touch-wood

fōmentum, i, n. [contr. from fovimentum from foveo], a warm application, warm lotion or poultice, fomentation.

Lit.:

calida,

Cels. 2, 17 med.:

aquae calidae,

id. 8, 10, 7:

calida, sicca,

id. 3, 11 init.; 4, 14; cf. Suet. Aug. 81:

assideat, fomenta paret,

Hor. S. 1, 1, 82:

adhibere,

Col. 6, 30, 3:

(juvant) fomenta podagrum,

Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 52: fomenta vulneribus nulla, i. e. bandages (before, ligamenta), Tac. A. 15, 55.—

Transf., for fomes, touch-wood, kindling-wood: se ex arboribus fomenta excidisse, Clod. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 1, 176:

fomenta ignium varia,

Amm. 20, 7, 12.—

Trop.

A lenitive, mitigation, alleviation:

haec sunt solatia, haec fomenta summorum dolorum,

Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 59; cf.:

patentiae, fortitudinis fomentis dolor mitigari solet,

id. Fin. 2, 29, 95:

militaribus animis adhibenda fomenta, ut ferre pacem velint,

Tac. A. 1, 46:

paupertati suae fomenta conquirere,

App. M. 2, p. 124; Quint. 4, 3, 10:

ut haec ingrata ventis dividat Fomenta, vulnus nil malum levantia,

i. e. consolations, Hor. Epod. 11, 17.—

Poet. transf., nourishment:

quodsi frigida curarum fomenta relinquere posses,

Hor. Ep. 1, 3, 26.

fōmes, ĭtis, m. [foveo], kindling-wood, touch-wood, tinder.

Lit.:

silici scintillam excudit Achates... rapuitque in fomite flammam,

Verg. A. 1, 176; Luc. 8, 776; Plin. 16, 40, 77, § 208.—

Trop. (postclass.):

fomes et incitabulum ingenii virtutisque,

Gell. 15, 2, 3:

peccati,

Prud. Apoth. 942:

invidiae,

Vulg. Gen. 37, 8.—

Transf.: fomites sunt assulae ex arboribus, dum caeduntur, excussae: dictae, quod in eo opere occupati cibis potuque confoventur, etc., Paul. ex Fest. p. 85 Müll.; cf.: Fomes pelekêma, Gloss. Labb.

quătĭo, no perf., quassum, 3, v. a. [Sanscr. root, cyu-, to move, set in motion; cf. Gr. skeuos, instrument; skeuazô, to prepare], to shake (class.; syn.: concutio, convello).

Lit.

In gen., Fest. p. 261 Müll.:

cum equus magnā vi caput quateret,

Liv. 8, 7:

alas,

Verg. A. 3, 226:

pennas,

Ov. M. 4, 676; Hor. C. 3, 29, 53:

aquas,

to agitate, disturb, Ov. H. 18, 48:

cymbala,

Verg. G. 4, 64:

catenas,

Plin. Ep. 7, 27, 5: caput. Ov. F. 6, 400:

comas,

id. H. 14, 40:

quercum huc illuc,

id. M. 12, 329.—

Of earthquakes: quatitur terrae motibus Ide,

Ov. M. 12, 521:

quid quateret terras,

id. ib. 15, 71:

quatiens terram fragor,

Sil. 1, 536.—

Of the ground, by treading, marching, etc.: campum,

Verg. A. 11, 875:

campos,

id. ib. 11, 513; Sil. 1, 297:

quatitur tellus pondere,

id. 4, 199:

sonitu quatit ungula campum,

Verg. A. 8, 596:

pede ter humum,

Hor. C. 4, 1, 28:

pede terram,

id. ib. 1, 4, 7:

quatitur certamine circus,

Sil. 16, 323. —

In partic.

Of arms, weapons, reins, etc., to wield, brandish, ply, hold:

securim,

Verg. A. 11, 656:

ensem,

Sil. 1, 429:

aegida,

id. 12, 336:

scuta,

Tac. H. 2, 22:

hastam,

Petr. 124:

lora,

Sil. 16, 415; 16, 440:

largas habenas,

id. 17, 542:

verbera (i. e. flagella),

Verg. Cul. 218.—

Of the body, breast, limbs, etc., to agitate, shake, cause to tremble, etc.:

horror Membra quatit,

Verg. A. 3, 29:

anhelitus artus et ora quatit,

id. ib. 5, 199:

tussis pulmonem quatit,

Sil. 14, 601:

terror praecordia,

id. 2, 254:

pectora quatit gemitu,

Val. Fl. 5, 310.—

To beat, strike, drive:

homo quatietur certe cum dono foras,

to beat out of doors, Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 67:

Arctophylax prae se quatit Arctum, Cic. poët. N. I). 2, 42, 109: cursu quatere equum,

Verg. G. 3, 132; Sil. 12, 254.—Of things:

quatiunt fenestras juvenes,

Hor. C. 1, 25, 1:

scutum hastà,

Liv. 7, 26, 1. —

To shake, beat, or break in pieces, to batter, shatter:

urbis moenia ariete quatere,

Liv. 21, 10:

muros,

Verg. A. 2, 610:

muros arietibus,

Liv. 38, 10:

turres tremendā cuspide,

Hor. C. 4, 6, 7:

tecta quatiuntur,

Plin. Pan. 51, 1:

externas arces,

Sil. 2, 300:

