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|lshtext=<b>gens</b>: gentis, f. [[root]] GEN, [[gigno]], [[that]] [[which]] belongs [[together]] by [[birth]] or [[descent]],<br /><b>I</b> a [[race]] or [[clan]], embracing [[several]] families united [[together]] by a [[common]] [[name]] and by [[certain]] [[religious]] rites; orig. [[only]] [[patrician]], [[but]], [[after]] the granting of the connubium [[between]] patricians and plebeians, also [[plebeian]] (syn.: [[familia]], [[stirps]], [[genus]]; [[natio]], [[populus]]).<br /><b>I</b> Lit.: [[Sulla]] gentis patriciae (sc. Corneliae) [[nobilis]] fuit, [[familia]] [[prope]] jam exstincta majorum ignaviā, Sall. J. 95, 3: vera decora, non [[communiter]] [[modo]] Corneliae gentis, sed [[proprie]] familiae suae, Liv. 38, 58, 3: L. [[Tarquitius]] patriciae gentis, id. 3, 27, 1: [[apud]] P. Sestium patriciae gentis virum, id. 3, 33, 9; 6, 11, 2: cum Marcelli ab liberti filio stirpe, Claudii [[patricii]] ejusdem hominis hereditatem, gente ad se rediisse dicerent, Cic. de Or. 1, 39, 176: [[gens]] Tarquiniorum, id. Rep. 2, 25 fin.: Julia, Liv. 1, 3, 2: L. [[Tarquinius]] duplicavit illum pristinum patrum numerum, et antiquos patres majorum gentium appellavit, quos priores sententiam rogabat; a se ascitos minorum, Cic. Rep. 2, 20 Mos.; cf. Liv. 1, 35, 6: ex gente Domitia duae familiae claruerunt, Calvinorum et Aenobarborum, Suet. Ner. 1; cf. Liv. 2, 29, 4: [[patricii]] minorum gentium, Cic. Fam. 9, 21, 2; Liv. 1, 47, 7; [[Capitol]]. ap. Gell. 10, 20, 5: anni [[principio]] de connubio patrum et [[plebis]] C. [[Canuleius]] [[tribunus]] [[plebis]] rogationem promulgavit, [[qua]] contaminari sanguinem suum patres confundique jura gentium rebantur, Liv. 4, 1, 1; cf. id. 4, 2, 5; 10, 8, 9: uti Feceniae Hispalae gentis [[enuptio]], tutoris [[optio]] esset, etc., the [[right]] of marrying [[out]] of her [[gens]], id. 39, 19, 5: perjurus, [[sine]] gente, i. e. of no [[family]], of [[vulgar]] [[birth]], Hor. S. 2, 5, 15; cf. [[respecting]] the Roman [[gens]], Dict. of Antiq.<br /><b>II</b> Transf.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>A</b> In a [[manner]] borrowed from the [[division]] of the senators [[into]] majorum and minorum gentium (v. [[above]]): ipsi [[illi]] majorum gentium dii qui habentur, [[hinc]] a nobis profecti in [[caelum]] reperientur, the [[superior]] deities (the [[consentes]]), Cic. Tusc. 1, 13, 29: [[Cleanthes]], qui [[quasi]] majorum est gentium [[Stoicus]], id. Ac. 2, 41, 126.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> Poet., [[like]] [[genus]] and [[stirps]], of a [[single]] [[descendant]], [[offspring]] of an [[entire]] [[race]]: vigilasne, deūm [[gens]], [[Aenea]]? Verg. A. 10, 228 (for [[which]]: Dis genite, id. ib. 9, 642): Tirynthia [[gens]] est (i. e. [[Fabius]]), Sil. 7, 35: extrema viri, the [[last]] [[descendant]], id. 2, 185.—*<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>C</b> In a [[contemptuous]] [[sense]], [[like]] [[our]] [[tribe]], [[brood]], [[crew]]: si [[illo]] [[die]] [[gens]] ista Clodiana, [[quod]] facere voluit, effecisset, Cic. Sest. 38, 81; so, [[Clodia]], id. Q. Fr. 2, 13, 1.