lătus | Lewis & Short | Morcus Latin Tools

• lătus, ĕris, n. [cf. Gr. πλατύς; Lat. lăter, Latium, plautus or plotus], the side, flank of men or animals.

I. Lit.: ego vostra faciam latera lorea, Plaut. Mil. 2, 1, 2: quid conminatu's mihi? Con. Istud male factum arbitror, quia non latus fodi, id. Aul. 3, 2, 4: occidisse ex equo dicitur, et latus offendisse vehementer, Cic. Clu. 62, 175: cujus latus ille mucro petebat, id. Lig. 3, 9: laterique accommodat ensem, Verg. A. 2, 393; Quint. 2, 13, 12; 11, 3, 69; 118: laterum inclinatione forti ac virili, id. 1, 11, 18: vellere latus digitis, to twitch one by the side (in order to attract attention), Ov. A. A. 1, 606; cf.: si tetigit latus acrior, Juv. 7, 109: tum latus ei dicenti condoluisse ... dieque septimo est lateris dolore consumptus, pleurisy, Cic. de Or. 3, 2, 6; so, lateris dolor, Cato, R. R. 125; Cels. 2, 7; 8; Plin. 21, 21, 89, § 155: lateris vigili cum febre dolor, Juv. 13, 229; cf.: laterum dolor aut tussis, Hor. S. 1, 9, 32: artifices lateris, i. e. those who make skilful side movements or evolutions, ballet-dancers, Ov. A. A. 3, 351: latus tegere alicui, to walk by the side of one, Hor. S. 2, 5, 18: claudere alicui, Juv. 3, 131; and: mares inter se uxoresque contendunt, uter det latus illis (sc. pantomimis), Sen. Q. N. 7, 32, 3.—Of animals: equorum, Lucr. 5, 1324: cujus (equi aënei) in lateribus fores essent, Cic. Off. 3, 9, 38.—

2. Of orators, the lungs: lateribus aut clamore contendere, Cic. de Or. 1, 60, 255: quae vox, quae latera, quae vires, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 30, § 67: ut lateris conatus sit ille, non capitis, Quint. 1, 11, 8; cf.: lateris pectorisve firmitas an capitis etiam plus adjuvet, id. 11, 3, 16; so id. 11, 3, 40: dum vox ac latus praeparetur, id. 10, 7, 2; 11, 3, 13: voce, latere, firmitate (constat orator), id. 12, 11, 2: neque enim ex te umquam es nobilitatus, sed ex lateribus et lacertis tuis, Cic. de Sen. 9, 27: cum legem Voconiam voce magna et bonis lateribus suasissem, id. ib. 5, 14: illa adhuc audaciora et majorum, ut Cicero existimat, laterum, Quint. 9, 1, 29.—
3. Poet., in mal. part., Lucil. ap. Non. 260, 30; Ov. H. 2, 58; 19, 138; Prop. 2, 2, 12: lateri parcere, Juv. 6, 37.—

1. The side, flank, lateral surface of a thing (opp. frons and tergum; v. h. vv.): collis ex utraque parte lateris dejectus habebat et in frontem leniter fastigatus paulatim ad planiciem redibat, on each side, Caes. B. G. 2, 8; cf. Plin. 17, 23, 35, § 202: terra angusta verticibus, lateribus latior, Cic. Rep. 6, 20, 21: latus unum castrorum, Caes. B. G. 2, 5: insula, cujus unum latus est contra Galliam, id. ib. 5, 13: et (Fibrenus) divisus aequaliter in duas partis latera haec (insulae) adluit, Cic. Leg. 2, 3, 6.—Of a maritime country, the coast, seaboard: Illyricum, Juv. 8, 117: castelli, Sall. J. 93: tum prora avertit et undis Dat latus, the ship's side, Verg. A. 1, 105: ubi pulsarunt acres latera ardua fluctus, Ov. M. 11, 529: nudum remigio, Hor. C. 1, 14, 4; id. Epod. 10, 3: dextrum (domus), id. Ep. 1, 16, 6: mundi, id. C. 1, 22, 19: crystallus sexangulis nascitur lateribus, surfaces, Plin. 37, 2, 9, § 26.—Of an army, the flank, Tac. Agr. 35: reliquos equites ad latera disponit, Caes. B. G. 6, 7: ex itinere nostros latere aperto aggressi, id. ib. 1, 25; cf. id. ib. 2, 23 fin.: ad latus apertum hostium constitui, id. ib. 4, 25: ne simul in frontem, simul in latera, pugnaretur, Tac. Agr. 35.—So in fighting: latus dare, to expose one's side or flank to the adversary, Val. Fl. 4, 304 (v. II. A. infra).—

