to the height of two fingers

altus, a, um, participle from alo., lit., grown or become great, great (altus ab alendo dictus, Paul. ex Fest. p. 7 Müll.; cf. the Germ. gross with the Engl. grow), a polar word meaning both high and deep.

Seen from below upwards, high.

Lit.: IN ALTOD MARID PVCNANDOD, etc., Columna Duilii; so, maria alta, Liv. Andron. ap. Macr. S. 6, 5, 10; id. ib. ap. Prisc. p. 725 P.: aequor, Pac. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 23 Müll.: parietes, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19, 44:

sub ramis arboris altae,

Lucr. 2, 30:

acervus,

id. 3, 198 al.:

columellam tribus cubitis ne altiorem,

Cic. Leg. 2, 26, 66:

altior illis Ipsa dea est colloque tenus supereminet omnes,

taller, Ov. M. 3, 181:

altis de montibus,

Verg. E. 1, 83:

umbras Altorum nemorum,

Ov. M. 1, 591 al. —With the acc. of measure:

clausi lateribus pedem altis,

a foot high, Sall. H. Fragm. 4, 39 Gerl.; cf. Lind. C. Gr. I. p. 215.—With gen.:

triglyphi alti unius et dimidiati moduli, lati in fronte unius moduli,

Vitr. 4, 3:

majorem turrim altam cubitorum CXX.,

id. 10, 5:

alta novem pedum,

Col. 8, 14, 1:

singula latera pedum lata tricenum, alta quinquagenum,

Plin. 36, 13, 19, § 4.—

Trop., high, lofty, elevated, great, magnanimous, high-minded, noble, august, etc.:

altissimus dignitatis gradus,

Cic. Phil. 1, 6, 14; so id. Clu. 55; id. Dom. 37.—Of mind or thought:

te natura excelsum quendam videlicet et altum et humana despicientem genuit,

Cic. Tusc. 2, 4, 11:

homo sapiens et altā mente praeditus,

highminded, id. Mil. 8:

qui altiore animo sunt,

id. Fin. 5, 20, 57 al. —So of gods, or persons elevated in birth, rank, etc.;

also of things personified: rex aetheris altus Juppiter,

Verg. A. 12, 140:

Apollo,

id. ib. 10, 875:

Caesar,

Hor. C. 3, 4, 37:

Aeneas, i. e. deā natus,

id. S. 2, 5, 62:

Roma,

Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 33:

Carthago,

Prop. 2, 1, 23 al. —Of the voice, high, shrill, loud, clear:

Conclamate iterum altiore voce,

Cat. 42, 18:

haec fatus altā voce,

Sen. Troad. 196:

altissimus sonus,

Quint. 11, 3, 23 (cf.:

vox magna,

Ov. Tr. 4, 9, 24; Juv. 4, 32).— Subst.: altum, i, n., a height:

sic est hic ordo (senatorius) quasi propositus atque editus in altum,

on high, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 41, § 98:

aedificia in altum edita,

Tac. H. 3, 71:

quidquid in altum Fortuna tulit, ruitura levat,

Sen. Agam. 100.—Esp.

(Sc. caelum.) The height of heaven, high heaven, the heavens:

ex alto volavit avis,

Enn. Ann. 1, 108:

haec ait, et Maiā genitum demisit ab alto,

Verg. A. 1, 297.—Still more freq.,

(Sc. mare.) The high sea, the deep, the sea: rapit ex alto navīs velivolas, Enn. ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 224:

ubi sumus provecti in altum, capiunt praedones navem illam, ubi vectus fui,

Plaut. Mil. 2, 1, 39; so id. Men. 1, 2, 2; id. Rud. prol. 66; 2, 3, 64:

terris jactatus et alto,

Verg. A. 1, 3:

in altum Vela dabant,

id. ib. 1, 34:

collectae ex alto nubes,

id. G. 1, 324:

urget ab alto Notus,

id. ib. 1, 443 al.:

alto mersā classe,

Sil. 6, 665:

ab illā parte urbis navibus aditus ex alto est,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 32:

in alto jactari,

id. Inv. 2, 31, 95:

naves nisi in alto constitui non poterant,

Caes. B. G. 4, 24:

naves in altum provectae,

id. ib. 4, 28: scapha in altum navigat, Sall. Fragm.—So in the plur.:

alta petens,

Verg. A. 7, 362.— Trop.:

quam magis te in altum capessis, tam aestus te in portum refert,

Plaut. As. 1, 3, 6:

imbecillitas... in altum provehitur imprudens,

Cic. Tusc. 4, 18, 42:

te quasi quidam aestus ingenii tui in altum abstraxit,

id. de Or. 3, 36, 145.—

Seen from above downwards, deep, profound.

