I.fearful, awful (for syn. cf.: saevus, atrox, ferox, crudelis, trux, furens, furiosus, immitis).
I. Orig. belonging to the lang. of augurs; of fate, ill-omened, ominous, boding, portentous: “QVAE AVGVR INIVSTA, NEFASTA VITIOSA DIRA DEFIXERIT, IRRITA INFECTAQVE SVNTO,” Cic. Leg. 2, 8 fin.; cf. id. Div. 1, 16: “tristissima exta sine capite fuerunt, quibus nihil videtur esse dirius,” id. ib. 2, 15 fin.; cf.: “bubo, dirum mortalibus omen,” Ov. M. 5, 550: “omen,” Tac. H. 3, 56; Suet. Aug. 92; id. Tib. 1, 3, 17: “aves,” Tac. A. 12, 43; Suet. Claud. 22: “alites,” Plin. 18, 1, 1, § 4: “somnia,” Val. Fl. 3, 59: “tempus, Cic. Poët. Div. 1, 11, 18: exsecrationes,” Liv. 40, 56; 28, 22; Suet. Claud. 12; cf. “deprecationes,” Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 19: “detestatio,” Hor. Epod. 5, 89: “ritus sacrorum,” Tac. A. 16, 8: “religio loci,” Verg. A. 8, 350 et saep.—Hence, as subst.:
1. dīrae , ārum, f.
(α).
(sc. res), ill-boding things, portents, unlucky signs: “dirarum obnuntiatio,” id. ib.; Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 17; 28, 2, 5, § 26; Tac. A. 6, 24 al.; Hor. Epod. 5, 89; Müll. Etrusk. 2, p. 117.—
(β).
As a nom. propr., Dīrae , the Furies, Verg. A. 12, 845 sq.; 4, 473; Val. Fl. 1, 804; Aur. Vict. Epit. 21 al.; “called also Dirae deae, sorores,” Verg. A. 7, 324 and 454.—
2. dīra , ōrum, n., fearful things, ill-boding events: “in dira et in vitiosa incurrimus,” Cic. Div. 1, 16, 29; id. Leg. 2, 8, 21; cf.: “me mihi dira precari cogis,” to curse, invoke curses on, Tib. 2, 6, 17: “dira passus,” Vulg. Sirach, 38, 16.
II. Transf., of character, dreadful, horrible, terrible, abominable, detestable (so almost exclusively poet.; a very favorite expression with the Aug. poets; in the Ciceron. per. not at all; but cf. diritas, II.): senex dirissimus, Varr. Poët. ap. Non. 100, 30: “Dea,” i. e. Circe, Ov. M. 14, 278: “Ulixes,” Verg. A. 2, 261; 762: “Hannibal,” Hor. C. 2, 12, 2 al.: “durum,” id. ib. 3, 6, 36 (also ap. Quint. 8, 2, 9): “Afer,” Hor. C. 4, 4, 42: “Amulius,” Ov. F. 4, 53: “noverca,” id. H. 12, 188: “pellex,” id. ib. 5, 60 et saep.: “hydra,” Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 10: “serpens,” Ov. M. 2, 651: “victima,” id. A. A. 1, 334: “parens,” fell, cruel, id. ib. 2, 383: “soror,” Stat. S. 5, 3, 84: “parentes,” Manil. 5, 541.—
b. Of inanimate and abstr. subjects: “regio,” Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 5: “facies,” id. F. 1, 553: “dapes,” id. ib. 6, 663: “venena,” Hor. Epod. 5, 61; id. S. 1, 9, 31: “Asphaltites lacus,” Plin. 5, 15, 15, § 71: “scopulus,” id. 4, 11, 18, § 51: “duarum Syrtium vadoso mari diri sinus,” id. 5, 4, 4, § 26 et saep.: “bellum,” Verg. A. 11, 217: “nefas,” id. ib. 4, 563: “sollicitudines,” Hor. Epod. 13, 10: “amores,” Ov. M. 10, 426: “superbia,” id. ib. 3, 354: “quies,” Tac. A. 1, 65 et saep.—Poet., answering to the Gr. δεινός, with inf.: “dira portas quassare trabs,” Sil. 4, 284.—
B. Skilful: “in complicandis negotiis,” Amm. 14, 5, 8.