calvus, a, um, adj. [cf. O. H. Germ. chalo; Germ. kahl],
I bald , without hair (whether by nature or by shaving or shearing; rare; not in Lucr., Cic., Hor., or Verg.): raso capite calvus, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 306: senex, Petr. 27; Suet. Calig. 27: moechus, id. Caes. 51; Phaedr. 2, 2, 9; 5, 3, 1; 5, 6, 1.—
2 Subst.: calva , ae, f., the scalp without hair , Liv. 23, 24, 12; Mart. 10, 83, 12; 12, 45, 12.—
B Venus Calva, worshipped in a particular temple after the irruption of the Gauls (as it is pretended, because at that time the women cut off their hair for bowstrings), Lact. 1, 20, 7; Cypr. Idol. Van. 2, 10; Veg. Mil. 4, 9; cf. Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 720.—
II Transf. to plants: vinea a vite calva, Cato R. R. 33, 3 (cf. Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 196, s. v. calvatus): nuces, with smooth shells , Cato R. R. 8, 2 (quoted in Plin. 15, 22, 24, § 90, where in MSS. the var. lect. galbas prob. arose from a false orthography of a later time; cf. the letter B fin. ): calvae restes, Mart. 12, 32, 20.—Also,
B Subst.: calva , ae, f., a nut with a smooth shell , Petr. 66, 4.