I.a hiding-place, lurking-hole, covert, retreat (class.; most freq. in plur.; v. infra, II. B.).
I. Lit.: “(aurum) in latebris situm est,” Plaut. Aul. 4, 2, 2: “itaque in totis aedibus tenebrae, latebrae,” id. Poen. 4, 2, 13: “latebris ac silvis aut saltibus se eripere,” Caes. B. G. 6, 43: “Cappadociae latebris se occultare,” Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 3, 7: “aliquem in latebras impellere,” id. Rab. Perd. 8, 22: “at Scyllam caecis cohibet spelunca latebris,” Verg. A. 3, 424: “tum latebras animae, pectus mucrone recludit,” the hidden seat of life, id. ib. 10, 601: “solis defectus lunaeque latebrae,” i. e. eclipses of the moon, Lucr. 5, 751. —In sing., Cic. Cael. 26, 62: “extractus e latebra,” Suet. Vit. 17; id. Ner. 48: “bellorum,” a place of refuge from war, Luc. 5, 743: teli, the weapon's lurking-place, i. e. the place where the arrow-head was sticking in his body, Verg. A. 12, 389.—
II. Trop.
A. In gen., a lurking-place, hidden recess, retreat: “in latebras abscondas (stultitiam) pectore penitissumo,” Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 64; Lucr. 1, 408: “cum illa conjuratio ex latebris atque ex tenebris erupisset,” Cic. Sest. 4, 9: “latebras suspicionum peragrare,” id. Cael. 22, 53; Quint. 12, 9, 3.—In sing.: “adhibuit etiam latebram obscuritatis,” Cic. Div. 2, 45, 111: “in tabellae latebra,” id. Fam. 3, 12, 1: “scribendi,” a secret mode of writing, a writing in cipher, Gell. 17, 9, 4.—
B. In partic., a subterfuge, shift, cloak, pretence, feigned excuse (only in sing.): “latebram haberes,” Cic. Fin. 2, 33, 107: “magnificam in latebram conjecisti,” id. Div. 2, 20, 46: “videant, ne quaeratur latebra perjurio,” id. Off. 3, 29, 106: “latebram dare vitiis,” Ov. A. A. 3, 754.
