tībīcen, ĭnis, m. [contr. from tībĭĭcen, from tibia-cano], a piper, flute-player, flutist.
I Lit.: age, tibicen, refer ad labias tibias, suffla celeriter tibi buccas, Plaut. Stich. 5, 4, 41: si tibiae non referant sonum, abiciendas sibi tibicen putat, Cic. Brut. 51, 192: tibicen sine tibiis canere non potest, id. de Or. 2, 83, 338; id. Leg. 2, 24, 62; id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 7, 20; id. Dom. 47 123; id. Agr. 2, 34, 93; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 98; id. A. P. 415: tibicines abierunt, Liv. 9, 30, 5: funus celebratum ... praecedente tibicine, Plin. 10, 43, 60, § 122; Val. Max. 2, 5, 4: transit idem jurisconsultus tibicinis Latini modo, i. e. preludes or rehearses the legal formulas (as the flutist accompanies the actors), Cic. Mur. 12, 26. — Sing. collect. : crebro tibicine, Cic. Sen. 13, 44. —
II Transf., a kind of pillar , support , or prop of a building, Cat. 61, 158; Ov. F. 4, 695: urbem colimus tenui tibicine fultum, Juv. 3, 193. — Of Atlas, supporting the heaven, Arn. 2, 92; cf.: tibicines in aedificiis dici existimantur a similitudine tibiis canentium, qui ut cantantes sustineant, ita illi aedificiorum tecta, Fest. p. 366 Müll.