I.of a shining, dazzling white, white, clear, bright (opp. niger, a glistening black; while albus is a lustreless white, opp. ater, a lustreless black; cf. Serv. ad Verg. G. 3, 82; lsid. Orig. 12, 1, 51; Doed. Syn. III. p. 193 sq.) (class., and in the poets very freq.; in Cic. rare).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.
1. Of shining objects, bright: “stella splendens candida,” Plaut. Rud. prol. 3: “sidera,” Lucr. 5, 1209: “luna,” Verg. A. 7, 8: “lux clara et candida,” Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 49; so, “clarā loco luce,” Lucr. 5, 777: “stellae,” Hor. C. 3, 15, 6: “color candidus Saturni,” Plin. 2, 18, 16, § 79: “flamma,” Val. Fl. 8, 247: “Taurus (the constellation),” Verg. G. 1, 217: “dies,” Ov. Tr. 2, 142: aqua, Mart, 6, 42, 19: lacte, Varr. ap. Non. p. 483, 6; cf. id. ib. p. 169, 14.—
2. Hence, an epithet of the gods or persons transformed to gods: “Cupido,” radiant, Cat. 68, 134: “Liber,” Tib. 3, 6, 1: “Bassareus,” Hor. C. 1, 18, 11 (cf. id. ib. 1, 2, 31): “Daphnis,” Verg. E. 5, 56 Wagn.—
3. Of birds, animals, etc., white: “anser,” Lucr. 4, 685: “avis,” i. e. the stork, Verg. G. 2, 320; cf. Ov. M. 6, 96: “ales, i. e. cygnus,” Auct. Aetn. 88: “candidior cygnis,” Verg. E. 7, 38: “aries,” id. G. 3, 387: “agnus,” Tib. 2, 5, 38: “equi,” Tac. G. 10.—
4. Of the dazzling whiteness of snow: “altā nive candidum Soracte,” Hor. C. 1, 9, 1; 3, 25, 10; Ov. H. 16, 250; id. M. 8, 373.—
5. Of resplendent beauty of person, splendid, fair, beautiful: “Dido,” Verg. A. 5, 571: “Maia,” id. ib. 8, 138 Serv.; cf. Serv. ad Verg. E. 5, 56: “candidus et pulcher puer,” Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 4: “puella,” Cat. 35, 8; Hor. Epod. 11, 27: “dux,” id. ib. 3, 9: “Lampetie,” Ov. M. 2, 349: “membra,” id. ib. 2, 607: “cutis,” Plin. 2, 78, 80, § 189: “pes,” Hor. C. 4, 1, 27: “umeri,” id. ib. 1, 13, 9: “bracchia,” Prop. 2 (3), 16, 24. “colla,” id. 3 (4), 17, 29: “cervix,” Hor. C. 3, 9, 2: “ora,” Ov. M. 2, 861: “sinus,” Tib. 1, 10, 68: “dentes,” Cat. 39, 1 (cf. candidulus) al.—
6. Of the hair, hoary, white (more poet. than canus), Plaut. Most. 5, 2, 27: “candidior barba,” Verg. E. 1, 29: “crinis,” Val. Fl. 6, 60; cf.: “inducto candida barba gelu,” Ov. Tr. 3, 10, 22.—
7. Of trees or plants: pōpulus, the white or silver poplar, Verg. E. 9, 41: “lilia,” id. ib. 6, 708; Prop. 1, 20, 38; Ov. M. 4, 355: “folium nivei ligustri,” id. ib. 13, 789: “piper,” Plin. 12, 7, 14, § 26. —
8. Of textile fabrics, sails, dress, etc.: “vela,” Cat. 64, 235: “tentoria,” Ov. M. 8, 43: “vestis,” Liv. 9, 40, 9: toga, made brilliant by fulling (cf. Liv. 4, 25, 13; “v. candidatus),” Plin. 7, 34, 34, § 120; cf. Titinn. ap. Non. p. 536, 23.—So Cicero's oration: In Toga Candida, v. the fragments B. and K. vol. xi. p. 20-25; and the commentary of Asconius, Orell. vol. v. 2, p. 82 sq.—Sup.: “candidissimus color,” Vitr. 10, 7; cf. Varr. L. L. 8, § 17 Müll.—
