rŏtundus (rŭt-), a, um, adj. [rota], wheel-shaped, i. e. round, circular, spherical, rotund (very freq. and class.; cf. teres).
I Lit.: cur ea, quae fuerint juxtim quadrata, procul sint Visa rotunda, Lucr. 4, 502; cf. Cic. Fin. 2, 12, 36: stellae globosae et rotundae, id. Rep. 6, 15, 15: mundum rotundum esse volunt, id. N. D. 1, 10, 24.— Comp. : mundum ita tornavit, ut nihil effici possit rotundius, Cic. Univ. 6; so, bacae, Hor. Epod. 8, 13; cf.: capita rotundiora ... rotundissima, Cels. 8, 1 fin. : locus infimus in rotundo, Cic. Tusc. 5, 24, 69: togae, hanging evenly all round , Quint. 11, 3, 139.— Prov.: diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata rotundis, i. e. turns every thing upside down , Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 100.—
II Trop., round , rounded.
A In gen.: sapiens Fortis et in se ipse totus, teres atque rotundus, Hor. S. 2, 7, 86: illa rotunda et undique circumcisa, Quint. 8, 5, 27.—
B In partic., of speech (opp. rough, unpolished), round , well turned , smooth , polished , elegant (in Cic. with quasi or ut ita dicam added; but v. infra, adv. b.): erat verborum et delectus elegans et apta et quasi rotunda constructio, Cic. Brut. 78, 272; cf.: Thucydides praefractior nec satis, ut ita dicam, rotundus, id. Or. 13, 40: Graiis dedit ore rotundo Musa loqui, Hor. A. P. 323; celeris ac rotunda distributio, Quint. 3, 4, 16: rotunda volubilisque sententia, Gell. 11, 13, 4: rotundi numeri (with brevis), id. 17, 20, 4: verba, id. 16, 1, 1.—Hence, adv.: rŏtun-dē . *
a (Acc. to I.) Roundly : ut in orbem quam rotundissime formetur, Col. Arb. 5, 2.—*
b (Acc. to II.) Roundly , smoothly , elegantly : a te quidem apte ac rotunde, Cic. Fin. 4, 3, 7.