I. A dance in a ring, a choral dance, a dance, = chorea: “chorus et cantus,” Tib. 1, 7, 44; cf. Prop. 4 (5), 6, 70. “Nympharum leves chori,” Hor. C. 1, 1, 31: “ferre pedem choris,” id. ib. 2, 12, 17; Tib. 2, 1, 56: “choros agere,” Prop. 2, 3, 18: “agitare,” Verg. G. 4, 533: “ducere,” Hor. C. 1, 4, 5; 4, 7, 6: “exercere,” Verg. A. 1, 499: “indicere,” id. ib. 11, 737: “instaurare,” Stat. Achill. 4, 145: “ostentare,” id. ib. 2, 148 sq.: “celebrare,” Sen. Herc. Oet. 594: “nectere,” id. ib. 367: “dare,” Mart. 4, 44.—
b. The harmonious motions of the heavenly bodies (cf. chorea), Tib. 2, 1, 88. —
II. Meton. (abstr. pro concr.), a troop or band of dancers and singers, a chorus, choir: “saltatores, citharistas, totum denique comissationis Antonianae chorum, etc.,” Cic. Phil. 5, 6, 15; Cat. 63, 30: “Phoebi chorus,” Verg. E. 6, 66; cf. Prop. 3 (4), 5, 20; Hor. C. S. 75: “chorus Dryadum,” Verg. G. 4, 460: “Nereidum,” id. A. 5, 240: “Idaei chori,” id. ib. 9, 112: “Pierius,” Mart. 12, 3: “canorus,” Juv. 11, 163; Ov. M. 3, 685.—Of the chorus in tragedy: “actoris partes chorus officiumque virile Defendat, etc.,” Hor. A. P. 193; cf. id. ib. 283; id. Ep. 2, 1, 134; Gell. 19, 10, 12. —
B. The heavenly bodies moving in harmony (cf. supra, I. b.): “Pleiadum,” Prop. 3 (4), 5, 36. Hor. C. 4, 14, 21: “astrorum,” Stat. Achill. 1, 643.—
C. In gen., a multitude, band, troop, crowd: “chorus juventutis,” Cic. Mur. 24, 49: “philosophorum,” id. Fin. 1, 8, 26; id. Att. 14, 8, 1; so, “vatum,” Hor. C. 4, 3, 15: “scriptorum,” id. Ep. 2, 2, 77: “puellarum,” id. C. 2, 5, 21: “(piscium),” Sen. Agam. 452: “virtutum,” Cic. Off. 3, 33, 116; id. Tusc. 5, 5, 13 (hence, Engl. choir, quire; Fr. choeur; Ital. coro).
