viscus, ĕris, and more freq. in the plur.: viscĕra, um, n. [prop. the soft parts; cf.: viscum, viscidus],
I the inner parts of the animal body, the internal organs , the inwards , viscera (the nobler parts, the heart, lungs, liver, as well as the ignobler, the stomach, entrails, etc.; cf.: ilia, intestina, exta).
α Sing. : mortui praecordia et viscus omne, Cels. praef. med. ; Lucr. 1, 837; 3, 719; Tib. 1, 3, 76; Ov. M. 6, 290; 15, 365; Luc. 3, 658; Quint. Decl. 1, 14; Nemes. Cyn. 139.—
β Plur. (only so in class. prose), Cels. 4, 11; 7, 9, 2; Lucr. 2, 669; 3, 249; 3, 375 al.; Ov. M. 7, 601; 8, 846; 12, 390; 15, 314; id. F. 4, 205 al.—Of the uterus , Quint. 10, 3, 4; Dig. 48, 8, 8.—Of the testicles , Petr. 119; Plin. 20, 13, 51, § 142.—
B Transf.
1 The flesh , as lying under the skin: cum Herculi Dejanira sanguine Centauri tinctam tunicam induisset, inhaesissetque ea visceribus, Cic. Tusc. 2, 8, 20: ut multus e visceribus sanguis exeat, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 14, 34: heu quantum scelus est, in viscera viscera condi! Ov. M. 15, 88: boum, Cic. N. D. 2, 63, 159: taurorum, Verg. A. 6, 253; 8, 180.—
2 The fruit of the womb , offspring , child (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): (Tereus) in suam sua viscera congerit alvum, Ov. M. 6, 651; 8, 478; 10, 465; id. H. 11, 118; cf. Curt. 4, 14, 22: viscera sua flammis inicere, i. e. one's own writings , Quint. 6, praef. § 3 Spald.—
II Trop., like our bowels , for the interior , inward or inmost part : itum est in viscera terrae, Ov. M. 1, 138: montis (Aetnae), Verg. A. 3, 575: in medullis populi Romani ac visceribus haerebant, Cic. Phil. 1, 15, 36: in venis atque in visceribus rei publicae, id. Cat. 1, 13, 31; cf. id. Tusc. 4, 11, 24: haec in dicendo non extrinsecus alicunde quaerenda, sed ex ipsis visceribus causae sumenda sunt, id. de Or. 2, 78, 318: quae (ἐγκελεύσματα) mihi in visceribus haerent, id. Att. 6, 1, 8: neu patriae validas in viscera vertite vires, i. e. her own citizens , Verg. A. 6, 833: de visceribus tuis, i. e. from your means , property , Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 7; so, aerarii, id. Dom. 47 fin. : magnarum domuum, the heart , i. e. the favorite , Juv. 3, 72.