angustĭae, ārum (rare in class. Lat. in sing angustĭa, ae, Plin. 14, 6, 8, § 61; cf. Charis. p. 20 P.; but freq. in eccl. Lat., Vulg. Gen. 42, 21; ib. Psa. 118, 143; ib. Rom. 2, 9; ib. 2 Cor. 2, 4 al.), f. [angustus].
I Lit., narrowness , straitness; a defile , strait (perhaps only in prose; syn.: fauces, angustum).
A Of places: Corinthus posita in angustiis atque in faucibus Graeciae, Cic. Agr. 2, 32; so id. N. D. 2, 7; id. Tusc. 1, 20, 45: itineris, Caes. B. G. 1, 39: Italia coacta in angustias, Sall. Fragm. H. ap. Serv ad Verg. A. 3, 400 (97, II. p. 250 Gerl.): loci, id. C. 58, 20: quod intercidit et incuriā coloni locique angustiā. Plin. 14, 6, 8, § 61: angustiae locorum, Nep. Dat. 8, 4, and Vulg. 2 Macc. 12, 21: angustiae saltibus crebris inclusae, Liv. 28, 1: diu in angustiis pugnatum est, id. 34, 46: itinerum, Tac. A. 15, 43 fin. : per angustias Hellesponti, Suet. Caes. 63: vicorum, id. Ner. 38; so id. Aug. 45; id. Claud. 12; id. Oth. 9 al.—
B Of other things: spiritūs, shortness of breath , Cic. de Or. 3, 46, 181: urinae, strangury , Plin. 21, 21, 92, § 160.—
II Trop.
A Of time, shortness , brevity , want , deficiency : in his vel asperitatibus rerum vel angustiis temporis, Cic. de Or. 1, 1: edidi quae potui, non ut volui, sed ut me temporis angustiae coëgerunt, id. ib. 3, 61; id. Verr. 2, 1, 56; Cic. Fil. ad Tir. Fam. 16, 21, 7: in angustiā temporum, Vulg. Dan. 9, 25.—
B Of money or other possessions, scarcity , want : aerarii, Cic. Agr. 2, 14: pecuniae publicae, id. Fam. 12, 30: rei frumentariae, Caes. B. C. 2, 17: fortunae, Tac. A. 2, 38: stipendii, id. ib. 1, 35: ad eas rei familiaris angustias decidit, Suet. Claud. 9.— Sometimes absol. , want , indigence , poverty : ex meis angustiis illius sustento tenuitatem, Cic. Fil. ad Tir. Fam. 16, 21, 4: paternae, Tac. A. 1, 75.—
C Of external circumstances, condition, etc., difficulty , distress , perplexity , straits : in summas angustias adduci, Cic. Quint. 5; so id. Fin. 2, 9, 28: cum in his angustiis res esset, Caes. B. C. 1, 54: vereri angustias, Cic. Planc. 22: angustiae petitionis, i. e. the difficulty of obtaining the consular dignity , id. Brut. 47. —So the Vulg. very freq. of external circumstances and of inward state, both in sing. and in plur.: videntes angustiam animi, Gen. 42, 21; so ib. Exod. 6, 9; ib. Rom. 2, 9; and ib. 2 Cor. 2, 4: tenent me angustiae, ib. 2 Reg. 1, 9; so ib. 2 Cor. 6, 4; 12, 10 al. —
D Of mind or feeling, narrowness , contractedness : non capiunt angustiae pectoris tui, Cic. Pis. 11: cujus animus tantis angustiis invidiae continetur, by such meanness of envy , Auct. ad Her. 4, 43.—
E Of scientific inquiries which go too deeply into details, and lay too much stress upon little things, subtile or minute verbal criticisms : me ex campo aequitatis ad istas verborum angustias revocas, into a dilemma of verbal subtleties , Cic. Caecin. 29: cur eam (orationem) in tantas angustias et in Stoicorum dumeta compellimus? straits , id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 35.—
F Of discourse, brevity , simplicity : angustia conclusae orationis non facile se ipsa tutatur. Cic. N. D. 2, 7, 20 (v. the context).—So in sing., Non. p. 73, 26.