View source for dirus

{{Lewis
|lshtext=<b>dīrus</b>: a, um, adj. Sanscr. [[root]] dī, to [[flee]]; Gr. [[δέος]], [[δείδω]], [[δεινός]],<br /><b>I</b> [[fearful]], [[awful]] (for syn. cf.: [[saevus]], [[atrox]], [[ferox]], [[crudelis]], [[trux]], furens, [[furiosus]], [[immitis]]).<br /><b>I</b> Orig. belonging to the lang. of augurs; of [[fate]], [[ill]]-omened, [[ominous]], [[boding]], [[portentous]]: QVAE AVGVR INIVSTA, NEFASTA VITIOSA DIRA DEFIXERIT, IRRITA INFECTAQVE SVNTO, Cic. Leg. 2, 8 fin.; cf. id. Div. 1, 16: tristissima [[exta]] [[sine]] capite fuerunt, quibus [[nihil]] videtur esse dirius, id. ib. 2, 15 fin.; cf.: [[bubo]], dirum mortalibus [[omen]], Ov. M. 5, 550: [[omen]], Tac. H. 3, 56; Suet. Aug. 92; id. Tib. 1, 3, 17: aves, Tac. A. 12, 43; Suet. Claud. 22: alites, Plin. 18, 1, 1, § 4: somnia, Val. Fl. 3, 59: [[tempus]], Cic. Poët. Div. 1, 11, 18: exsecrationes, Liv. 40, 56; 28, 22; Suet. Claud. 12; cf. deprecationes, Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 19: [[detestatio]], Hor. Epod. 5, 89: [[ritus]] sacrorum, Tac. A. 16, 8: [[religio]] loci, Verg. A. 8, 350 et saep.—Hence, as subst.:<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>1</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; dīrae, ārum, f.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(a)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (sc. res), [[ill]]-[[boding]] things, portents, [[unlucky]] signs: dirarum [[obnuntiatio]], id. ib.; Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 17; 28, 2, 5, § 26; Tac. A. 6, 24 al.; Hor. Epod. 5, 89; Müll. Etrusk. 2, p. 117.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(b)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As a nom. propr., Dīrae, the Furies, Verg. A. 12, 845 sq.; 4, 473; Val. Fl. 1, 804; Aur. Vict. Epit. 21 al.; called also [[Dirae]] deae, sorores, Verg. A. 7, 324 and 454.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>2</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; dīra, ōrum, n., [[fearful]] things, [[ill]]-[[boding]] events: in dira et in vitiosa incurrimus, Cic. Div. 1, 16, 29; id. Leg. 2, 8, 21; cf.: me mihi dira precari cogis, to [[curse]], [[invoke]] curses on, Tib. 2, 6, 17: dira [[passus]], Vulg. Sirach, 38, 16.<br /><b>II</b> Transf., of [[character]], [[dreadful]], [[horrible]], [[terrible]], [[abominable]], [[detestable]] (so [[almost]] [[exclusively]] [[poet]].; a [[very]] favorite [[expression]] [[with]] the Aug. poets; in the Ciceron. per. not at all; [[but]] cf. [[diritas]], II.): [[senex]] dirissimus, Varr. Poët. ap. Non. 100, 30: Dea, i. e. [[Circe]], Ov. M. 14, 278: [[Ulixes]], Verg. A. 2, 261; 762: [[Hannibal]], Hor. C. 2, 12, 2 al.: durum, id. ib. 3, 6, 36 (also ap. Quint. 8, 2, 9): [[Afer]], Hor. C. 4, 4, 42: [[Amulius]], Ov. F. 4, 53: [[noverca]], id. H. 12, 188: [[pellex]], id. ib. 5, 60 et saep.: [[hydra]], Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 10: [[serpens]], Ov. M. 2, 651: [[victima]], id. A. A. 1, 334: [[parens]], [[fell]], [[cruel]], id. ib. 2, 383: [[soror]], Stat. S. 5, 3, 84: parentes, Manil. 5, 541.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>b</b> Of [[inanimate]] and abstr. subjects: [[regio]], Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 5: [[facies]], id. F. 1, 553: dapes, id. ib. 6, 663: venena, Hor. Epod. 5, 61; id. S. 1, 9, 31: [[Asphaltites]] [[lacus]], Plin. 5, 15, 15, § 71: [[scopulus]], id. 4, 11, 18, § 51: duarum Syrtium vadoso mari diri [[sinus]], id. 5, 4, 4, § 26 et saep.: [[bellum]], Verg. A. 11, 217: [[nefas]], id. ib. 4, 563: sollicitudines, Hor. Epod. 13, 10: amores, Ov. M. 10, 426: [[superbia]], id. ib. 3, 354: [[quies]], Tac. A. 1, 65 et saep.—Poet., [[answering]] to the Gr. [[δεινός]], [[with]] inf.: dira portas quassare [[trabs]], Sil. 4, 284.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> Skilful: in complicandis negotiis, Amm. 14, 5, 8.
}}