I.a projecting point of rock; a rock, cliff, crag, esp. a rock, shelf, ledge in the sea.
I. Lit. (mostly poet.; not in Cic., but v. infra, II.; cf.: “rupes, cautes), in the sea: ut pars (remigum) ad scopulos allisa interficeretur,” Caes. B. C. 3, 27 fin.; id. B. G. 3, 13; Poët. ap. Cic. de Or. 3, 41, 166; Verg. G. 3, 261; id. A. 1, 145; 5, 270; Ov. M. 4, 524; 9, 592: “frequentes,” Juv. 13, 246: “vomentes aequor,” Luc. 6, 24: “immanes,” Ov. M. 14, 182; cf. “of a promontory,” Hor. C. 1, 3, 20; Ov. F. 4, 419: “scopuli errantes, of the Symplegades,” Val. Fl. 3, 621; 4, 681.—On land: “scopuli rupesque cavae,” Verg. G. 3, 253; id. A. 4, 445; 12, 531; Sil. 10, 263; Stat. Th. 7, 665; Val. Fl. 6, 632; “of the cavern of Cacus,” Verg. A. 8, 192: “scopulus Mavortis, of the Areopagus,” Ov. M. 6, 70: “his inmobilior scopulis, of a man hard to move,” id. ib. 13, 801: “scopulis surdior,” Hor. C. 3, 7, 21; cf.: “ferrum et scopulos gestare in corde,” Ov. M. 7, 33: “natus es e scopulis,” id. Tr. 3, 11, 3.—
II. Trop., a rock, = a difficulty, danger, harm, evil, etc. (freq. in Cic.; also commended by him as a figure): cum neque Musarum scopulos quisquam superarat, Enn. ap. Cic. Brut. 19, 76 (Ann. v. 223 Vahl.): “qui te ad scopulum e tranquillo inferat,” Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 8: “Syrtim patrimonii scopulum libentius dixerim,” Cic. de Or. 3, 41, 163: “nec tuas umquam rationes ad eos scopulos, appulisses, ad quos Sex. Titii afflictam navem et in quibus C. Deciani naufragium fortunarum videres,” id. Rab. Perd. 9, 25; id. de Or. 2, 37, 154; id. Rosc. Am. 29, 79: “in scopulos vitae incidere,” id. Consol. Fragm. 2, p. 489 Orell.: “(Piso et Gabinius) geminae voragines scopulique rei publicae,” id. Pis. 18, 41; cf. Flor. 4, 9, 1: “(Pompeius) Ille tremor Ponti et piratarum scopulus, Petr. poët. 123, 240: commeatum publicum in scopulos annonae impingere,” Quint. Decl. 12, 22: “cujus tribunal scopulus reorum dicebatur,” Val. Max. 3, 7, 9: “e scopulo cadere,” to be ruined, Amm. 30, 5, 10.
