I.solid, thick, dense, fat, gross, etc. (freq. and class. in prose and poetry).
I. Lit.: “semina (opp. liquida),” Lucr. 4, 1259; cf.: “crassius semen,” id. 4, 1244: “corpus,” id. 6, 857: “unguentum,” Hor. A. P. 375: “paludes,” Verg. G. 2, 110: “cruor,” id. A. 5, 469: “aquae,” greatly swollen, Ov. Am. 3, 6, 8: “ager,” Varr. R. R. 1, 24, 1; Cic. Fl. 29, 71; cf.: “terga (agri),” Verg. G. 2, 236: “homo,” Ter. Hec. 3, 4, 26: “turdi,” Mart. 2, 40: “toga,” Hor. S. 1, 3, 15; cf. “filum,” Cic. Fam. 9, 12, 2; Ov. H. 9, 77: “restis,” Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 38: “digiti crassi tres, as a measure,” Cato, R. R. 40, 4.—
B. Esp., of the atmosphere, thick, dense, heavy: “aër crassus et concretus,” Cic. Tusc. 1, 18, 42; cf.: “crassissimus aër,” id. N. D. 2, 6, 17: “caelum Thebis (opp. tenue Athenis),” id. Fat. 4, 7: “Baeotum in crasso jurares aëre natum,” Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 244; Juv. 10, 50: caligo nubis, Lucr. 6, 461; cf.: “caliginis aër Crassior,” id. 4, 350 al.: “vitrum crassiore visu,” less transparent, Plin. 36, 26, 67, § 196.—
II. Trop. (rare; “not in Cic.): crassum infortunium,” i. e. a sound beating, Plaut. Rud. 3, 5, 53: senes, stupid, dull, Varr. ap. Non. p. 86, 24: “Ofellus Rusticus abnormis sapiens crassāque Minervā,” i. e. dull, stolid, Hor. S. 2, 2, 3; cf.: “crassiore ut vocant Musa,” Quint. 1, 10, 28: “turba,” uncultivated, Mart. 9, 23: “neglegentia,” stupid, clumsy, Dig. 22, 6, 6: crassiora nomina, more rude or barbarous, Mart. 12, 18, 12; cf. Gell. 13, 20, 15.—Hence, adv.: crassē (rare; not in Cic.), thickly.
2. Grossly, rudely: “crasse illepideve compositum poëma (the figure taken from a coarse web),” Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 76.—Of precious stones, not clearly, dimly (comp.), Plin. 37, 7, 31, § 106; 37, 8, 36, § 114.—Hence of the indistinct understanding of any thing, not clearly, confusedly: “crasse et summatim et obscure intellegere aliquid,” Sen. Ep. 121, 11.