I.the Medes; poet. also for the Assyrians, Persians, Parthians, Mel. 1, 2, 5; Cic. Off. 2, 12, 41; Hor. C. 1, 2, 51; 2, 16, 6; Luc. 8, 386; Pers. 3, 53.—In sing.: “Medusque et Indus,” Hor. C. 4, 14, 42: “pervigil,” Val. Fl. 5, 604.—Hence,
A. Mēdus , a, um, adj., Median, Assyrian, etc.: “Hydaspes,” Verg. G. 4, 211: “acinaces,” Hor. C. 1, 27, 5: “sagittae,” Prop. 3, 10 (4, 11), 11: flumen, i. e. doubtless the Euphrates, the most famous river of the remote East; though some understand it to mean the river Medus, a small branch of the Araxes, mentioned by Strabo, Hor. C. 2, 9, 21.—
B. Mēdĭa , ae, f., = Μηδία, a country lying between Armenia, Parthia, Hyrcania, and Assyria, the modern Azerbijan, Shirvan, Ghilan, and Mazanderan, Plin. 6, 26, 29, § 114; Verg. G. 2, 126.—
C. Mēdĭcus , a, um, adj., Median, Assyrian, Persian, etc.: “vestis,” Persian, Nep. Paus. 3: “rura,” Luc. 8, 368: “arbor,” the orange-tree, Plin. 12, 3, 7, § 15: mala, Assyrian, i. e. oranges, citrons, id. 15, 14, 14, § 47: “smaragdi,” id. 37, 5, 18, § 71: “dea,” i. e. Nemesis, a statue of Parian marble, Aus. Ep. 24, 54.—Mē-dĭcus , i, m., a surname of the emperor Verus, on account of his victory over the Medes, Capitol. Verr. 7; v. Medica.
