astrum
ἢ λέγε τι σιγῆς κρεῖττον ἢ σιγὴν ἔχε → either say something better than silence or keep silence (Menander)
Latin > English (Lewis & Short)
astrum: i, n. perh. ἄστρον> borrowed; cf. ἀστήρ>; Sanscr. staras (plur.); Engl. star; Germ. Stern; Goth. stairno; and stella; Kuhn compares: Sanscr. star, Lat. sterno, Gr. στρώννυμι>, Engl. strew, the stars being so called as strewn over the vault of heaven, as in Hor. S. 1, 5, 10,
I a star, a constellation (poet. or in more elevated prose).
I Lit., Verg. E. 9, 47; id. A. 4, 352; 5, 838; 8, 590; Ov. M. 1, 73; 11, 309; Hor. C. 3, 21, 24; 3, 27, 31; id. Epod. 16, 61; id. Ep. 2, 2, 187; Prop. 2, 32, 50; 3, 16, 15; Mart. 8, 21 al.; Cic. Rep. 6, 22, 24; id. N. D. 2, 46, 118; id. Tusc. 1, 25, 62; id. Tim. 12.—In Vulg. only <number opt="n">plur.</number>: astra caeli, Deut. 4, 10; 10, 22; 28, 62: donec egrediantur astra, 2 Esdr. 4, 21: astra matutina, Job, 38, 7.—
II Trop.
A For height: turris educta sub astra, Verg. A. 2, 460: Ter spumam elisam et rorantia vidimus astra, id. ib. 3, 567: Mons ibi verticibus petit arduus astra duobus, Ov. M. 1, 316: super astra Dei exaltabo solium meum, Vulg. Isa. 14, 13 al.—
B Heaven, and the immortality of the glory connected with it: sic itur ad astra, Verg. A. 9, 641: aliquem inferre astris, Ov. M. 9, 272; 15, 846: Daphnimque tuum tollemus ad astra; Daphnim ad astra feremus, Verg. E. 5, 52: educere in astra, Hor. C. 4, 2, 23: absentem rusticus urbem Tollit ad astra, praises to the skies, id. S. 2, 7, 29 al.: Hortalus nostras laudes in astra sustulit, extolled to the skies, Cic. Att. 2, 25, 1 (cf. the opp.: decidere ex astris, i. e. summam gloriam perdere, id. ib. 2, 21, 4).