B. Opp. niger, Lucr. 2, 733; Verg. E. 2, 16; id. G. 3, 387; Plin. 12, 10, 42, § 92.—Prov.: “candida de nigris et de candentibus atra facere,” to make black white, Ov. M. 11, 315; so, “acc. to some: nigrum in candida vertere,” Juv. 3, 30.—
C. In the neutr. absol.: “ut candido candidius non est adversum,” Quint. 2, 17, 35; and with a gen.: “candidum ovi,” the white of an egg, Plin. 29, 3, 11, § 40 (twice); cf.: album ovi, under album.—*
D. Poet. and causative, of the winds, making clear, cloud-dis-pelling, purifying: “Favonii,” Hor. C. 3, 7, 1. —
E. Also poet. for candidatus (= albatus), clothed in white: “turba,” Tib. 2, 1, 16: “pompa,” Ov. F. 2, 654; 4, 906: “Roma, i. e. Romani,” Mart. 8, 65, 6.—
F. Candida sententia = candidi lapilli, Ov. M. 15, 47; v. the pass. in connection, and cf. albus, and calculus, II. D.—
G. Candidus calculus, v. calculus, II. E.—Subst.: candĭda , ae, f., a game or play exhibited by a candidate for office (late Lat.): “edere candidam,” Ambros. Serm. 81.—
II. Trop., pure, clear, serene, clean, spotless, etc.
A. Of the voice, distinct, clear, pure, silver-toned (opp. fuscus), Quint. 11, 3, 15; Plin. 28, 6, 16, § 58; perh. also Cic. N. D. 2, 58, 146 (B. and K. with MSS. canorum; cf. Orell. N cr.).—
B. Of discourse, clear, perspicuous, flowing, artless, unaffected: “elaborant alii in puro et quasi quodam candido genere dicendi,” Cic. Or. 16, 53. candidum et lene et speciosum dicendi genus, Quint. 10, 1, 121; Gell. 16, 19, 1.—And meton. of the orator himself: “Messala nitidus et candidus,” Quint. 10, 1, 113: “dulcis et candidus et fusus Herodotus,” id. 10, 1, 73: “candidissimum quemque et maxime expositum,” id. 2, 5, 19.—
C. Of purity of mind, character (poet. and in post-Aug. prose), unblemished, pure, guileless, honest, upright, sincere, fair, candid, frank, open: “judex,” Hor. Ep. 1, 4, 1 (integer, verax, purus, sine fuco, sine fallaciā, Schol. Crucq.): “Maecenas,” id. Epod. 14, 5: “Furnius,” id. S. 1, 10, 86: “animae,” id. ib. 1, 5, 41: “pectore candidus,” Ov. P. 4, 14, 43: “ingenium,” Hor. Epod. 11, 11: “habet avunculum quo nihil verius, nihil simplicius, nihil candidius novi,” Plin. Ep. 2, 9, 4; Vell. 2, 116, 5: “candidissimus omnium magnorum ingeniorum aestimator,” Sen. Suas. 6, 22: “humanitas,” Petr. 129, 11.—
D. Of conditions of life, cheerful, joyous, happy, fortunate, prosperous, lucky: “convivia,” joyful, Prop. 4 (5), 6, 71. “nox,” id. 2 (3), 15, 1: “omina,” id. 4 (5), 1, 67: “fata,” Tib. 3, 6, 30, Ov. Tr. 3, 4, 34: dies. id. ib. 2, 142: “pax,” Tib. 1, 10, 45: “natalis,” id. 1, 7, 64; Ov. Tr. 5, 5, 14.—Hence, adv.: candĭdē .
1. Acc. to I., in dazzling white' vestitus, Plaut. Cas. 4, 1, 10.—
2. Acc. to II., clearly, candidly, sincerely: candide et simpliciter, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 6, 1; Quint. 12, 11, 8; Petr. 107, 13.—
III. As adj. propr: Candidum Promontorium, in Zeugitana, now C. Bianco, Mel. 1, 7, 2; Plin. 5, 4, 3, § 23.