I.“cilium est folliculus, quo oculus tegitur, unde fit supercilium,” Fest. p. 43 Müll.; Plin. 11, 37, 57, § 157.
I. Lit., the eye-brow (good prose; more freq. in the plur.).
(α).
Plur.: “ex superciliorum aut remissione aut contractione facile judicabimus, etc.,” Cic. Off. 1, 41, 146: “supercilia abrasa,” id. Rosc. Com. 7, 20: “superiora superciliis obducta sudorem a capite defluentem depellunt,” id. N. D. 2, 57, 143: “nec sedeo duris torva superciliis,” Ov. H. 16 (17), 16: “constricta,” Quint. 1, 11, 10: “torta,” Plaut. Rud. 2, 2, 12: “conjuncta,” Suet. Aug. 79: “usque ad malarum scripturam currentia,” Petr. 126; Plin. 11, 37, 51, § 138: “balenae,” id. 9, 62, 88, § 186; Quint. 11, 3, 78; 11, 3, 79; 11, 3, 160: “mulieres potissimum supercilia sua attribuerunt ei deae (Junoni Lucinae),” Varr. L. L. 5, § 69 Müll.; cf. Fest. p. 305 ib.—
(β).
Sing.: “altero ad frontem sublato, altero ad mentum depresso supercilio,” Cic. Pis. 6, 14: “triste,” Lucr. 6, 1184: “altero erecto, altero composito supercilio,” Quint. 11, 3, 74: “quo supercilio spicit,” Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 100: “hirsutum,” Verg. E. 8, 34; Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 94; Ov. A. A. 3, 201; Juv. 2, 93 al.: “supercilium salit (as a favorable omen),” Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 105.—
B. Transf., the prominent part of a thing, the brow, ridge, summit (not ante-Aug.): “clivosi tramitis,” Verg. G. 1, 108: “tumuli,” Liv. 34, 29, 11: “infimo stare supercilio,” at the bottom of the projection, id. 27, 18, 10; cf. Stat. Th. 6, 63: supercilium quoddam excelsum nacti, Auct. B. Afr. 58, 1; Plin. 6, 5, 5, § 17.—In archit., a projecting moulding over the scotia of a column or cornice, Vitr. 3, 3 med.; a threshold, id. 4, 6, 5.—Of the coast of the sea: “supercilia ejus sinistra,” Amm. 22, 8, 8; the shore of a river: “Nili,” id. 14, 8, 5: “Rheni,” id. 14, 10, 6: “fluminis,” id. 17, 9, 1: “amnis,” App. M. 5, p. 169, 34.—
II. Trop.
B. Pride, haughtiness, arrogance, sternness, superciliousness (class.; mostly sing.): “supercilium ac regius spiritus,” Cic. Agr. 2, 34, 93; id. Sest. 8, 19; id. Red. in Sen. 7, 14; Sen. Ben. 2, 4, 1; Juv. 6, 169; 5, 62: “triste Catonis,” Mart. 11, 2, 1: “pone supercilium,” id. 1, 5, 2: “supercilii matrona severi,” Ov. Tr. 2, 309; cf.: “contegere libidines fronte et supercilio, non pudore et temperantiā,” Cic. Prov. Cons. 4, 8.
