grăcĭlis, e (also ante-class. grăcĭlus, a, um, Lucil. ap. Non. 489, 21; plur.: gracilae virgines, Ter. Eun. 313), adj. [Sanscr. karc, to be lean; old Lat. cracentes, slender (Enn. Ann. 497 Vahl.); cf. Gr. κολοκάνος], thin, slight, slender, slim; meagre, lean (poet. and in Aug. prose; not in Cic.; but cf. gracilitas; syn.: exilis, tenuis, macer).
I Physically: in gracili macies crimen habere potest, Ov. R. Am. 328: gracili sic tamque pusillo, Hor. S. 1, 5, 69: quis multa gracilis te puer in rosa, etc., id. C. 1, 5, 1: puer, Mart. 11, 43, 4: Indi, Juv. 6, 466: capella, Ov. M. 1, 299: equi hominesque paululi et graciles, Liv. 35, 11, 7: arbores succinctioresque, Plin. 16, 10, 17, § 39: resina (opp. pinguis), id. 24, 6, 22, § 33: gracilis et ejuncida vitis, id. 17, 22, 35, § 173: folium, id. 19, 8, 54, § 171: comae et lanuginis instar, Ov. Am. 1, 14, 23: stamen, id. M. 6, 54: catena, id. ib. 4, 176; cf.: vinculum auri, Petr. 126: cacumen, Ov. M. 10, 140: coronae, Juv. 12, 87: viae petauri, Mart. 2, 86, 7; cf. rima, Ap. Met. 4, 15, 7; libellus, Mart. 8, 24, 1: umbra, Ov. Tr. 4, 10, 86: spuma, Vulg. Sap. 5, 15.— Comp. : glans brevior et gracilior, Plin. 16, 6, 8, § 19.— Sup. : fuit (Nero) ventre projecto, gracillimis cruribus, Suet. Ner. 51.—
B Transf., opp. to fat or rich, meagre , scanty , poor (post-Aug.): ager, Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 187: clivi, Col. 2, 4, 11: vindemiae, Plin. Ep. 9, 20, 2; 8, 15, 1: gracili Lare vivere, Ap. Mag. p. 287; cf. pauperies, id. M. 9, p. 219.—
II Trop., of style, simple , plain , unadorned (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): materiae gracili sufficit ingenium. Ov. P. 2, 5, 26; cf.: lusimus, Octavi, gracili modulante Thalia, Verg. Cul. 1: et in carmine et in soluta oratione genera dicendi probabilia sunt tria, quae Graeci χαρακτῆρας vocant nominaque eis fecerunt ἁδρόν, ἰσχνόν, μέσον. Nos quoque, quem primum posuimus, uberem vocamus, secundum gracilem, tertium mediocrem. Uberi dignitas atque amplitudo est: gracili venustas et subtilitas: medius in confinio est utriusque modi particeps, etc., Gell. 7, 14, 1 sq.; cf.: inter gracile validumque tertium aliquid constitutum est, Quint. 12, 10, 66: praefationes tersae, graciles, dulces, Plin. Ep. 2, 3, 1.—Of the speaker: non possumus esse tam graciles, simus fortiores, Quint. 12, 10, 36.—Hence, adv.: grăcĭlĭter , slenderly.
1 Lit., Ap. Met. 3, 3, 3.—
2 Trop.: alia ornatius, alia gracilius esse dicenda, more simply , Quint. 9, 4, 130.