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altus , a, um, participle from alo., lit.,
I.grown or become great, great (altus ab alendo dictus, Paul. ex Fest. p. 7 Müll.; cf. the Germ. gross with the Engl. grow), a polar word meaning both high and deep.
A. Seen from below upwards, high.
I. Lit.: IN ALTOD MARID PVCNANDOD, etc., Columna Duilii; so, maria alta, Liv. Andron. ap. Macr. S. 6, 5, 10; id. ib. ap. Prisc. p. 725 P.: aequor, Pac. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 23 Müll.: parietes, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19, 44: “sub ramis arboris altae,Lucr. 2, 30: “acervus,id. 3, 198 al.: “columellam tribus cubitis ne altiorem,Cic. Leg. 2, 26, 66: “altior illis Ipsa dea est colloque tenus supereminet omnes,taller, Ov. M. 3, 181: “altis de montibus,Verg. E. 1, 83: “umbras Altorum nemorum,Ov. M. 1, 591 al.—With the acc. of measure: “clausi lateribus pedem altis,a foot high, Sall. H. Fragm. 4, 39 Gerl.; cf. Lind. C. Gr. I. p. 215.—With gen.: “triglyphi alti unius et dimidiati moduli, lati in fronte unius moduli,Vitr. 4, 3: “majorem turrim altam cubitorum CXX.,id. 10, 5: “alta novem pedum,Col. 8, 14, 1: “singula latera pedum lata tricenum, alta quinquagenum,Plin. 36, 13, 19, § 4.—
II. Trop., high, lofty, elevated, great, magnanimous, high-minded, noble, august, etc.: “altissimus dignitatis gradus,Cic. Phil. 1, 6, 14; so id. Clu. 55; id. Dom. 37.—Of mind or thought: “te natura excelsum quendam videlicet et altum et humana despicientem genuit,Cic. Tusc. 2, 4, 11: “homo sapiens et altā mente praeditus,highminded, id. Mil. 8: “qui altiore animo sunt,id. Fin. 5, 20, 57 al.—So of gods, or persons elevated in birth, rank, etc.; “also of things personified: rex aetheris altus Juppiter,Verg. A. 12, 140: “Apollo,id. ib. 10, 875: “Caesar,Hor. C. 3, 4, 37: “Aeneas, i. e. deā natus,id. S. 2, 5, 62: “Roma,Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 33: “Carthago,Prop. 2, 1, 23 al.—Of the voice, high, shrill, loud, clear: “Conclamate iterum altiore voce,Cat. 42, 18: “haec fatus altā voce,Sen. Troad. 196: “altissimus sonus,Quint. 11, 3, 23 (cf.: “vox magna,Ov. Tr. 4, 9, 24; Juv. 4, 32).—Subst.: altum , i, n., a height: “sic est hic ordo (senatorius) quasi propositus atque editus in altum,on high, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 41, § 98: “aedificia in altum edita,Tac. H. 3, 71: “quidquid in altum Fortuna tulit, ruitura levat,Sen. Agam. 100.—Esp.
(α). (Sc. caelum.) The height of heaven, high heaven, the heavens: “ex alto volavit avis,Enn. Ann. 1, 108: “haec ait, et Maiā genitum demisit ab alto,Verg. A. 1, 297.—Still more freq.,
(β). (Sc. mare.) The high sea, the deep, the sea: rapit ex alto navīs velivolas, Enn. ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 224: “ubi sumus provecti in altum, capiunt praedones navem illam, ubi vectus fui,Plaut. Mil. 2, 1, 39; so id. Men. 1, 2, 2; id. Rud. prol. 66; 2, 3, 64: “terris jactatus et alto,Verg. A. 1, 3: “in altum Vela dabant,id. ib. 1, 34: “collectae ex alto nubes,id. G. 1, 324: “urget ab alto Notus,id. ib. 1, 443 al.: “alto mersā classe,Sil. 6, 665: “ab illā parte urbis navibus aditus ex alto est,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 32: “in alto jactari,id. Inv. 2, 31, 95: “naves nisi in alto constitui non poterant,Caes. B. G. 4, 24: “naves in altum provectae,id. ib. 4, 28: scapha in altum navigat, Sall. Fragm.—So in the plur.: “alta petens,Verg. A. 7, 362.—Trop.: “quam magis te in altum capessis, tam aestus te in portum refert,Plaut. As. 1, 3, 6: “imbecillitas ... in altum provehitur imprudens,Cic. Tusc. 4, 18, 42: “te quasi quidam aestus ingenii tui in altum abstraxit,id. de Or. 3, 36, 145.—
