aridus

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

ārĭdus: (contr. ardus, like arfacio from arefacio, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 18; Lucil. ap. Non. p. 74, 20; Inscr. Grut. 207), a, um, adj. areo,
I dry, withered, arid, parched.
I Lit.: ligna, Lucr. 2, 881: lignum, Hor. C. 3, 17, 13; so Vulg. Eccli. 6, 3; ib. Isa. 56, 3: cibus, Lucr. 1, 809; so id. 1, 864: ficis victitamus aridis, Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 59: folia, Cic. Pis. 40, 97, and Plin. 12, 12, 26, § 46: ficus, Vulg. Marc. 11, 20: Libye, Ov. M. 2, 238: quale portentum Jubae tellus leonum Arida nutrix, Hor. C. 1, 22, 16: terra arida et sicca, Plin. 2, 65, 66, § 166; so, terra arida, Vulg. Sap. 19, 7: arida terra, ib. Heb. 11, 29; so absol.: arida (eccl. Lat.), ib. Gen. 1, 9; ib. Psa. 65, 6; ib. Matt. 23, 15: montes aridi sterilesque. Plin. 33, 4, 21, § 67.—Also, subst.: ārĭdum, i, n., a dry place, dry land: ex arido tela conicere, Caes. B. G. 4, 25: naves in aridum subducere, id. ib. 4, 29.—Meton., of thirst: sitis, Lucr. 3, 917, and 6, 1175; so, os, Verg. G. 3, 458: ora, id. A. 5, 200: guttur, Ov. [ad Liv. 422].—Of a fever: febris, i. e. causing thirst, Verg. G. 3, 458 (cf. Lucr. 4, 875); so, morbus, Veg. Vet. Art. 1, 4.—Of color: arbor folio convoluto, arido colore, like that of dried leaves, Plin. 12, 26, 59, § 129.—And of a cracking, snapping sound, as when dry wood is broken: sonus, Lucr. 6, 119: aridus altis Montibus (incipit) audiri fragor, a dry crackling noise begins to be heard in the high mountain forest, Verg. G. 1, 357.—
II Trop.
   A Of things which are dried, shrunk up, shrivelled, meagre, lean: crura, Ov. A. A. 3, 272: nates, Hor. Epod. 8, 5: uvis aridior puella passis, Auct. Priap. 32, 1; so from disease, withered: manus, Vulg. Matt. 12, 10; ib. Marc. 3, 1; and absol. of persons: aridi, ib. Joan. 5, 3.— Hence, of food or manner of living, meagre, scanty: in victu arido in hac horridā incultāque vitā, poor, scanty diet, Cic. Rosc. Am. 27, 75: vita horrida atque arida, id. Quinct. 30.—Transf. to men, indigent, poor: cliens, Mart. 10, 87, 5.—
   B Of style, dry, jejune, unadorned, spiritless: genus sermonis exile, aridum, concisum ac minutum, Cic. de Or. 2, 38, 159; so Auct. ad Her. 4, 11: narratio, Quint. 2, 4, 3: aridissimi libri, Tac. Or. 19.—Meton., of the orator himself: orator, Quint. 12, 10, 13: rhetores, Sen. Contr. 34: magister, Quint. 2, 4, 8.— Of scholars: sicci omnino atque aridi pueri, sapless and dry, Suet. Gram. 4; cf. Quint. 2, 8, 9.—
   C In comic lang., avaricious, of a man from whom, as it were, nothing can be expressed (cf. Argentiexterebronides): pumex non aeque est aridus atque hic est senex, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 18: pater avidus, miser atque aridus, Ter. Heaut. 3, 2, 15.— *
   D In Plaut. as a mere natural epithet of metal: arido argentost opus, dry coin, Rud. 3, 4, 21.—Adv. not used.