ăd-haerĕo, haesi, haesum, 2, v. n., to cleave or stick to a thing.
I Lit., of iron adhering to a magnet: unus ubi ex uno dependet, subter adhaerens, Lucr. 6, 914; cf. id. 3, 557: tota adhaerens (lingua) crocodilis, cleaving to his palate, Plin. 11, 37, 65, § 171.—With in and abl.: tela in tuis visceribus, Cic. Vatin. 5, 13; so Ov. M. 4, 693.—With acc.: cratera et corvus adhaeret, Cic. Arat. 541 (so Tert.: humerum, de Pall. 5).—With abl.: fronte cuspis, Ov. M. 5, 38.—With dat., poet.: tonsis (ovibus) illotus sudor, Verg. G. 3, 443: veteri craterae limus adhaesit, Hor. Sat. 2, 4, 80; and in later prose: navis ancoris, is fastened to them , Tac. A. 2, 23: stativis castris, id. ib. 3, 21; and: jumento, to stick to , Gell. 20, 1.—
II Fig.
A In gen., to cling to , adhere to : adhaesit homini ad intimum ventrem fames, Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 83; and of fawning adherence to one, id. As. 1, 3, 59: cui canis ex vero dictum cognomen adhaeret, adheres , Hor. S. 2, 2, 56: nulli fortunae adhaerebat animus, i. e. inconstans fuit, Liv. 41, 20: obsidioni fortiter adhaerentes, Amm. 19, 3.—
B Adhaerere alicui, to be close to a person or thing , to be near , to hang on , keep close to , etc. (mostly post-Cic., esp. in the histt.): vineis modica silva adhaerebat, was close to it , adjoined it , Tac. H. 2, 25; so Amm. 18, 2.—Of persons: procul abesse Romanos: lateri adhaerere gravem dominum, i. e. he (the King of Macedon) hangs on them , threatens them by his nearness , Liv. 39, 25: nec umquam non adhaerentes, and never departing from his side , Suet. Galb. 14: comitem perpetuo alicui adhaerere, Plin. 10, 22, 26, § 51: tempus adhaerens, the time in hand , just the present time , Quint. 5, 10, 46: obvio quoque adhaerente, while each one adhered to him , Suet. Oth. 6; and so trop.: adhaeret altissimis invidia, Vell. 1, 9.—
C To hang on a thing, i. e. to trail or drag after , to be the last , sarcastically in Cic.: tenesne memoriā te extremum adhaesisse? hung on the end , i. e. extremo loco quaestorem esse factum, Vat. 5 (cf. haerere, Liv. 5, 2 fin. , and Gron. ad h. l.); and without sarcasm, Curt. 10, 5, 19.