vix, adv. [etym. dub.; perh. from root vic- of vinco], with difficulty, with much ado, hardly, scarcely, barely.
I In gen.: quid est, sine his cur vivere velimus? mihi vero cum his ipsis vix; his autem detractis ne vix quidem, Cic. Fam. 9, 8, 2: quae vix aut ne vix quidem adpareant, id. Fin. 4, 13, 32: ut vix aut omnino non posset ... infirmari sua lex, id. Att. 3, 23, 2; cf.: profluens amnis aut vix aut nullo modo, conclusa autem aqua facile corrumpitur, id. N. D. 2, 7, 20: vix incedo inanis, ne, etc., Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 174: vix sum compos animi, Ter. Ad. 310: vix me contineo, quin involem, etc., id. Eun. 859: Thr. Hic sunt tres minae. Gn. Vix, id. ib. 472: vix in ipsis tectis frigus vitatur, Cic. Fam. 16, 8, 2: ego teneo ab accusando vix me hercule: sed tamen teneo, id. Q. Fr. 3, 2, 2: Gabinius collegit ipse se vix, sed collegit tamen, id. Pis. 12, 27: iter angustum et difficile, vix quā singuli carri ducerentur, Caes. B. G. 1, 6: brevi spatio interjecto, vix ut his rebus ... administrandis tempus daretur, id. ib. 3, 4; cf.: adeo, ut vix ulla possit causa reperiri, Quint. Inst. prooem. § 12: ex hominum milibus LX. vix ad D. sese redactos esse dixerunt, to scarcely five hundred , Caes. B. G. 2, 28: carcer vix carcere dignus, Lucil. ap. Don. Ter. Eun. 472 et saep.: ego vix teneor, quin accurram, Cic. Fam. 16, 24, 2: vix est, ut id obtineat, Dig. 41, 1, 7, § 7; so ib. 16, 1, 19 init. —
B Strengthened,
1 By aegre : vix aegreque amatorculos invenimus, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 27: vix et aegre, Ap. Met. 1, 19, 25; vix et aegerrime, id. ib. 1, 14, 22; v. aegre.—
2 By saltem : illud vix saltem praecipiendum videtur, Quint. 6, 4, 15.—
3 By repetition: corpus matri vix vixque remissum, Albin. 1, 167.—
II In partic., of time, hardly , scarcely.
A Absol. : assum atque advenio Acherunte vix via alta atque ardua, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 16, 37 (Trag. Rel. p. 208 Rib.): ah, vix tandem sensi stolidus! Ter. And. 470: vix tandem legi litteras, Cic. Fam. 3, 9, 1; Cat. 62, 2: contingat vix deinde mori, Val. Fl. 7, 537.—
B With a foll. cum , and poet. also et , to denote the immediate succession of two events.
1 With cum : vix agmen novissimum extra munitiones processerat, cum Galli, etc., Caes. B. G. 6, 8: vix erat hoc plane imperatum, cum illum ... videres, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 40, § 86: vix ea fatus erat, geminae cum forte columbae ... caelo venere volantes, Verg. A. 6, 190; Ov. M. 1, 69.—
2 With et : vix primos inopina quies laxaverat artus, Et superincumbens ... liquidas projecit in undas Praecipitem, Verg. A. 5, 857; so, vix ... et, id. ib. 6, 498; Stat. Th. 5, 263; cf.: vix ... que, Verg. A. 2, 692.—
3 With ellipsis of cum or et : vix proram attigerat, rumpit Saturnia funem, Verg. A. 10, 659; 8, 337: vix bene desieram, rettulit illa mihi, Ov. F. 5, 278; Phaedr. 4, 24, 28 sq.; so, vix bene, Ov. M. 2, 47.—
C Strengthened by dum , and usually written in one word, vixdum , hardly then , scarcely yet : Dolabella valde vituperabatur, quod tibi tam cito succederet, cum vixdum triginta dies in Syriā fuisses, Cic. Fam. 12, 4, 2: haec ego omnia vixdum etiam coetu nostro dimisso comperi, id. Cat. 1, 4, 10: (Hannibalem) vixdum puberem, Liv. 21, 3, 2: vixdum serio adnuere, id. 39, 42, 12: progressis vixdum quattuor milia passuum, id. 44, 5, 1; 32, 28, 4; 10, 32, 7: puer vixdum libertatem, nedum dominationem modice laturus, id. 24, 4, 1: vixdum dimidium dixeram: intellexerat, Ter. Phorm. 594: vixdum epistulam tuam legeram, cum, etc., Cic. Att. 9, 2, A, 3.—So with et , Liv. 36, 12, 5; 43, 4, 10; Plin. Ep. 7, 33, 7.