Lit. (hence sometimes opp. summus): Acherusia templa alta Orci, salvete, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, 2, 81; Cic. Tusc. 1, 21, 48:

quom ex alto puteo sursum ad summum escenderis,

Plaut. Mil. 4, 4, 14:

altissimae radices,

Cic. Phil. 4, 5:

altae stirpes,

id. Tusc. 3, 6, 13:

altissima flumina,

Caes. B. C. 3, 77:

altior aqua,

id. ib. 1, 25:

alta theatri Fundamenta,

Verg. A. 1, 427:

gurgite in alto,

in the deep whirlpool, id. E. 6, 76:

altum vulnus,

id. A. 10, 857; Petr. 136; Sen. Troad. 48:

altum totā metitur cuspide pectus,

Sil. 4, 292; so id. 6, 580 al.:

unde altior esset Casus,

Juv. 10, 106.—With the abl. of measure:

faciemus (scrobes) tribus pedibus altas,

Pall. Jan. 10, 3.—

Trop. (more freq. in and after the Aug. per.), deep, profound:

somno quibus est opus alto,

Hor. S. 2, 1, 8; so Liv. 7, 35:

sopor,

Verg. A. 8, 27:

quies,

id. ib. 6, 522:

silentium,

id. ib. 10, 63; Quint. 10, 3, 22:

altissima tranquillitas,

Plin. Ep. 2, 1:

altissima eruditio,

id. ib. 4, 30:

altiores artes,

Quint. 8, 3, 2.— Subst.: altum, i, n., the depth, i. e. what is deep or far removed:

ex alto dissimulare,

Ov. Am. 2, 4, 16:

non ex alto venire nequitiam, sed summo, quod aiunt, animo inhaerere,

Sen. Ira, 1, 16 med. al.—Hence, ex alto repetere, or petere, in discourse, to bring from far; as P. a., farfetched:

quae de nostris officiis scripserim, quoniam ex alto repetita sunt,

Cic. Fam. 3, 5:

quid causas petis ex alto?

Verg. A. 8, 395 (cf.:

alte repetere in the same sense,

Cic. Sest. 13; id. Rep. 4, 4, and v. al. infra).—

Poet., in reference to a distant (past) time: cur vetera tam ex alto appetissis discidia, Agamemno? Att. ap. Non. 237, 22 (altum: vetus, antiquum, Non.); cf. Verg. G. 4, 285.—With the access. idea of venerable (cf. antiquus), ancient, old:

genus alto a sanguine Teucri,

Verg. A. 6, 500:

Thebanā de matre nothum Sarpedonis alti,

id. ib. 9, 697;

genus Clauso referebat ab alto,

Ov. F. 4, 305:

altā gente satus,

Val. Fl. 3, 202:

altis inclitum titulis genus,

Sen. Herc. Fur. 338.— Adv.: altē, and very rarely altum, high, deep (v. supra, altus, P. a. init.).

High, on high, high up, from on high, from above (v. altus, P. a., A.).

Lit.:

alte ex tuto prospectum aucupo,

Att. Trag. Rel. p. 188 Rib.:

colomen alte geminis aptum cornibus,

id. ib. p. 221:

alte jubatos angues,

Naev. ib. p. 9:

jubar erigere alte,

Lucr. 4, 404:

roseā sol alte lampade lucens,

id. 5, 610:

in vineā ficos subradito alte, ne eas vitis scandat,

Cato, R. R. 50:

cruentum alte extollens pugionem,

Cic. Phil. 2, 12, 28: non animadvertis cetarios escendere in malum alte, ut perspiciant pisces? Varr. ap. Non. 49, 15:

(aër) tollit se ac rectis ita faucibus eicit alte,

Lucr. 6, 689:

dextram Entellus alte extulit,

Verg. A. 5, 443:

alte suras vincire cothurno,

high up, id. ib. 1, 337:

puer alte cinctus,

Hor. S. 2, 8, 10, and Sen. Ep. 92:

unda alte subjectat arenam,

Verg. G. 3, 240:

