cālīgo (call-), ĭnis, f. [root cal-, cover; cf.: oc-culo, clam, cella],
I a thick atmosphere , a mist , vapor , fog (mostly poet. or in post-Aug. prose): suffundere caelum caligine, Lucr. 6, 479; 6, 461; 6, 92: (ignis) piceă crassus caligine, Verg. G. 2, 309; cf. id. A. 9, 36; Liv. 29, 27, 7: densa caligo occaecaverat diem, id. 33, 7, 2; cf. Suet. Ner. 19: fumidam a terră exhalari caliginem, Plin. 2, 42, 42, § 111: caligo aestuosa, Col. 11, 2, 53 (for which, id. 11, 2, 57: nebulosus aestus): pruinae et caligo, id. 3, 2, 4; cf. Pall. Febr. 9, 2.—Also in plur.: inter caligines, Col. 3, 1, 7.—Hence,
II Transf.
A (Causa pro effectu.) Darkness , obscurity , gloom (produced by mist, fog, etc.; freq. with tenebrae; class. in prose and poetry): mi ob oculos caligo obstitit, Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 51: cum altitudo caliginem oculis obfudisset, i. e. had caused dizziness , Liv. 26, 45, 3: erat in tantā calligine major usus aurium quam oculorum, id. 22, 5, 3 Weissenb.: noctem insequentem eadem calligc obtinuit; sole orto est discussa, id. 29, 27, 7: nox terram caligine texit, Lucr. 6, 853; 5, 649: caeca noctis, id. 4, 457: caecae umbra, id. 3, 305; cf. Verg. A. 3, 203: quam simul agnorunt inter caliginis umbras, Ov. M. 4, 455: ara obscurā caligine tecta, Cic. Arat. 194.—With tenebrae, Cic. Agr. 2, 17, 44; Curt. 9, 4, 18; Lampr. Comm. 16.—In later writers also with a gen.: caligo tenebrarum, Quint. Decl. 18, 7; cf. Sen. Agam. 472 Heins.; and inversely: tenebris illunae caliginis impeditus, Ap. Met. 9, 33, 2.—
B Trop.
1 In gen., mental blindness , dulness of perception : quod videbam equidem, sed quasi per caliginem: praestrinxerat aciem animi D. Bruti salus, Cic. Phil. 12, 2, 3; so id. Fin. 5, 15, 43: adhuc tamen per caliginem video, Plin. Ep. 5, 8, 8: caecā mentem caligine consitus, * Cat. 64, 207: Augustus... omnibus omnium gentium viris magnitudine suā inducturus caliginem, to throw into the shade , Vell. 2, 37, 1. —
2 Of dark, difficult circumstances, calamity , affliction , gloom : vide nunc caliginem temporum illorum, Cic. Planc. 40, 96: superioris anni, id. post Red. in Sen. 3, 5: an qui etesiis, qui per cursum rectum regnum tenere non potuerunt, nunc caecis tenebris et caligine se Alexandriam perventuros arbitrati sunt? id. Agr. 2, 17, 44: illa omnis pecunia latuit in illā caligine ac tenebris, quae totam rem publicam tum occuparant, id. Verr. 2, 3, 76, § 177: ecce illa tempestas, caligo bonorum, tenebrae rei publicae, id. Prov. Cons. 18, 43: tantum caliginis, tantum perturbationis offusum, Plin. Ep. 3, 9, 16: quaedam scelerum offusa caligo, Quint. 9, 3, 47.—
C In medic. lang., as a disease of the eyes, dim-sightedness , weakness of the eyes , Cels. 6, 6, n. 32; Plin. 20, 7, 26, § 61; 20, 23, 95, § 254; 25, 13, 92, § 144; 32, 9, 31, § 97; 34, 11, 27, § 114; Scrib. Comp. 179.