b. Esp. freq.: a (ab) latere, on or at the side or flank; a or ab lateribus, on or at the sides or flanks (opp. a fronte, in front, before, and a tergo, at the back, behind): a tergo, a fronte, a lateribus tenebitur, Cic. Phil. 3, 13, 32: a fronte atque ab utroque latere cratibus ac pluteis protegebat, Caes. B. C. 1, 25 fin.; id. B. G. 2, 25: ab omni latere securus, Amm. 16, 9, 3: ab latere aggredi, Liv. 27, 48: disjectos ab tergo aut lateribus circumveniebant, Sall. J. 50 fin.: ne quis inermibus militibus ab latere impetus fieri posset, Caes. B. G. 3, 29: Sulla profligatis iis, quos advorsum ierat, rediens ab latere Mauris incurrit, Sall. J. 101, 8: si ex hac causa unda prorumperet, a lateribus undae circumfunderentur, Sen. Q. N. 6, 6, 4: a lateribus, a fronte, quasi tria maria prospectat, Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 5.—
c. Less freq. with ex: latere ex utroque, Lucr. 2, 1049: ex lateribus aggredi aliquem, Sall. C. 60: tribus ex lateribus (locus) tegebatur, Hirt. B. Alex. 28, 4: ex alio latere cubiculum est politissimum, Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 10: omni ex latere armorum molibus urgeri, Amm. 19, 7, 7.—
d. With de: de latere ire, Lucr. 6, 117.—Without prep.: alio latere, Tac. A. 3, 74.—

2. Poet. (pars pro toto), the body: penna latus vestit, tenet, Ov. M. 2, 376: nunc latus in fulvis niveum deponit harenis, id. ib. 2, 865; cf. id. ib. 3, 23; 14, 710: forte, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 26: fessum longā militiā, id. C. 2, 7, 18: credidit tauro latus, id. ib. 3, 27, 26: liminis aut aquae Caelestis patiens latus, id. ib. 3, 10, 20.—

A. In gen.: in latera atque in terga incurrere, to attack the sides, i. e. the unguarded points, Quint. 9, 1, 20: aliena negotia centum Per caput et circa saliunt latus, encompass on every side, Hor. S. 2, 6, 34: ut a senis latere numquam discederem, never left his side, Cic. Lael. 1, 1; cf.: aliquem lateri alicujus adjungere, to attach to his side, i. e. to give him for a companion, Quint. 1, 2, 5; so, alicui latus dare, of a client, Sen. Q. N. 7, 32, 3 (cf. B. 1. infra): lateri adhaerere gravem dominum, hung about them, threatened them, Liv. 39, 25: Illyriorum rex, lateri ejus haerens, assiduis precibus promissa exigebat, Just. 29, 4, 8; cf.: Agathocles regis lateri junctus, civitatem regebat, id. 30, 2, 5: circumfusa turba lateri meo, Liv. 6, 15.—Esp.: sacpe dabis nudum latus, expose, Tib. 1, 4, 52: la. tus imperii nudum, Flor. 3, 5, 4: nec adulatoribus latus praebeas, expose yourself, lay yourself open to, Sen. Q. N. 4 praef.: latere tecto abscedere, i. e safe, unharmed, Ter. Heaut. 4, 2, 5: hic fugit omnes Insidias nullique malo latus obdit apertum, Hor. S. 1, 3, 59: ex uno latere constat contractus, on one side, Dig. 19, 1, 13 fin.; so ib. 3, 5, 5: nulla ex utroque latere nascitur actio, ib. 3, 5, 6, § 4.—
B. In partic.

1. To express intimacy, attachment: latus alicui cingere, to cling to, Liv. 32, 39, 8; esp. in the phrase: ab latere, at the side of, i. e. in intimate association with (rare, and perh. not ante-Aug.): ab latere tyranni: addit eos ab latere tyranni, Liv. 24, 5, 13; Curt. 3, 5, 15; cf.: ille tuum, Castrice, dulce latus, your constant associate, Mart. 6, 68, 4.—
2. Relationship, kindred, esp. collateral relationship (post-Aug.): quibus (liberis) videor a meo tuoque latere pronum ad honores iter relicturus, Plin. Ep. 8, 10, 3: sunt et ex lateribus cognati ut fratres sororesque, Dig. 38, 10, 10, § 8: ex latere uxorem ducere, ib. 23, 2, 68: latus omne divinae domus, Stat. S. 5 praef.: omnes personae cognatorum aut supra numerantur, aut infra, aut ex transverso, sive a latere ... a latere, fratres et sorores, liberique eorum; item parentium fratres et sorores liberique eorum, (Ulp.) de Grad. Cogn. 2 ap. Huschke, Jurisp. Antejust. p. 530.

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