9, emended by Minervini in Bullet. Arch. Napol. III. 1845, p. 41 (but Minervini's assumption of a new adj., praeceps, from praecipio, anticipating fale, is unnecessary).—

In partic.

Rash, hasty, inconsiderate:

homo in omnibus consiliis praeceps,

Cic. Phil. 5, 13, 37: praeceps et effrenata mens, id. Cael. 15, 35:

praeceps consilium et immaturum,

Suet. Aug. 8:

cogitatio,

id. Calig. 48:

audacia,

Val. Max. 1, 6, 7.—

Inclined to any thing:

praeceps in avaritiam et crudelitatem animus,

Liv. 26, 38:

praeceps ingenio in iram,

id. 23, 7:

animus ad flagitia praeceps,

Tac. A. 16, 21.—

Dangerous, hazardous, critical:

in tam praecipiti tempore,

Ov. F. 2, 400.—Hence,

Subst.: praeceps, cĭpĭtis, n.

Great danger, extremity, extreme danger, critical circumstances:

se et prope rem publicam in praeceps dederat,

brought into extreme danger, Liv. 27, 27:

levare Aegrum ex praecipiti,

Hor. S. 2, 3, 292:

aeger est in praecipiti,

Cels. 2, 6.—

The highest part, summit, sublimity (postAug.):

omne in praecipiti vitium stetit,

at its point of culmination, Juv. 1, 149:

debet orator erigi, attolli, efferri, ac saepe accedere ad praeceps,

to verge on the sublime, Plin. Ep. 9, 26, 2.—Hence, adv.: prae-ceps, headlong.

Lit.:

aliquem praeceps trahere,

Tac. A. 4, 62:

ex his fulgoribus quaedam praeceps eunt, similia prosilientibus stellis,

Sen. Q. N. 1, 15, 2:

moles convulsa dum ruit intus immensam vim mortalium praeceps trahit atque operit,

Tac. A. 4, 62:

toto praeceps se corpore ad undas Misit,

Verg. A. 4, 253.—

Trop.:

eversio rei familiaris dignitatem ac famam praeceps dabat,

brought into danger, Tac. A. 6, 17:

praeceps in exsilium acti,

suddenly, hastily, Amm. 29, 1, 21.

sublīmĭtas, ātis, f. [sublimis], height, loftiness (post-Aug.; cf. altitudo).

Lit.:

corporis,

Quint. 12, 5, 5:

cellarum,

Col. 8, 3, 3:

cucurbitarum,

Plin. 19, 5, 24, § 69.—In plur.:

lunae,

Plin. 2, 16, 13, § 68.—

Trop.

In gen.:

sublimitas incomparabilis invicti animi,

Plin. 7, 25, 26, § 94:

in picturā,

id. 35, 10, 36, § 67.—

In partic., of language, loftiness, elevation, sublimity (while elevatio means disparagement):

heroici carminis,

Quint. 1, 8, 5; cf.:

ab his (poëtis) in verbis sublimitas petitur,

id. 10, 1, 27:

sublimitas et magnificentia et nitor,

id. 8, 3, 3:

narrandi (with splendor),

Plin. Ep. 1, 16, 4:

Platonica illa sublimitas,

id. ib. 1, 10, 5.