Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I.a race or clan, embracing several families united together by a common name and by certain religious rites; orig. only patrician, but, after the granting of the connubium between patricians and plebeians, also plebeian (syn.: familia, stirps, genus; natio, populus).

I. Lit.: “Sulla gentis patriciae (sc. Corneliae) nobilis fuit, familia prope jam exstincta majorum ignaviā,” Sall. J. 95, 3: “vera decora, non communiter modo Corneliae gentis, sed proprie familiae suae,” Liv. 38, 58, 3: “L. Tarquitius patriciae gentis,” id. 3, 27, 1: “apud P. Sestium patriciae gentis virum,” id. 3, 33, 9; 6, 11, 2: “cum Marcelli ab liberti filio stirpe, Claudii patricii ejusdem hominis hereditatem, gente ad se rediisse dicerent,” Cic. de Or. 1, 39, 176: “gens Tarquiniorum,” id. Rep. 2, 25 fin.: “Julia,” Liv. 1, 3, 2: L. Tarquinius duplicavit illum pristinum patrum numerum, et antiquos patres majorum gentium appellavit, quos priores sententiam rogabat; “a se ascitos minorum,” Cic. Rep. 2, 20 Mos.; cf. Liv. 1, 35, 6: “ex gente Domitia duae familiae claruerunt, Calvinorum et Aenobarborum,” Suet. Ner. 1; cf. Liv. 2, 29, 4: “patricii minorum gentium,” Cic. Fam. 9, 21, 2; Liv. 1, 47, 7; Capitol. ap. Gell. 10, 20, 5: “anni principio de connubio patrum et plebis C. Canuleius tribunus plebis rogationem promulgavit, qua contaminari sanguinem suum patres confundique jura gentium rebantur,” Liv. 4, 1, 1; cf. id. 4, 2, 5; 10, 8, 9: uti Feceniae Hispalae gentis enuptio, tutoris optio esset, etc., the right of marrying out of her gens, id. 39, 19, 5: “perjurus, sine gente,” i. e. of no family, of vulgar birth, Hor. S. 2, 5, 15; cf. respecting the Roman gens, Dict. of Antiq.

II. Transf.

A. In a manner borrowed from the division of the senators into majorum and minorum gentium (v. above): ipsi illi majorum gentium dii qui habentur, hinc a nobis profecti in caelum reperientur, the superior deities (the consentes), Cic. Tusc. 1, 13, 29: “Cleanthes, qui quasi majorum est gentium Stoicus,” id. Ac. 2, 41, 126.—

B. Poet., like genus and stirps, of a single descendant, offspring of an entire race: “vigilasne, deūm gens, Aenea?” Verg. A. 10, 228 (for which: “Dis genite,” id. ib. 9, 642): “Tirynthia gens est (i. e. Fabius),” Sil. 7, 35: “extrema viri,” the last descendant, id. 2, 185.—*

C. In a contemptuous sense, like our tribe, brood, crew: “si illo die gens ista Clodiana, quod facere voluit, effecisset,” Cic. Sest. 38, 81; so, “Clodia,” id. Q. Fr. 2, 13, 1.—

D. In the widest sense = genus, the race; gens humana, the human race, Cic. Fin. 5, 23, 65; Hor. C. 1, 3, 26.—

E. Of beasts, etc., a race, herd, brood, swarm (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “intestino bello totae gentes consumuntur,” Col. 9, 9, 6: “quos (equos) in spem statues summittere gentis,” of the race, breed, Verg. G. 3, 73: “utque luat poenas gens haec (i. e. vulpes),” breed, race, Ov. F. 4, 711.—

