tĕnŭĭtas, ātis. f. [tenuis], thinness, slenderness, fineness, smallness, tenuity (class.).
I Lit.: casurusne in conspectum videatur animus, an tanta sit ejus tenuitas, ut fugiat aciem, Cic. Tusc. 1, 22, 50: valetudo modo bona sit, tenuitas ipsa delectat, slimness , id. Brut. 16, 64: crurum, Phaedr. 1, 12, 6: aëris, rarity (with siccitas), Sen. Q. N. 2, 10, 1: lini, Plin. 19, 1, 2, § 9: chartae, id. 13, 12, 24, § 79: capillamenti, id. 11, 37, 65, § 171: liniam duxit summae tenuitatis per tabulam, id. 35, 10, 36, § 81: caudae, id. 8, 33, 51, § 121: cribri, id. 18, 11, 27, § 105: aquae, thinness , clearness , purity , id. 31, 3, 23, § 38; cf. sanguinis, id. 11, 39, 92, § 226 et saep.—
B Transf. (acc. to tenuis, I. B.), smallness , insignificance , poverty , indigence , scarcity : Magii, Cic. de Or. 2, 66, 265: alicujus, Cic. Fil. Fam. 16, 21, 4; Caes. B. G. 7, 17: aerarii, Cic. Off. 2, 21, 74: earum rerum, quas terra procreet, vel ubertatem vel tenuitatem, id. Div. 2, 13, 30.—
II Trop., fineness , acuteness , minuteness in language: limata tenuitas et rerum et verborum, Cic. Fin. 3, 12, 40; id. Opt. Gen. Or. 3, 9: (dialectica) sectas ad tenuitatem suam vires ipsā subtilitate consumet, Quint. 12, 2, 13; 12, 10, 35; 10, 2, 23: discriminum ac differentiarum tenuitates, fine shades , Gell. 1, 3, 29.