Nihil tam alte natura constituit, quo virtus non possit eniti,

Curt. 7, 11, 10: alte maesti in terram cecidimus, from on high, Varr. ap. Non. 79, 16:

eo calcem cribro succretam indito alte digitos duo,

to the height of two fingers, Cato, R. R. 18, 7; so Col. R. R. 5, 6, 6.— Comp.:

quae sunt humiliora neque se tollere a terrā altius possunt,

Cic. Tusc. 5, 13, 37:

tollam altius tectum,

id. Har. Resp. 15, 33:

altius praecincti,

Hor. S. 1, 5, 5:

pullus in arvis altius ingreditur,

Verg. G. 3, 75:

caput altius effert,

id. ib. 3, 553:

altius atque cadant imbres,

id. E. 6, 38 ubi v. Forb.:

altius aliquid tenere,

Sen. Q. N. 1, 5.— Sup.: [p. 96] cum altissime volāsset (aquila), Suet. Aug. 94.—

Trop.:

alte natus,

Albin. 1, 379 (cf.: altus Aeneas, supra, P. a., A. II.):

alte enim cadere non potest,

Cic. Or. 28, 98:

video te alte spectare,

id. Tusc. 1, 34, 82; id. Rep. 6, 23, 25.— Comp.:

altius se efferre,

Cic. Rep. 6, 23, 25; 3, 3, 4:

altius irae surgunt ductori,

Verg. A. 10, 813:

altius aliquid agitare,

Cels. 1 prooem.:

attollitur vox altius,

Quint. 11, 3, 65:

verbis altius atque altius insurgentibus,

id. 8, 4, 27.— Sup.:

Ille dies virtutem Catonis altissime illuminavit,

Vell. 2, 35:

ingenium altissime adsurgit,

Plin. Ep. 8, 4.—

Deep, deeply (v. altus, P. a. B.).

Lit.:

ablaqueato ficus non alte,

Cato, R. R. 36:

ferrum haud alte in corpus descendere,

Liv. 1, 41:

alte vulnus adactum,

Verg. A. 10, 850; Ov. M. 6, 266; Curt. 4, 6, 18; Cels. 5, 26, 30:

timidum caput abdidit alte,

Verg. G. 3, 422:

alte consternunt terram frondes,

deeply strew, id. A. 4, 443:

ut petivit Suspirium alte!

Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 58 (cf.:

ingentem gemitum dat pectore ab imo,

Verg. A. 1, 485):

inter cupam pertundito alte digitos primorīs tres,

Cato, R. R. 21, 2:

minimum alte pedem,

Col. de Arb. 30.— Comp.:

ne radices altius agant,

Col. 5, 6, 8:

terra altius effossa,

Quint. 10, 3, 2:

cum sulcus altius esset impressus,

Cic. Div. 2, 23, 50:

frigidus imber Altius ad vivum persedit, Verg G. 3, 441: tracti altius gemitus,

Sen. Ira, 3, 4, 2.— Sup.:

(latronibus gladium) altissime demergo,

App. M. 2, 32.—

Trop., deeply, profoundly, far, from afar:

privatus ut altum Dormiret,

Juv. 1, 16:

alte terminus haerens,

Lucr. 1, 77:

longo et alte petito prooemio respondere,

Cic. Clu. 21, 58:

ratio alte petita,

Quint. 11, 1, 62:

alte et a capite repetis, quod quaerimus,

Cic. Leg. 1, 6, 18; id. Rep. 4, 4, 4; id. Sest. 13, 31.— Comp.:

qui altius perspiciebant,

had a deeper insight, Cic. Verr. 1, 7, 19:

quae principia sint, repetendum altius videtur,

must be sought out more deeply, id. Off. 1, 16:

altius repetitae causae,

Quint. 11, 1, 62:

de quo si paulo altius ordiri ac repetere memoriam religionis videbor,

Cic. Verr. 4, 105:

Hisce tibi in rebus latest alteque videndum,

Lucr. 6, 647:

altius supprimere iram,

Curt. 6, 7, 35:

altius aliquem percellere,

Tac. A. 4, 54:

altius metuere,

id. ib. 4, 41:

altius animis maerere,

id. ib. 2, 82:

cum verbum aliquod altius transfertur,

Cic. Or. 25, 82:

Altius omnem Expediam primā repetens ab origine famam,

Verg. G. 4, 285;

so,

Tac. H. 4, 12:

altius aliquid persequi,

Plin. 2, 23, 31, § 35:

hinc altius cura serpit,

id. 4, 11, 13, § 87.— Sup.:

qui vir et quantus esset, altissime inspexi,

Plin. Ep. 5, 15, 5.

altus, ūs, m. [alo], a nourishing, support:

terrae altu,

Macr. S. 1, 20 fin.