fŭgax, ācis, adj. [fugio], apt to flee, flying swiftly, swift, fleet (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; cf. fugitivus).
I Lit.: fugaces Lyncas et cervos cohibentis arcu, Hor. C. 4, 6, 33; so, caprea, Verg. A. 10, 724: ferae, id. ib. 9, 591: cervi, id. G. 3, 539: mors et fugacem persequitur virum, Hor. C. 3, 2, 14; cf.: comes atra (cura) premit sequiturque fugacem, id. S. 2, 7, 115: Pholoe, who flees from wooers , coy , id. C. 2, 5, 17: lympha, id. ib. 2, 3, 12.— Comp. : ventis, volucrique fugacior aurā, Ov. M. 13, 807.— Sup. : ignavissimus et fugacissimus hostis, Liv. 5, 28, 8.—As a term of vituperation, of a slave: lurco, edax, furax, fugax, runaway , Plaut. Pers. 3, 3, 16.—
II Trop.
A Fleeting , transitory : haec omnia quae habent speciem gloriae, contemne: brevia, fugacia, caduca existima; * Cic. Fam. 10, 12, 5: fugaces Labuntur anni, Hor. C. 2, 14, 1: blanditiae, Plin. poët. Ep. 7, 4, 7.— Comp. : non aliud pomum fugacius, that sooner spoils , Plin. 15, 12, 11, § 40.— Sup. : bona, Sen. Ep. 74 med. —
B With gen., fleeing , shunning , avoiding a thing: sollicitaeque fugax ambitionis eram, Ov. Tr. 4, 10, 38: fugax rerum, id. ib. 3, 2, 9: fugacissimus gloriae, Sen. Ben. 4, 32.—Hence, adv.: fŭgācĭ-ter , in fleeing; only comp. : utrum a se audacius an fugacius ab hostibus geratur bellum, whether in prosecuting the war his own boldness or the enemy's disposition to flee was the greater , Liv. 28, 8, 3.