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>D</b> In the widest [[sense]] = [[genus]], the [[race]]; [[gens]] humana, the [[human]] [[race]], Cic. Fin. 5, 23, 65; Hor. C. 1, 3, 26.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>E</b> Of beasts, etc., a [[race]], [[herd]], [[brood]], [[swarm]] ([[poet]]. and in [[post]]-Aug. [[prose]]): intestino [[bello]] totae gentes consumuntur, Col. 9, 9, 6: quos (equos) in spem statues summittere gentis, of the [[race]], [[breed]], Verg. G. 3, 73: utque luat poenas [[gens]] haec (i. e. [[vulpes]]), [[breed]], [[race]], Ov. F. 4, 711.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>F</b> In a [[more]] extended [[sense]] (as also [[γένος]]>), a [[race]], [[nation]], [[people]] ([[sometimes]] [[more]] restricted [[than]] [[natio]] and [[populus]], and [[sometimes]] [[put]] for [[them]];<br /> v. in the foll., and cf. Drak. Liv. 23, 42, 1; freq. and [[class]].): Qui gentis [[omnis]] mariaque et terras movet, Plaut. Rud. prol. 1: cf.: nos per gentis disparat, id. ib. v. 10: [[gradus]] [[plures]] sunt societatis hominum. Ut [[enim]] ab [[illa]] infinita discedatur, [[propior]] est ejusdem gentis, nationis, linguae, [[qua]] [[maxime]] homines conjunguntur: [[interius]] [[etiam]] est ejusdem esse civitatis, Cic. Off. 1, 17, 53; cf.: (Deus) non curat singulos homines ... ne civitates [[quidem]] ... ne nationes [[quidem]] et gentes, id. N. D. 3, 39, 93: ita nationis [[nomen]], non gentis evaluisse [[paulatim]], Tac. G. 2: [[Suebi]], quorum non una [[gens]]...propriis [[adhuc]] nationibus nominibusque discreti, id. ib. 38: [[atrox]] in [[Thracia]] [[bellum]] ortum, omnibus ejus gentis nationibus in [[arma]] accensis, Vell. 2, 98: omnes exterae gentes ac nationes, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 11, 31; cf.: per omnes gentes nationesque, Quint. 11, 3, 87; for [[which]], in an [[inverted]] [[order]]: exterae nationes ac gentes, Cic. Font. 11, 25: aut gentes aut populos, Quint. 11, 1, 86: [[inter]] multas regum gentiumque et populorum legationes, Liv. 45, 19, 1; 45, 22, 8; cf. in an inverse [[order]]: populi et gentes, Quint. 12, 2, 3: [[postquam]] [[bello]] subegit Aequorum magnam gentem et ferocem, Cic. Rep. 2, 20: [[Sabina]] aut Volsca, id. ib. 3, 4: Transalpinae, id. ib. 3, 9: Allobrogum, id. Cat. 4, 6, 12: Nerviorum, Caes. B. G. 2, 28, 1: Germanorum, id. ib. 6, 32 init.: Suevorum [[longe]] maxima Germanorum omnium, id. ib. 4, 1, 3; so of the [[Etruscan]] [[nation]], Liv. 5, 1, 6; and in a wider [[sense]] [[than]] [[populus]]: non ex iisdem [[semper]] populis [[exercitus]] scriptos, [[quamquam]] [[eadem]] [[semper]] [[gens]] [[bellum]] intulerit, id. 6, 12, 4; 40, 15, 6; 2, 50, 2.—Also for [[civitas]], the inhabitants of a [[city]] or [[town]]: [[Caesar]] Gomphos pervenit, [[quod]] est [[oppidum]] [[primum]] Thessaliae venientibus ab Epiro, quae [[gens]] [[ultro]] ad Caesarem legatos miserat, Caes. B. C. 3, 80, 1: [[atqui]] ad hoc, de quo agitur, non quaerimus gentem, ingenia quaerimus, Cic. Rep. 1, 37 fin.; cf.: gladio pugnacissima [[gens]] Romani, Quint. 