ăcĭēs, ēi, f. [v. 2. acer] (gen. acii and acie, like dii and die, facii and facie, fr. dies, facies, Cn. Mat. ap. Gell. 9, 14; Caes. B. G. 2, 23; Sall. ap. Serv. ad Verg. G. 1, 208, or Sall. Fragm. ed. Kritz. p. 118; cf. Prisc. p. 780 P.), a sharp edge or point.
I Lit., of a sword, dagger, sickle, etc.: gladiorum, Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 11: Vulg. Heb. 11, 34: securium, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43, § 113: falcis, Verg. G. 2, 365: hastae, Ov. M. 3, 107: ferri, Plin. 7, 15, 13, 63.—
B Transf.
1 Of the sense or faculty of sight,
a Keenness of look or glance , sharpness of vision or sight : oculorum, Lucil. ap. Non. 34, 32; cf. Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4; Lucr. 1, 324; also acies alone, id. 2, 420; and in plur., id. 4, 693: ne vultum quidem atque aciem oculorum ferre potuisse, Caes. B. G. 1, 39: pupula ad te dirigit aciem, Cat. 63, 56: tanta tenuitas, ut fugiat aciem, Cic. Tusc. 1, 22: bonum incolumis acies, misera caecitas, id. Fin. 5, 28, 84; so id. ib. 4, 24; Verg. A. 12, 558 al.—Hence,
b Concr., the pupil of the eye , Lucr. 3, 411; cf. with 414: acies ipsa, quā cernimus, quae pupula vocatur, Cic. N. D. 2, 57: in Albania gigni quosdam glaucā oculorum acie, Plin. 7, 2, 2, 12 (cf. ib.: glaucis oculis); and poet. (as pars pro toto) for the eye , Lucr. 3, 363; 4, 249; 281; 358; 720: huc geminas nunc flecte acies, Verg. A. 6, 789; 12, 658 (hence the word is also used in the plur., cf. below, 2.).—
c A looking at an object with fixed attention , look , aim : ad eam rem habeo omnem aciem, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 38.—On the contr., prima acie, at the first glance , Lucr. 2, 448 (cf. primo aspectu, Cic. de Or. 3, 25, 98).—
2 In milit. lang., the front of an army (conceived of as the edge of a sword), line of battle , battle-array.
a In abstr. (cf. Vitr. praef. 1. 7, p. 154 Rod.): quibus ego si aciem exercitus nostri ostendero, Cic. Cat. 2, 3, 5: aciem instruere, Caes. B. G. 1, 22: dirigere, id. ib. 6, 8: extra aciem procurrere, id. B. C. 1, 55: statuit non proeliis, neque in acie, sed alio more bellum gerendum, Sall. J. 54; cf. Liv. 5, 41, 4; also of the arrangement of ships for a naval engagement, Nep. Hann. 11; cf. Caes. B. C. 1, 58.—Hence, metaph.
b The battlearray; in concr., an army drawn up in order of battle : acies est instructa a nobis decem cohortium, Galba ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30: hostium acies cernebatur, Caes. B. G. 7, 62: altera pars acii vitassent fluminis undas, Matius ap. Gell. 9, 14 (as transl. of Il. 21 init. ): dubitavit acie pars, Sall. Fragm. l. l.: stabit ante aciem, Vulg. Deut. 20, 2; 1 Par. 12, 33: prima acies hastati erant, the van , the first line , Liv. 8, 8: tertiam aciem laborantibus subsidio mittere, Caes. B. G. 1, 52: ab novissima acie, from the rear : ante signa procedere, Liv. 8, 10: dextra acies (= dextrum cornu), the right wing , Liv. 27, 48, 8: agmina magis quam acies pugnabant, in marching order , rather than in order of battle , id. 25, 34 (acies is here, and in similar cases, considered as the sing. used collectively; v. Oud. and Herz. Caes. B. G. 7, 62; yet the plur. is more than probable). Rarely of cavalry, Liv. 8, 39; Vell. 2, 112.—Poet.: acies Vulcania, of a long line of fire , Verg. A. 10, 408.—
c The action of the troops drawn up in battlearray , a battle , engagement , = pugna: in acie celebri objectans vitam, Pac. ap. Non. 234, 25; Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4: mea facta in acie obliti, Att. ap. Non. 502, 1: in acie Pharsalica, Cic. Lig. 3; so id. Fam. 6, 3: in acie vincere, Caes. B. G. 7, 29: dimicare, id. ib. 7, 64: copias in aciem ducere, Liv. 31, 34: producere in aciem, Nep. Milt. 5: excedere acie, Caes. B. C. 2, 41; Liv. 31, 17: direxerunt aciem contra eos, Vulg. Gen. 14, 8; 2 Par. 18, 33.—
3 Acies ferri, steel , Plin. 34, 14, 41, 144.—
4 Poet., sheen , brightness : obtunsa stellarum, Verg. G. 1, 395.
II Fig.
A (Acc. to I. B.) (like acumen. ) Acuteness of the mind , sharpness , force , power (so very often in Cicero, but always with the gen. mentis, animi, ingenii): (cum animus) exacuerit illam, ut oculorum, sic ingenii aciem ad bona eligenda, etc., Cic. Leg. 1, 23, 60; so, ingenii, id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 39, 122: mentis, id. N. D. 2, 17, 45; id. Tusc. 1, 30, 73: animi, id. Sen. 23, 83; id. Phil. 12, 2; Vell. 2, 118, 4; cf.: rerum diversitas aciem intentionis abrumpit, Flor. 1 prol., § 3.—
B A verbal contest , disputation , discussion , debate : orationis aciem contra conferam, Plaut. Ep. 4, 1, 20: ad philosophos me revocas, qui in aciem non saepe prodeunt, Cic. Tusc. 2, 25, 60: nos jam in aciem dimicationemque veniamus, id. Or. 13 fin. ; cf. id. Opt. Gen. Or. 5, 17; Quint. 2, 10, 8; 6, 4, 17; 10, 1, 29.