to touch softly

* * *

palpo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., and pal-por, ātus [palpus; cf. Gr. psallô], 1, v. dep. a., to stroke, to touch softly, to pat ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose; syn. mulceo).

Lit.:

modo pectora praebet Virgineā palpanda manu,

Ov. M. 2, 867 Jahn N. cr.:

palpate lupos,

Manil. 5, 702:

cum equum permulsit quis vel palpatus est,

Dig. 9, 1, 1: tamquam si manu palpetur, Schol. Juv. 6, 196: animalia blandi manu palpata magistri, Prud. steph. 11, 91.—

Transf.

To caress, coax, wheedle, flatter.

Absol.:

hoc sis vide ut palpatur! nullus est quando occepit, blandior,

Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 57; Lucil. ap. Non. 472, 6:

palpabo, ecquonam modo possim, etc.,

Cic. Att. 9, 9, 1:

nihil asperum tetrumque palpanti est,

Sen. Ira, 3, 8, 7.—

With dat.:

quam blande mulieri palpabitur,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 9:

cui male si palpere, recalcitrat undique tutus,

Hor. S. 2, 1, 20: scribenti palpare, Poll. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 2.—

With acc.:

quem munere palpat Carus,

Juv. 1, 35; App. M. 5, p. 172, 39.—

To feel one's way (late Lat.):

et palpes in meridie, sicut palpare solet caecus in tenebris,

Vulg. Deut. 28, 29; id. Job, 5, 14.

palpo, ōnis, m. [1. palpo], a flatterer, Pers. 5, 176.

palpo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., and pal-por, ātus [palpus; cf. Gr. psallô], 1, v. dep. a., to stroke, to touch softly, to pat ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose; syn. mulceo).

Lit.:

modo pectora praebet Virgineā palpanda manu,

Ov. M. 2, 867 Jahn N. cr.:

palpate lupos,

Manil. 5, 702:

cum equum permulsit quis vel palpatus est,

Dig. 9, 1, 1: tamquam si manu palpetur, Schol. Juv. 6, 196: animalia blandi manu palpata magistri, Prud. steph. 11, 91.—

Transf.

To caress, coax, wheedle, flatter.

Absol.:

hoc sis vide ut palpatur! nullus est quando occepit, blandior,

Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 57; Lucil. ap. Non. 472, 6:

palpabo, ecquonam modo possim, etc.,

Cic. Att. 9, 9, 1:

nihil asperum tetrumque palpanti est,

Sen. Ira, 3, 8, 7.—

With dat.:

quam blande mulieri palpabitur,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 9:

cui male si palpere, recalcitrat undique tutus,

Hor. S. 2, 1, 20: scribenti palpare, Poll. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 2.—

With acc.:

quem munere palpat Carus,

Juv. 1, 35; App. M. 5, p. 172, 39.—

To feel one's way (late Lat.):

et palpes in meridie, sicut palpare solet caecus in tenebris,

Vulg. Deut. 28, 29; id. Job, 5, 14.

palpo, ōnis, m. [1. palpo], a flatterer, Pers. 5, 176.

artĭcŭlus, i, m. dim. [2. artus], a small member connecting various parts of the body, a joint, knot, knuckle.

A.. Lit.:

nodi corporum, qui vocantur articuli,

Plin. 11, 37, 88, § 217:

hominis digiti articulos habent ternos, pollex binos,

id. 11, 43, 99, § 244:

summus caudae articulus,

id. 8, 41, 63, § 153 al.:

crura sine nodis articulisque,

Caes. B. G. 6, 27:

ipso in articulo, quo jungitur capiti cervix,

Liv. 27, 49:

auxerat articulos macies,

i. e. had made more joints, had made the bones visible, Ov. M. 8, 807:

articulorum dolores habere,

i. e. gouty pains, Cic. Att. 1, 5 fin.; cf. Cels. 5, 18: postquam illi justa cheragra Contudit articulos, * Hor. S. 2, 7, 16; cf. Pers. 5, 58:

gladiatorem vehementis impetus excipit adversarii mollis articulus,

Quint. 2, 12, 2.—Hence, molli articulo tractare aliquem, to touch one gently, softly, Quint. 11, 2, 70.—Of plants:

ineunte vere in iis (vitibus), quae relicta sunt, exsistit, tamquam ad articulos sarmentorum, ea quae gemma dicitur,

Cic. Sen. 15, 53; Plin. 16, 24, 36, § 88:

ante quam seges in articulum eat,

Col. 2, 11, 9; so Plin. 18, 17, 45, § 159. —Of mountains, a hill connecting several larger mountains:

montium articuli,

Plin. 37, 13, 77, § 201.—

With an extension of the idea, a limb, member, in gen. (cf. 2. artus), * Lucr. 3, 697.—Hence also for a finger, Prop. 2, 34, 80; so Ov. H. 10, 140; id. P. 2, 3, 18:

quot manus atteruntur, ut unus niteat articulus!

