I.the side, flank of men or animals.
I. Lit.: “ego vostra faciam latera lorea,” Plaut. Mil. 2, 1, 2: quid conminatu's mihi? Con. Istud male factum arbitror, quia non latus fodi, id. Aul. 3, 2, 4: “occidisse ex equo dicitur, et latus offendisse vehementer,” Cic. Clu. 62, 175: “cujus latus ille mucro petebat,” id. Lig. 3, 9: “laterique accommodat ensem,” Verg. A. 2, 393; Quint. 2, 13, 12; 11, 3, 69; 118: “laterum inclinatione forti ac virili,” id. 1, 11, 18: vellere latus digitis, to twitch one by the side (in order to attract attention), Ov. A. A. 1, 606; cf.: “si tetigit latus acrior,” Juv. 7, 109: “tum latus ei dicenti condoluisse ... dieque septimo est lateris dolore consumptus,” pleurisy, Cic. de Or. 3, 2, 6; so, “lateris dolor,” Cato, R. R. 125; Cels. 2, 7; 8; Plin. 21, 21, 89, § 155: “lateris vigili cum febre dolor,” Juv. 13, 229; cf.: “laterum dolor aut tussis,” Hor. S. 1, 9, 32: artifices lateris, i. e. those who make skilful side movements or evolutions, ballet-dancers, Ov. A. A. 3, 351: “latus tegere alicui,” to walk by the side of one, Hor. S. 2, 5, 18: “claudere alicui,” Juv. 3, 131; and: “mares inter se uxoresque contendunt, uter det latus illis (sc. pantomimis),” Sen. Q. N. 7, 32, 3.—Of animals: “equorum,” Lucr. 5, 1324: “cujus (equi aënei) in lateribus fores essent,” Cic. Off. 3, 9, 38.—
2. Of orators, the lungs: “lateribus aut clamore contendere,” Cic. de Or. 1, 60, 255: “quae vox, quae latera, quae vires, etc.,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 30, § 67: “ut lateris conatus sit ille, non capitis,” Quint. 1, 11, 8; cf.: “lateris pectorisve firmitas an capitis etiam plus adjuvet,” id. 11, 3, 16; so id. 11, 3, 40: “dum vox ac latus praeparetur,” id. 10, 7, 2; 11, 3, 13: “voce, latere, firmitate (constat orator),” id. 12, 11, 2: “neque enim ex te umquam es nobilitatus, sed ex lateribus et lacertis tuis,” Cic. de Sen. 9, 27: “cum legem Voconiam voce magna et bonis lateribus suasissem,” id. ib. 5, 14: “illa adhuc audaciora et majorum, ut Cicero existimat, laterum,” Quint. 9, 1, 29.—
3. Poet., in mal. part., Lucil. ap. Non. 260, 30; Ov. H. 2, 58; 19, 138; Prop. 2, 2, 12: “lateri parcere,” Juv. 6, 37.—
B. Transf., in gen.
1. The side, flank, lateral surface of a thing (opp. frons and tergum; “v. h. vv.): collis ex utraque parte lateris dejectus habebat et in frontem leniter fastigatus paulatim ad planiciem redibat,” on each side, Caes. B. G. 2, 8; cf. Plin. 17, 23, 35, § 202: “terra angusta verticibus, lateribus latior,” Cic. Rep. 6, 20, 21: “latus unum castrorum,” Caes. B. G. 2, 5: “insula, cujus unum latus est contra Galliam,” id. ib. 5, 13: “et (Fibrenus) divisus aequaliter in duas partis latera haec (insulae) adluit,” Cic. Leg. 2, 3, 6.—Of a maritime country, the coast, seaboard: “Illyricum,” Juv. 8, 117: “castelli,” Sall. J. 93: “tum prora avertit et undis Dat latus,” the ship's side, Verg. A. 1, 105: “ubi pulsarunt acres latera ardua fluctus,” Ov. M. 11, 529: “nudum remigio,” Hor. C. 1, 14, 4; id. Epod. 10, 3: “dextrum (domus),” id. Ep. 1, 16, 6: “mundi,” id. C. 1, 22, 19: “crystallus sexangulis nascitur lateribus,” surfaces, Plin. 37, 2, 9, § 26.—Of an army, the flank, Tac. Agr. 35: “reliquos equites ad latera disponit,” Caes. B. G. 6, 7: “ex itinere nostros latere aperto aggressi,” id. ib. 1, 25; cf. id. ib. 2, 23 fin.: “ad latus apertum hostium constitui,” id. ib. 4, 25: “ne simul in frontem, simul in latera, pugnaretur,” Tac. Agr. 35.—So in fighting: latus dare, to expose one's side or flank to the adversary, Val. Fl. 4, 304 (v. II. A. infra).—