Pergama,

id. 13, 36; cf.:

tonitru quatiuntur caerula caeli,

Lucr. 6, 96. —

Trop., to agitate, more, touch, affect, excite:

est in animis tenerum quiddam quod aegritudine quasi tempestate quatiatur,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 6, 12: mentem, Hor. C. 1, 16, 5:

nec vultus tyranni Mente quatit solidā (justum virum),

id. ib. 3, 3, 4:

non ego te Invitum quatiam,

id. ib. 1, 18, 12:

quatiunt oracula Colchos,

Val. Fl. 1, 743:

famā oppida,

id. 2, 122:

quatit castra clamor,

Sil. 3, 231:

tumultus pectora quatit,

Sen. Thyest. 260:

ingenium,

Tac. H. 1, 23:

animum,

Gell. 9, 13, 5:

cum altissima quaterentur, hic inconcussus stetit,

Plin. Pan. 94, 3. —

In partic., to plague, vex, harass:

quatere oppida bello,

Verg. A. 9, 608:

extrema Galliarum,

Tac. H. 4, 28. — Hence, quassus, a, um, P. a.

Lit., shaken, beaten, or broken in pieces, battered, shattered:

aula quassa,

a broken pot, Plaut. Curc. 3, 26:

muri,

Liv. 26, 51:

naves,

id. 25, 3:

faces,

i. e. pieces of pine-wood split up for torches, Ov. M. 3, 508:

rates,

shattered, leaky, Hor. C. 4, 8, 32; 1, 1, 18:

murra,

Ov. M. 15, 399:

lectus,

id. H. 11, 78:

harundo,

Petr. 69:

turres,

Sen. Thyest. 568; cf.:

multo tempora quassa mero,

Ov. R. Am. 146; cf. quasso, I. B. —

Trop.:

quassā voce,

in a broken voice, Curt. 7, 7, 20:

littera,

Quint. 12, 10, 29:

anima quassa malis,

broken down, exhausted, worn out, Sen. Herc. Fur. 1308:

quasso imperio,

Sil. 15, 7.

unguis, is (abl. ungui, Cat. 62, 43; Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 46; id. C. 2, 8, 4; Prop. 1, 20, 39; cf. Charis. p. 120), m. [cf. Gr. ONUCh-, onux; Sanscr. nakha], a nail of a person's finger or toe.

Lit., Plin. 11, 45, 101, § 247; 10, 35, 52, § 106; 28, 2, 5, § 28; Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 51; 1, 19, 46; id. S. 1, 3, 101; Prop. 1, 20, 39; Ov. Am. 1, 7, 64; 2, 6, 4; id. A. A. 3, 708.—

Of animals. a claw, talon, hoof, Plin. 11, 45, 101, § 247; Hor. C. 2, 19, 24; Ov. M. 4, 717; 10, 540; Col. 6, 12; Mart. 14, 199 al.—

Proverbial phrases.

Ab imis unguibus usque ad verticem summum, from top to toe, from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, Cic. Rosc. Com. 7, 20.—

A rectā conscientiā transversum unguem non discedere, not to depart a finger's breadth in the least, Cic. Att. 13, 20, 4; cf.

ellipt.: urge igitur, nec transversum unguem, quod aiunt, a stilo,

id. Fam. 7, 25, 2:

si tu ex isto loco digitum transvorsum aut unguem latum excesseris,

Plaut. Aul. 1, 1, 17 sq.; Hier. Ep. 127, 8 (v. transversus and digitus).—

Cum medium ostenderet unguem, i. e. showed utter derision, the greatest contempt (because the middle finger was regarded as indecent), Juv. 10, 53.—

Incestos amores De tenero meditatur ungui, i. e. from childhood, ex hapalôn onuchôn, Hor. C. 3, 6, 24 (for which:

a teneris unguiculis,

Cic. Fam. 1, 6, 2).—

Ad or in unguem, after the Gr. eis onucha or ep onuchos, to a hair, to a nicety, exactly, perfectly (an expression borrowed from sculptors, who, in modelling, give the finishing touch with the nail;

or joiners, who test the accuracy of joints in wood by the nail: materiem dolare ad unguem,

Col. 11, 2, 13:

ad unguem Factus homo,

highly polished, perfectly accomplished, Hor. S. 1, 5, 32; cf.:

carmen decies castigare ad unguem,

id. A. P. 294 Jan. ad loc.: suturae capitis [p. 1932] in unguem committuntur, Cels. 8, 1, § 12; Verg. G. 2, 277 Serv.; Vitr. 4, 6, 2; cf.

also: carmina molli numero fluere, ut per leve severos effundat junctura unguis,

Pers. 1, 65.—

Homo, cujus pluris erat unguis, quam tu totus es, a man whose little finger was worth more than your whole body, Petr. 57 fin. —

Rodere ungues, to bite the nails, i. e. to be buried in thought, etc.:

ille in versu faciendo Saepe caput scaberet vivos et roderet ungues,

Hor. S. 1, 10, 71; cf.: ungue meam morso saepe querere fidem. Prop. 3 (4), 25, 4:

et saepe inmeritos corrumpas dentibus ungues,

id. 2, 4, 3 (13).—

Transf.

Of plants, a nail-like spot, the tip, extremity, Plin. 12, 9, 19, § 36; 21, 18, 73, § 121; Col. 4, 24, 7; Pall. Febr. 12, 5.—

A kind of shell-fish, perh. the razor-fish, Varr. L. L. 5, 12, 23.—

A hook:

ferrei,

Col. 12, 18, 2. —

A white skin on the eye, a web, haw, pterugion, Cels. 7, 7, 4.