I. A being nice or particular; exquisiteness, fastidiousness (ante-class. and very rare): “ejus elegantia meam extemplo speciem spernat,” Plaut. Mil. 4, 6, 20.—Far more freq.,
II. Taste, propriety, refinement, grace, elegance (cf.: gustus, sapor, judicium).
(α).
With gen.: tu eloquentiam ab elegantia doctrinae segregandam putes, Cic. de Or. 1, 2, 5: “vitae,” Tac. A. 14, 19: “morum,” id. ib. 5, 8: “capilli (with venustas oris),” Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 67: “ac subtilitas operum,” id. 16, 15, 26, § 66 et saep.: “verborum Latinorum,” Cic. Brut. 75, 261; cf. “scriptorum,” id. Fam. 4, 4; so, “Latini sermonis,” id. de Or. 2, 7, 28: “mira sermonis,” Quint. 10, 1, 114: “figurarum,” id. 12, 9, 6; “and transf.: Socraticorum,” id. 10, 1, 83; cf. “Secundi,” id. 12, 10, 11. —In plur.: “vocum verborumque,” Gell. 2, 9 fin.—
(β).
Absol.: “qua munditia homines! qua elegantia!” Cic. Fam. 9, 20, 2; cf. id. Sull. 28, 79; id. Leg. 3, 1: “quae (agricultura) abhorret ab omni politiore elegantia,” id. Fin. 3, 2; cf. Plin. 13, 9, 18, § 62; 14, 6, 8, § 71; Suet. Aug. 73: “elegantia modo et munditia remanebit,” Cic. Or. 23 fin.; cf. Quint. 6, 3, 20; 10, 2, 19 al.—In plur.: “laudatus propter elegantias dominus,” Petr. 34, 5; Gell. 1, 4; cf. id. 19, 4.
