aurōra, ae, f. [acc. to Curtius, a reduplicated form for ausosa, from Sanscr. ush, to burn; cf. αὔως ἠώς, dawn; ἥλιος, the sun; and Etrusc. Usil, the god of the sun; but its idea of brightness, splendor, easily connects it with the same group as aurum; v. aes].
I.A The dawn , daybreak , morning (mostly poet.): est autem aurora diei clarescentis exordium et primus splendor aëris, quae Graece ἠώς dicitur, Isid. Orig. 5, 31, 14: usque ab aurorā ad hoc quod diei est, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 8: Nec nox ulla diem neque noctem aurora secutast, Lucr. 2, 578; 4, 538; 4, 711; 5, 657; Cic. Arat. 65: ad primam auroram, Liv. 1, 7, 6; Plin. 11, 12, 12, § 30.—
B Personified, the goddess of the morning , Gr. Ἠώς, daughter of Hyperion (hence Hyperionis, Ov. F. 5, 159), wife of Tithonus (hence Tithonia conjunx, Ov. F. 3, 403, and Tithonia, id. ib. 4, 943), and mother of Memnon , Verg. A. 4, 585: Aurora novo cum spargit lumine terras, Lucr. 2, 144; imitated by Verg. l.l.; 9, 459: Iamque rubescebat stellis Aurora fugatis, Verg. A. 3, 521; 6, 535; 7, 26: Proxima prospiciet Tithono Aurora relicto, Ov. F. 1, 461; id. M. 13, 576 sq.; she robbed Procris of her husband, Cephalus, id. ib. 7, 703; but gave him back, id. ib. 7, 713.—
II Meton., the East , the Orient : ab Aurorae populis et litore rubro, Verg. A. 8, 686: Eurus ad Auroram Nabataeaque regna recessit, Ov. M. 1, 61: quae (terrae) sunt a Gadibus usque Auroram et Gangen, Juv. 10, 2; cf. Verg. A. 7, 606 sq.; so Claud. Laus Seren. Reg. 116; id. in Eutr. 1, 427; also, the people of the East , id. Laud. Stil. 1, 154; id. in Rufin. 2, 100; id. B. Gild. 61; id. in Eutr. 2, 527.