I. Lit., heavy, unwieldy, immovable (rare): brutum antiqui gravem dicebant, Paul. ex Fest. p. 31 Müll.: “pondus,” falling down with heavy weight, Lucr. 6, 105: tellus, * Hor. C. 1, 34, 9 (cf.: “terra iners,” id. ib. 3, 4, 45: “immota tellus,” Sen. Thyest. 1020: “terra semper immobilis,” Serv. ad Verg. A. 10, 102: “Unde Horatius. Et bruta tellus): corpora neque tam bruta quam terrea, neque tam levia quam aetheria,” App. de Deo Socr. p. 47, 5.—
II. Trop., dull, stupid, insensible, unreasonable.
A. Of men: “brutum dicitur hebes et obtusum ... Pacuvius Hermiona: et obnoxium esse aut brutum aut elinguem putes,” Non. p. 77, 31 sq.: fortunam insanam esse et caecam et brutam perhibent philosophi, Pac. ap. Auct. Her. 2, 23, 36: “quod bruti nec satis sardare queunt, Naev. ap. Fest. s. v. sardare, p. 322 Müll. (Bell. Punic. v. 65, p. 18 Vahl.): T. Manlius relegatus a patre ob adulescentiam brutam atque hebetem,” Sen. Ben. 3, 37, 4; App. M. 7, p. 191, 30: “homo,” Lact. 7, 4, 12; Prud. στεφ. 2, 66; cf. 2. Brutus, II. B.—Esp. in a play on the name, 2. Brutus, v. h. v.—
B. Of animals, irrational ( = ἀναίσθητος, Arist. Part. Anim. 3, 4) (so several times in Pliny the elder): “animalium hoc maxime brutum (sc. sus),” Plin. 8, 51, 77, § 207; 9, 29, 46, § 87; 11, 37, 70, § 183; 11, 39, 92, § 226.—But only late Lat. as a general designation of animals opp. to men, our brute, irrational, dumb, Greg. Mag. in Job, 10, 13, 23; 17, 30, 46 al.—
C. Of inanimate things: bruta fulmina et vana, ut quae nulla veniant ratione naturae, qs. striking blindly, Plin. 2, 43, 43, § 113: scitum Caesaris, thoughtless, inconsiderate, Prud. στεφ. 5, 66.—* Sup., Jul. Val. Rer. Gest. Alex. Magn. 3, 67.
