nimbus, i (gen. plur. nimbūm, Pac. ap. Trag. Rel. 412 Rib.), m. [Sanscr. nabhas, cloud, vapor; Gr. νέφος, νεφέλη; cf.: nubes, nebula], a violent or pouring rain, a rain-storm.
I Lit.: terra abit in nimbos imbremque, Lucil. ap. Varr. L. L. 5, § 24 Müll.: nec nubila nimbis aspergunt, Lucr. 3, 19: terrere animos fulminibus, tempestatibus, nimbis, nivibus, grandinibus, Cic. N. D. 2, 5, 14: denso regem operuit nimbo, Liv. 1, 16: cum multo stillaret paenula nimbo, Juv. 5, 79.—
B Transf.
1 A black rain-cloud, a thunder-cloud : noctisque et nimbūm occaecat nigror, Pac. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 14, 24, and de Or. 3, 39, 157: involvere diem nimbi, Verg. A. 3, 198; so id. ib. 3, 587; Stat. Th. 1, 97.—
b A cloud in general. So the bright cloud or cloudshaped splendor which enveloped the gods when they appeared on earth: proprie nimbus est, qui deorum vel imperantium capita quasi clara nebula ambire fingitur, Serv. Verg. A. 3, 585: nimbo succincta, Verg. A. 10, 634: nimbo effulgens, id. ib. 2, 616: nube candentes umeros amictus Augur Apollo, Hor. C. 1, 2, 31.—Hence, in eccl. Lat., of a saint's aureole , Isid. 19, 31, 2.—
β A cloud of smoke, dust, etc.: respiciunt atram in nimbo volitare favillam, Verg. A. 5, 666: fulvae nimbus harenae, id. G. 3, 110: pulveris, Claud. in Rufin. 2, 176.—
2 A head-band, frontlet , worn by females to make the forehead appear small, acc. to Isid. Orig. 19, 31 (in Arn. 2, 72, the correct reading is not nimbis, but limbis; v. limbus).—
3 Like the Engl. cloud , of a multitude of things which spread out like a cloud: nimbus peditum, Verg. A. 7, 793: pilorum, Sil. 5, 215: telorum, Luc. 4, 776: velut nimbum glandis et sagittas ingerebant, Liv. 36, 18, 5: lapidum saxorumque, Flor. 3, 8, 4: Corycius, i. e. of saffron , Mart. 9, 39, 5: et Cilices nimbis hic maduere suis, id. Spect. 3, 8: lucerna nimbis ebria Nicerotianis, full of perfumed unguents , id. Epigr. 10, 38, 8: purpureus, a great quantity of flowers , Claud. Nupt. Honor. et Mar. 298.—
4 A vessel with many holes in it, used at public shows and at entertainments for sprinkling liquid perfumes : nimbus vitreus, Mart. 14, 112 in lemm. —*
II Trop., a storm, tempest , i. e. sudden misfortune : hunc quidem nimbum cito transisse laetor, Cic. Att. 15, 9, 2.