filum

A New Latin Dictionary by Charlton T. Lewis Ph.D. and Charles Short, LL. D.

fīlum, i. n. (also filus, i, m., acc. to Arn. 1, 36 dub., plur. heterocl., fili, Luc. 6, 460) [for figlum, v. figo], a thread of any thing woven (of linen or woolen cloth, a cobweb, etc.).

I Lit., Varr. L. L. 5, § 113 Müll.; Enn. ap. Non. 116, 6 (Ann. v. 259 ed. Vahl.); Verg. A. 6, 30; Ov. A. A. 3, 445; id. M. 4, 36; Mart. 6, 3, 5; Cels. 7, 16: lumen candelae cujus tempero filum, wick , Juv. 3, 287: tenuia aranei, a web , Lucr. 3, 383: tineae, Ov. M. 15, 372.—Poet., of the thread of life spun by the Fates: sororum fila trium, Hor. C. 2, 3, 16; Verg. A. 10, 815; Ov. M. 2, 654; id. Tr. 5, 10, 45; Sil. 4, 28; Mart. 10, 5, 10 al.— Prov.: pendere filo (tenui), to hang by a thread , for to be in great danger : hac noctu filo pendebit Etruria tota, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 1, 4, § 18 (Ann. v. 153 ed. Vahl.): omnia sunt hominum tenui pendentia filo, Ov. P. 4, 3, 35; Val. Max. 6, 4, 1.—

2 In partic., the fillet of wool wound round the upper part of the flamen's cap, similar to the στέμμα of the Greeks; hence, in gen., a priest's fillet : APICVLVM, filum, quo flamines velatum apicem gerunt, Paul. ex Fest. p. 23 Müll.: legatus capite velato filo (lanae velamen est), Audi, Juppiter, inquit, etc., Liv. 1, 32, 6: filo velatus, Tib. 1, 5, 15.—

B Transf. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).

1 Of any thing slender and drawn out like a thread, a string , cord , filament , fibre : tractat inauratae consona fila lyrae, the strings , Ov. Am. 1, 8, 60; so, lyrae, id. M. 5, 118: sonantia, id. ib. 10, 89: croci, i. e. the stamen , id. F. 1, 342: foliorum exilitas usque in fila attenuata, Plin. 21, 6, 16, § 30; 11, 15, 15, § 39. —

2 Plur. , shreds , slices , remnants : fila sectivi porri, Juv. 14, 133: porris fila resecta suis, Mart. 11, 52: fila Tarentini graviter redolentia porri edisti, id. 13, 18.—

3 I. q. crassitudo, the density , compactness , compact shape , or, in gen., contour , form , shape of an object: forma quoque hinc solis debet filumque videri, Lucr. 5, 571, v. Lachm. ad h. 1.; cf. id. 5, 581; 2, 341; 4, 88: mulieris, Plaut. Merc. 4, 4, 15: corporis, Varr. L. L. 10, § 4 Müll.; Gell. 1, 9, 2; Amm. 14, 11, 28: forma atque filo virginali, id. 14, 4, 2: ingeniosus est et bono filo, Petr. 46.—

II Trop. (cf. the preced. no. ), of speech, texture , sort , quality , nature , style (class.): ego hospiti veteri et amico munusculum mittere (volui) levidense, crasso filo, cujusmodi ipsius solent esse munera, i. e. of coarse texture , Cic. Fam. 9, 12, 2; cf.: argumentandi tenue filum, id. Or. 36, 124: tenui deducta poëmata filo, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 225; cf.: gracili connectere carmina filo, Col. poët. 10, 227: paulo uberiore filo, Cic. de Or. 2, 22, 93: orationis, id. ib. 3, 26, 103: aliud quoddam filum orationis tuae (= oratio uberior), id. Lael. 7, 25.

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