F. In a more extended sense (as also γένος), a race, nation, people (sometimes more restricted than natio and populus, and sometimes put for them; v. in the foll., and cf. Drak. Liv. 23, 42, 1; “freq. and class.): Qui gentis omnis mariaque et terras movet,” Plaut. Rud. prol. 1: cf.: “nos per gentis disparat,” id. ib. v. 10: “gradus plures sunt societatis hominum. Ut enim ab illa infinita discedatur, propior est ejusdem gentis, nationis, linguae, qua maxime homines conjunguntur: interius etiam est ejusdem esse civitatis,” Cic. Off. 1, 17, 53; cf.: “(Deus) non curat singulos homines ... ne civitates quidem ... ne nationes quidem et gentes,” id. N. D. 3, 39, 93: “ita nationis nomen, non gentis evaluisse paulatim,” Tac. G. 2: “Suebi, quorum non una gens...propriis adhuc nationibus nominibusque discreti,” id. ib. 38: “atrox in Thracia bellum ortum, omnibus ejus gentis nationibus in arma accensis,” Vell. 2, 98: “omnes exterae gentes ac nationes,” Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 11, 31; cf.: “per omnes gentes nationesque,” Quint. 11, 3, 87; “for which, in an inverted order: exterae nationes ac gentes,” Cic. Font. 11, 25: “aut gentes aut populos,” Quint. 11, 1, 86: inter multas regum gentiumque et populorum legationes, Liv. 45, 19, 1; 45, 22, 8; cf. “in an inverse order: populi et gentes,” Quint. 12, 2, 3: “postquam bello subegit Aequorum magnam gentem et ferocem,” Cic. Rep. 2, 20: “Sabina aut Volsca,” id. ib. 3, 4: “Transalpinae,” id. ib. 3, 9: “Allobrogum,” id. Cat. 4, 6, 12: “Nerviorum,” Caes. B. G. 2, 28, 1: “Germanorum,” id. ib. 6, 32 init.: “Suevorum longe maxima Germanorum omnium,” id. ib. 4, 1, 3; “so of the Etruscan nation,” Liv. 5, 1, 6; “and in a wider sense than populus: non ex iisdem semper populis exercitus scriptos, quamquam eadem semper gens bellum intulerit,” id. 6, 12, 4; 40, 15, 6; 2, 50, 2.—Also for civitas, the inhabitants of a city or town: “Caesar Gomphos pervenit, quod est oppidum primum Thessaliae venientibus ab Epiro, quae gens ultro ad Caesarem legatos miserat,” Caes. B. C. 3, 80, 1: “atqui ad hoc, de quo agitur, non quaerimus gentem, ingenia quaerimus,” Cic. Rep. 1, 37 fin.; cf.: “gladio pugnacissima gens Romani,” Quint. 9, 3, 8; Liv. 5, 48, 3: “Segni Condrusique, ex gente et numero Germanorum,” Caes. B. G. 6, 32, 1: “in illa incorrupta maxime gente Aegyptiorum,” Cic. Rep. 3, 9, 14: “nos plurimis ignotissimi gentibus,” id. ib. 1, 17, 26: “jus gentium,” id. ib. 1, 2, 2; cf.: “quod naturalis ratio inter omnes homines constituit, id ... vocatur jus gentium quasi quo jure omnes gentes utuntur,” Gai. Inst. 1, 1.—

2. In partic.

a. As a partit. gen., gentium, like terrarum, for the sake of emphasis, in the world, on earth (freq. and class.): “ubicumque terrarum et gentium violatum jus civium Romanorum sit,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 55, § 143: “quod ubique gentium est,” id. Rep. 2, 4: “ubinam gentium sumus,” where in the world? id. Cat. 1, 4, 9: “ubi ubi est gentium?” Plaut. As. 2, 2, 21: “obsecro, unde haec gentium?” id. Cist. 4, 1, 16: “ubi tu's gentium,” id. Rud. 2, 5, 11: “quaerit quod nusquamst gentium,” id. Ps. 1, 4, 9: “non hercle quo hinc nunc gentium aufugiam scio,” id. Rud. 3, 5, 44: “ubivis gentium agere aetatem quam, etc.,” Ter. Hec. 3, 1, 4: “an quisquam usquam gentium est aeque miser?” id. ib. 13: “equidem te nisi nunc hodie nusquam vidi gentium,” Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 54: “fratrem nusquam invenio gentium,” Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 1: “abeat multo malo quovis gentium, Quam hic, etc.,” id. Heaut. 5, 1, 55: “res est in manibus: tu autem abes longe gentium,” Cic. Att. 6, 3, 1: nostri τυραννοκτόνοι longe gentium absunt, id. Fam. 12, 22, 2: “ah! minime gentium, non faciam,” by no means, Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 44; so, “minime gentium,” id. Eun. 4, 1, 11; id. Phorm. 5, 8, 44.—

b. Gentes, opp. to the Romans, foreign nations, foreigners (post-Aug. and rare): “maneat, quaeso, duretque gentibus si non amor nostri at certe odium sui,” Tac. G. 33; Auct. B. Hisp. 17 fin.—

c. In the eccl. fathers, gentes, like ἔθνος, opp. to Jews and Christians, pagan nations, heathen, gentiles, Lact. 2, 13 fin.; Vulg. Psa. 2, 1 et saep.— Hence the title of Arnobius's work, Adversus Gentes.—

3. Transf., a region, country (very rare): “ut Aspim aggrederetur, qui Cataoniam tenebat: quae gens jacet supra Ciliciam,” Nep. Dat. 4: “gentes viduatas esse suis cultoribus et desolatas,” Arn. 1, 4.