these smiths know how to add to their patrimonies

făber, bri ( gen. plur. most freq. fabrum; cf.:

jam ut censoriae tabulae loquuntur, fabrum et procum audeo dicere, non fabrorum et procorum,

Cic. Or. 46, 156: fabrum, Caes. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 8, C, 2; Caes. B. C. 1, 24, 4; Plin. 34, 1, 1, § 1 al.:

fabrorum,

Plaut. Most. 1, 2, 54; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 56, § 147; Plin. 35, 15, 51, § 182 al.), m. [Sanscr. root bha-, gleam, shine; Gr. phêmi, say, phainô, show; cf. for], a worker in wood, stone, metal, etc., a forger, smith, artificer, carpenter, joiner (syn.: artifex, opifex, operarius), tektôn.

Prop.

With adj. of material, etc., specifying the trade:

tamen ego me Phidiam esse mallem, quam vel optimum fabrum tignarium,

carpenter, Cic. Brut. 73, 257; so,

tignarius,

id. Rep. 2, 22; Inscr. Orell. 4087; cf.:

fabros tignarios dicimus non eos duntaxat, qui tigna dolant, sed omnes, qui aedificant,

Dig. 50, 16, 235:

ut fortunati sunt fabri ferrarii, Qui apud carbones assident!

blacksmiths, Plaut. Rud. 2, 6, 47:

fabrum aerariorum conlegium,

copper-smiths, braziers, Plin. 34, 1, 1, § 1; cf.:

marmoris aut eboris fabros aut aeris amavit,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 96:

‡ eburarius, Inscr. ap. Spon. Misc. p. 222: ‡ intestinarius,

one who does the fine carved work in wood for the interior of a building, a joiner, Inscr. Orell. 4182:

‡ a Corinthiis,

ib. 4181:

‡ oculariarius,

one who made silver eyes for statues, ib. 4185.—

In gen.:

ut arcessatur faber, ut istas compedis tibi adimam,

Plaut. Capt. 5, 4, 29:

cogito, utrum me dicam medicum ducere an fabrum,

id. Men. 5, 3, 11:

hominem pro fabro aut pro tectore emere,

Cic. Planc. 25, 62:

fabri ad aedificandam rem publicam,

work-people, workmen, laborers, id. Fam. 9, 2, 5; cf. id. Verr. 2, 5, 19, § 48:

ex legionibus fabros delegit,

the workmen belonging to the army, Caes. B. G. 5, 11, 3;

whose overseer was called praefectus fabrūm,

id. B. C. 1, 24, 4:

His fabris crescunt patrimonia,

i. e. these smiths know how to add to their patrimonies, Juv. 14, 116:

faber volans, i. e. Icarus,

id. 1, 54.— Prov.: faber est quisque fortunae suae, every man is the maker of his own fortune, Appius ap. Sall. de Republ. Ordin. 1.

făber, bra, brum, adj. [1. faber], workmanlike, skilful, ingenious ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose):

ars,

Ov. M. 8, 159; id. F. 3, 383:

levitas speculi,

App. Mag. p. 282. — Sup.:

signaculum faberrimum anuli aurei,

App. Flor. p. 346.— Adv.: fā̆bre, in a workmanlike manner, skilfully, ingeniously:

hoc factum est fabre,

Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 23; cf. id. Stich. 4, 1, 64:

teres trabs,

Sil. 14, 320; Vulg. Exod. 35, 33:

sigillatum vitrum,

App. M. 2, p. 123 (cf. fabrefacio).— Sup.:

facta navis,

App. M. 11, p. 262 al.:

aptare,

Amm. 20, 11.

făber, bri, m., the dory, a sunfish (Zaeus faber, Linn.), Plin. 9, 18, 32, § 86; 32, 11, 53, § 148; Col. 8, 16, 9; Ov. Hal. 110.