9, 3, 8; Liv. 5, 48, 3: [[Segni]] Condrusique, ex gente et [[numero]] Germanorum, Caes. B. G. 6, 32, 1: in [[illa]] incorrupta [[maxime]] gente Aegyptiorum, Cic. Rep. 3, 9, 14: nos plurimis ignotissimi gentibus, id. ib. 1, 17, 26: jus gentium, id. ib. 1, 2, 2; cf.: [[quod]] [[naturalis]] [[ratio]] [[inter]] omnes homines constituit, id ... vocatur jus gentium [[quasi]] quo jure omnes gentes utuntur, Gai. Inst. 1, 1.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>2</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In partic.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>a</b> As a partit. gen., gentium, [[like]] terrarum, for the [[sake]] of [[emphasis]], in the [[world]], on [[earth]] (freq. and [[class]].): [[ubicumque]] terrarum et gentium violatum jus civium Romanorum [[sit]], Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 55, § 143: [[quod]] [[ubique]] gentium est, id. Rep. 2, 4: [[ubinam]] gentium sumus, [[where]] in the [[world]]? id. Cat. 1, 4, 9: ubi ubi est gentium? Plaut. As. 2, 2, 21: [[obsecro]], [[unde]] haec gentium? id. Cist. 4, 1, 16: ubi tu's gentium, id. Rud. 2, 5, 11: quaerit [[quod]] nusquamst gentium, id. Ps. 1, 4, 9: non [[hercle]] quo [[hinc]] [[nunc]] gentium aufugiam [[scio]], id. Rud. 3, 5, 44: [[ubivis]] gentium agere aetatem [[quam]], etc., Ter. Hec. 3, 1, 4: an [[quisquam]] [[usquam]] gentium est [[aeque]] [[miser]]? id. ib. 13: [[equidem]] te [[nisi]] [[nunc]] [[hodie]] [[nusquam]] vidi gentium, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 54: fratrem [[nusquam]] [[invenio]] gentium, Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 1: abeat [[multo]] [[malo]] [[quovis]] gentium, Quam hic, etc., id. Heaut. 5, 1, 55: res est in manibus: tu [[autem]] abes [[longe]] gentium, Cic. Att. 6, 3, 1: nostri τυραννοκτόνοι [[longe]] gentium absunt, id. Fam. 12, 22, 2: ah! [[minime]] gentium, non faciam, by no [[means]], Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 44; so, [[minime]] gentium, id. Eun. 4, 1, 11; id. Phorm. 5, 8, 44.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>b</b> Gentes, opp. to the Romans, [[foreign]] nations, foreigners ([[post]]-Aug. and [[rare]]): maneat, [[quaeso]], duretque gentibus si non [[amor]] nostri at [[certe]] [[odium]] sui, Tac. G. 33; Auct. B. Hisp. 17 fin.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>c</b> In the eccl. [[fathers]], gentes, [[like]] [[ἔθνος]]>, opp. to Jews and Christians, pagan nations, heathen, gentiles, Lact. 2, 13 fin.; Vulg. Psa. 2, 1 et saep.— Hence the [[title]] of [[Arnobius]]'s [[work]], Adversus Gentes.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>3</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Transf., a [[region]], [[country]] ([[very]] [[rare]]): ut Aspim aggrederetur, qui Cataoniam tenebat: quae [[gens]] jacet [[supra]] Ciliciam, Nep. Dat. 4: gentes viduatas esse suis cultoribus et desolatas, Arn. 1, 4.
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