aetas, ātis, f. [contr. from the anteclass. aevitas from aevum, q. v.; Prisc. 595 P.; cf. Welsh oet] (gen. plur. aetatum; but freq. also aetatium, Liv. 1, 43; 9, 17; 26, 9; cf. Oud. ad Suet. Aug. 31; Vell. 2, 89; Sen. Brev. Vit. 12, 2; Gell. 14, 1).
I The period of life , time of life , life , age (divided, acc. to Varr. ap. Censor. 14, into pueritia , from birth to the 15th year; adulescentia , from that time to the 30th; juventus , to the 45th; the age of the seniores , to the 60th; and, finally, senectus , from that time till death. Others make a different division, v. Flor. 1 prooem.; Isid. Orig. 11, 2; Gell. 10, 28; 15, 20): a primo tempore aetatis, Cic. Leg. 1, 4, 13: prima aetas, id. Off. 2, 13: ineuntis aetatis inscientia, id. ib. 1, 34; so 2, 13: flos aetatis, the bloom of life , id. Phil. 2, 2; Liv. 21; Suet. Caes. 49; so, bona aetas, Cic. Sen. 14; and poet. in the plur.: ambo florentes aetatibus, Verg. E. 7, 4: quamquam aetas senet, satis habeo tamen virium, ut te arā arceam, Pac. ap. Prisc. 1, 10; id. ap. Non. 159, 19: mala aetas, old age , Plaut. Men. 5, 2, 6; and absol. : aetas, aevitas = senectus, old age , SI MORBVS AEVITASVE VITIVM ESCIT, Fragm. of the XII. Tab. ap. Gell. 20, 1, 25: aetate ( through age ) non quis obtuerier, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 154; 1, 3, 130; id. Bacch. 3, 3, 5: sed ipse morbo atque aetate confectus, Sall. J. 9: graves aetate, Liv. 7, 39.—Sometimes also absol. = adulescentia, youth : fui ego illā aetate et feci illa omnia, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 10, 4; id. Most. 5, 2, 27: damna, dedecora aetas ipsius pertulit, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 12: tua autem aetas (of his son), id. Off. 2, 13: (mulier) non formā, non aetate, non opibus maritum invenerit, Tac. G. 19: expers belli propter aetatem, Suet. Aug. 8: aetas consularis, the legal age for the consulship , i. e. the 43d year, Cic. Phil. 5, 17: id aetatis jam sumus, we have now reached that time of life , id. Fam. 6, 20, 3.—
II Transf.
A In gen., the lifetime of man , without reference to its different stages; life , Enn. ap. Gell. 18, 2, 16: aetas acta honeste et splendide, Cic. Tusc. 3, 25: gerere, id. Fam. 4, 5 al.: tempus aetatis, id. Sen. 19: aetatem consumere in studio aliquo, id. Off. 1, 1: conterere in litibus, id. Leg. 1, 20: degere omnem in tranquillitate, id. Fin. 2, 35; cf. id. Rosc. Am. 53 al.—In Ov. M. 12, 188, aetas = centum annos.—
B A space of time , an age , generation , time : heroicae aetates, Cic. Tusc. 5, 3, 7: haec aetas, id. ib. 1, 3, 5; id. Rep. 1, 1: alia, id. Lael. 27, 101 Beier: nostrā aetate, in our times , Quint. 1, 4, 20: cum primis aetatis suae comparabatur, Nep. Iphicr. 1; Vell. 1, 16: incuriosa suorum aetas, Tac. Agr. 1: omnia fert aetas, time , Verg. E. 9, 51; so Hor. C. 4, 9, 10: crastina aetas, the morrow , Stat. Th. 3, 562. — Of the four ages of the world ( the golden age , silver age , etc.), Ov. M. 1, 89 sq.; v. aureus, argenteus, etc.—
C Abstr. pro concreto, the time or period of life , for the man himself , the age , for the men living in it (mostly poet., and in prose after the Aug. per.; cf. saeculum): sibi inimicus magis quam aetati tuae, i. e. tibi, Plaut. Men. 4, 3, 1: vae aetati tuae, id. Capt. 4, 2, 105: quid nos dura refugimus Aetas? Hor. C. 1, 35, 34: impia, id. Epod. 16, 9: veniens, Ov. F. 6, 639: omnis aetas currere obviam, Liv. 27, 51: omnis sexus, omnis aetas, Tac. A. 13, 16: innoxiam liberorum aetatem miserarentur, i. e. innocentes liberos, id. H. 3, 68: sexum, aetatem, ordinem omnem, Suet. Calig. 4.—
D Also of things without life, e. g. of wine, its age : bibite Falernum hoc: annorum quadraginta est. Bene, inquit, aetatem fert, it keeps well , Cic. ap. Macr. S. 2, 2, 3; Plin. 23, 1, 20, § 33; 15, 2, 3, § 7.—So of buildings: aetates aedificiorum, Dig. 30, 58.—
E Aetatem, a dverb. (ante-class.).
1 = semper, perpetuo, through the whole of life , during lifetime , continually : ut aetatem ambo nobis sint obnoxii, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 18: at tu aegrota, si lubet, per me aetatem quidem, id. Curc. 4, 3, 22: Quid, malum, me aetatem censes velle id adsimularier, Ter. Heaut. 716.—
2 = diu, longo tempore, an age , a long time , a long while : an abiit jam a milite? Jamdudum aetatem, Ter. Eun. 734: quod solis vapor aetatem non posse videtur efficere, what the heat of the sun cannot perhaps effect for years , Lucr. 6, 236.—
F In aetate, adverb. (ante-class.).
1 At times , sometimes , now and then , Plaut. Trin. 1, 1, 2.—
2 At any time , always , ever , Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 61.