B. Seen from above downwards, deep, profound.
I. Lit. (hence sometimes opp. summus): Acherusia templa alta Orci, salvete, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, 2, 81; Cic. Tusc. 1, 21, 48: “quom ex alto puteo sursum ad summum escenderis,Plaut. Mil. 4, 4, 14: “altissimae radices,Cic. Phil. 4, 5: “altae stirpes,id. Tusc. 3, 6, 13: “altissima flumina,Caes. B. C. 3, 77: “altior aqua,id. ib. 1, 25: “alta theatri Fundamenta,Verg. A. 1, 427: “gurgite in alto,in the deep whirlpool, id. E. 6, 76: “altum vulnus,id. A. 10, 857; Petr. 136; Sen. Troad. 48: “altum totā metitur cuspide pectus,Sil. 4, 292; so id. 6, 580 al.: “unde altior esset Casus,Juv. 10, 106.—With the abl. of measure: “faciemus (scrobes) tribus pedibus altas,Pall. Jan. 10, 3.—
II. Trop. (more freq. in and after the Aug. per.), deep, profound: “somno quibus est opus alto,Hor. S. 2, 1, 8; so Liv. 7, 35: “sopor,Verg. A. 8, 27: “quies,id. ib. 6, 522: “silentium,id. ib. 10, 63; Quint. 10, 3, 22: “altissima tranquillitas,Plin. Ep. 2, 1: “altissima eruditio,id. ib. 4, 30: “altiores artes,Quint. 8, 3, 2.—Subst.: altum , i, n., the depth, i. e. what is deep or far removed: “ex alto dissimulare,Ov. Am. 2, 4, 16: “non ex alto venire nequitiam, sed summo, quod aiunt, animo inhaerere,Sen. Ira, 1, 16 med. al.—Hence, ex alto repetere, or petere, in discourse, to bring from far; as P. a., farfetched: “quae de nostris officiis scripserim, quoniam ex alto repetita sunt,Cic. Fam. 3, 5: “quid causas petis ex alto?Verg. A. 8, 395 (cf.: “alte repetere in the same sense,Cic. Sest. 13; id. Rep. 4, 4, and v. al. infra).—
C. Poet., in reference to a distant (past) time: cur vetera tam ex alto appetissis discidia, Agamemno? Att. ap. Non. 237, 22 (altum: vetus, antiquum, Non.); cf. Verg. G. 4, 285.—With the access. idea of venerable (cf. antiquus), ancient, old: “genus alto a sanguine Teucri,Verg. A. 6, 500: “Thebanā de matre nothum Sarpedonis alti,id. ib. 9, 697; “genus Clauso referebat ab alto,Ov. F. 4, 305: “altā gente satus,Val. Fl. 3, 202: “altis inclitum titulis genus,Sen. Herc. Fur. 338.—Adv.: altē , and very rarely altum , high, deep (v. supra, altus, P. a. init.).
A. High, on high, high up, from on high, from above (v. altus, P. a., A.).
I. Lit.: “alte ex tuto prospectum aucupo,Att. Trag. Rel. p. 188 Rib.: “colomen alte geminis aptum cornibus,id. ib. p. 221: “alte jubatos angues,Naev. ib. p. 9: “jubar erigere alte,Lucr. 4, 404: “roseā sol alte lampade lucens,id. 5, 610: “in vineā ficos subradito alte, ne eas vitis scandat,Cato, R. R. 50: “cruentum alte extollens pugionem,Cic. Phil. 2, 12, 28: non animadvertis cetarios escendere in malum alte, ut perspiciant pisces? Varr. ap. Non. 49, 15: “(aër) tollit se ac rectis ita faucibus eicit alte,Lucr. 6, 689: “dextram Entellus alte extulit,Verg. A. 5, 443: “alte suras vincire cothurno,high up, id. ib. 1, 337: “puer alte cinctus,Hor. S. 2, 8, 10, and Sen. Ep. 92: “unda alte subjectat arenam,Verg. G. 3, 240: “Nihil tam alte natura constituit, quo virtus non possit eniti,Curt. 7, 11, 10: alte maesti in terram cecidimus, from on high, Varr. ap. Non. 79, 16: “eo calcem cribro succretam indito alte digitos duo,to the height of two fingers, Cato, R. R. 18, 7; so Col. R. R. 5, 6, 6.—Comp.: “quae sunt humiliora neque se tollere a terrā altius possunt,Cic. Tusc. 5, 13, 37: “tollam altius tectum,id. Har. Resp. 15, 33: “altius praecincti,Hor. S. 1, 5, 5: “pullus in arvis altius ingreditur,Verg. G. 3, 75: “caput altius effert,id. ib. 3, 553: “altius atque cadant imbres,id. E. 6, 38 ubi v. Forb.: “altius aliquid tenere,Sen. Q. N. 1, 5.—Sup.: cum altissime volāsset (aquila), Suet. Aug. 94.—
B. Deep, deeply (v. altus, P. a. B.).
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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (110):
    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 3.5
    • Caesar, Gallic War, 4.24
    • Cicero, For Aulus Cluentius, 21.58
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    • Plautus, Cistellaria, 1.1
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    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 6.647
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 6.689
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 4.404
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 5.610
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 36.4
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 4.30
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 2.35
    • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, 2.1
    • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, 8.4
    • A. Cornelius Celsus, De Medicina, 5.26
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    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 7, 35
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 1, 41
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