prōles, is (gen. plur. prolum, Mart. Cap. 3, § 301), f. [pro and root al- of alo, to nourish, whence olesco in ad-olesco, etc.; cf.: suboles, indoles].
I Lit., that which grows forth; esp. of human beings, offspring , progeny , child , descendant; and collect., descendants , race , progeny , posterity (mostly poet.; but cf.: nec fugerim dicere prolem, aut subolem aut effari, etc., Cic. de Or. 3, 38, 153; cf. Quint. 8, 3, 26, and v. in the foll. the passages from Cic.; syn. progenies). —Poet.: propagando procudere prolem, to bring forth , produce children , Lucr. 5, 856: prolem est enixa gemellam, Ov. M. 9, 452: laudantur simili prole puerperae, Hor. C. 4, 5, 23; id. C. S. 19: di Romulae genti date remque prolemque, id. ib. 47: et pulchrā faciat te prole parentem, Verg. A. 1, 75: felix prole parens, Val. Fl. 5, 384: tua postuma proles, Verg. A. 6, 763: ferrea proles, the iron race , Poët. ap. Cic. N. D. 2, 63, 159: aënea, Ov. M. 1, 125: argentea, id. ib. 1, 114: proles Ausonia, the Ausonian race , Verg. A. 4, 236: dic mihi, Teucrorum proles, Juv. 8, 56.—In prose: praeclara Brutorum atque Aemiliorum proles, Sall. H. 1, 41, 2 Dietsch; Cic. Rep. 2, 22, 40: proles illa futurorum hominum, race , id. ib. 6, 21, 23.—Of individuals (poet.): Ulixi, i. e. Telemachus , Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 40: proles tertia Phorcus, Ov. M. 7, 477: Clymeneïa, i. e. Phaëton , id. ib. 2, 19: Apollinea, i. e. Aesculapius , id. ib. 15, 533: deūm certissima proles, Verg. A. 6, 322: egomet Neptunia proles, Val. Fl. 4, 213.—Of deities: Saturni altera proles, Verg. A. 12, 830: Bacchi rustica proles, i. e. Priapus , Tib. 1, 4, 7: Cyllenia proles, Verg. A. 4, 268: fulminis, i. e. Bacchus , Sen. Med. 24; cf. Verg. A. 6, 25: Jovis, Vulg. Act. 19, 35.—Of animals: hinc nova proles per herbas Ludit, Lucr. 1, 259: duellica equorum, id. 2, 661; Phaedr. 2, 4, 19; Verg. G. 3, 65: jam maris immensi prolem, genus omne natantum, id. ib. 3, 541; Col. 7, 6, 7. —Poet., of plants: et prolem tarde crescentis olivae, i. e. the fruit , Verg. G. 2, 3; cf.: naturae contenta manu Zephyrique favore Parturit (tellus), et tantā natorum prole superbit, Alan. Anti- Claud. 1, 79.—In plur.: privignasque rogat proles, Col. poët. 10, 163.—
II Transf.
A Youth , young men , Cic. Leg. 3, 3, 7: sternitur Arcadiae proles, Verg. A. 10, 429.—
B The testicles (post-class.): polimina sunt ea, quae nos proles verecundius dicimus, Arn. 7, 230; 5, 172.