Plin. 2, 63, 63, § 158:

ab eo missus est articulus manūs,

Vulg. Dan. 5, 24:

aspiciebat articulos manūs,

ib. ib. 5, 5: erexit me super articulos manuum mearum, on the fingers or palms of my hands, ib. ib. 10, 10. —

Trop.

Of discourse, a member, part, division: articulus dicitur, cum singula verba intervallis distinguuntur caesā oratione, hoc modo: acrimoniā, voce, vultu adversarios perterruisti, Auct. ad Her. 4, 19: continuatio verborum soluta multo est aptior atque jucundior, si est articulis membrisque (kommasi kai kôlois) distincta, quam si continuata ac producta, Cic. de Or. 3, 48, 186: (genus orationis) fluctuans et dissolutum eo quod sine nervis et articulis fluctuat huc et illuc, Auct. ad Her. 4, 11.—

Hence,

a short clause, Dig. 36, 1, 27;

also,

a single word, ib. 35, 1, 4:

articulus Est praesentis temporis demonstrationem continet,

ib. 34, 2, 35:

hoc articulo Quisque omnes significantur,

ib. 28, 5, 29.—In gram. the pronn. hic and quis, Varr. L. L. 8, § 45 Müll.; the article, Quint. 1, 4, 19.—

Of time.

A point of time, a moment:

commoditatis omnes articulos scio,

Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 31.—With tempus:

qui hunc in summas angustias adductum putaret, ut eum suis conditionibus in ipso articulo temporis astringeret,

at the most critical moment, Cic. Quinct. 5, 19:

in ipsis quos dixi temporum articulis,

Plin. 2, 97, 99, § 216: si de singulis articulis [p. 168] temporum deliberabimus, August. ap. Suet. Claud. 4;

also without tempus: in ipso articulo,

at the fit moment, at the nick of time, Ter. Ad. 2, 2, 21.—With dies:

in articulo diei illius ingressus est,

on that very day, Vulg. Gen. 7, 13.—And with res:

in articulo rerum,

Curt. 3, 5; also in articulo, instantly, immediately, = statim, Cod. Just. 1, 33, 3.—Hence with the idea extended,

A space, division of time:

hi cardines singulis articulis dividuntur,

Plin. 18, 25, 59, § 222:

octo articuli lunae,

id. 18, 35, 79, § 350: articulus austrinus, i. e. in which auster blows, id. 17, 2, 2, § 11.—

Of other abstract things, part, division, point: per eosdem articulos (i.e. per easdem honorum partes) et gradus producere, August. ap. Suet. Claud. 4:

stationes in mediis latitudinum articulis, quae vocant ecliptica,

Plin. 2, 15, 13, § 68; Dig. 1, 3, 12:

ventum est ergo ad ipsum articulum causae, i. e. ventum ad rei cardinem,

the turning-point, Arn. 7, p. 243.

per-mulcĕo, mulsi, sum, and ctum, 2, v. a., to rub gently, to stroke.

Lit.: ut pulverem Manibus isdem, quibus Ulixi saepe permulsi, abluam, Pac. ap. Gell. 2, 26, 13 (Trag. Rel. p. 90 Rib.); so, aliquem manu, Ov F. 4, 551: capite permulso, Varr. ap. Prisc. p. 871 P.:

barbam,

Liv. 5, 41:

alicui malas,

Suet. Ner. 1:

comas,

Ov. M. 2, 733.—

Transf.

To touch gently: aram flatu permulcet spiritus austri, blows softly upon, Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 44, 114:

arteriae leni voce permulsae,

Auct. Her. 3, 12, 21:

medicatā lumina virgā,

Ov. M. 1, 716; Cat. 62, 162.—

To soften:

cera picem lenitate permulcet,

Pall. 10, 11, 2.—

Trop.

To charm, please, delight, flatter, fondle:

sensum voluptate,

Cic. Fin. 2, 10, 32:

aures,

id. Or. 49, 163:

aliquem permulcere atque allicere,

id. de Or. 2, 78, 315:

aures cantibus,

Sil. 11, 292:

his verbis vacuas permulceat auris,

Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 26.—

To soothe, appease, allay, tame:

eorum animis permulsis et confirmatis,

Caes. B. G. 4, 6:

pectora dictis,

Verg. A. 5, 816: liberalibus verbis permulcti sunt, Sall. Fragm. ap. Prisc. p. 871 P.:

iram alicujus,

Liv. 39, 23:

aliquem mitibus verbis,

Tac. A. 2, 34:

comitate militem,

id. ib. 1, 29:

animos,

Lucr. 5, 21:

senectutem,

to mitigate, Cic. Sen. 2, 4.