b. Esp. freq.: a (ab) latere, on or at the side or flank; a or ab lateribus, on or at the sides or flanks (opp. a fronte, in front, before, and a tergo, at the back, behind): “a tergo, a fronte, a lateribus tenebitur,” Cic. Phil. 3, 13, 32: “a fronte atque ab utroque latere cratibus ac pluteis protegebat,” Caes. B. C. 1, 25 fin.; id. B. G. 2, 25: “ab omni latere securus,” Amm. 16, 9, 3: “ab latere aggredi,” Liv. 27, 48: “disjectos ab tergo aut lateribus circumveniebant,” Sall. J. 50 fin.: “ne quis inermibus militibus ab latere impetus fieri posset,” Caes. B. G. 3, 29: “Sulla profligatis iis, quos advorsum ierat, rediens ab latere Mauris incurrit,” Sall. J. 101, 8: si ex hac causa unda prorumperet, a lateribus undae circumfunderentur, Sen. Q. N. 6, 6, 4: “a lateribus, a fronte, quasi tria maria prospectat,” Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 5.—
c. Less freq. with ex: “latere ex utroque,” Lucr. 2, 1049: “ex lateribus aggredi aliquem,” Sall. C. 60: “tribus ex lateribus (locus) tegebatur,” Hirt. B. Alex. 28, 4: “ex alio latere cubiculum est politissimum,” Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 10: “omni ex latere armorum molibus urgeri,” Amm. 19, 7, 7.—
2. Poet. (pars pro toto), the body: “penna latus vestit, tenet,” Ov. M. 2, 376: “nunc latus in fulvis niveum deponit harenis,” id. ib. 2, 865; cf. id. ib. 3, 23; “14, 710: forte,” Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 26: “fessum longā militiā,” id. C. 2, 7, 18: “credidit tauro latus,” id. ib. 3, 27, 26: “liminis aut aquae Caelestis patiens latus,” id. ib. 3, 10, 20.—
II. Trop.
A. In gen.: in latera atque in terga incurrere, to attack the sides, i. e. the unguarded points, Quint. 9, 1, 20: “aliena negotia centum Per caput et circa saliunt latus,” encompass on every side, Hor. S. 2, 6, 34: “ut a senis latere numquam discederem,” never left his side, Cic. Lael. 1, 1; cf.: aliquem lateri alicujus adjungere, to attach to his side, i. e. to give him for a companion, Quint. 1, 2, 5; so, “alicui latus dare, of a client,” Sen. Q. N. 7, 32, 3 (cf. B. 1. infra): “lateri adhaerere gravem dominum,” hung about them, threatened them, Liv. 39, 25: “Illyriorum rex, lateri ejus haerens, assiduis precibus promissa exigebat,” Just. 29, 4, 8; cf.: “Agathocles regis lateri junctus, civitatem regebat,” id. 30, 2, 5: “circumfusa turba lateri meo,” Liv. 6, 15.—Esp.: “sacpe dabis nudum latus,” expose, Tib. 1, 4, 52: “la. tus imperii nudum,” Flor. 3, 5, 4: “nec adulatoribus latus praebeas,” expose yourself, lay yourself open to, Sen. Q. N. 4 praef.: latere tecto abscedere, i. e safe, unharmed, Ter. Heaut. 4, 2, 5: “hic fugit omnes Insidias nullique malo latus obdit apertum,” Hor. S. 1, 3, 59: “ex uno latere constat contractus,” on one side, Dig. 19, 1, 13 fin.; so ib. 3, 5, 5: “nulla ex utroque latere nascitur actio,” ib. 3, 5, 6, § 4.—
B. In partic.
1. To express intimacy, attachment: “latus alicui cingere,” to cling to, Liv. 32, 39, 8; esp. in the phrase: ab latere, at the side of, i. e. in intimate association with (rare, and perh. not ante-Aug.): “ab latere tyranni: addit eos ab latere tyranni,” Liv. 24, 5, 13; Curt. 3, 5, 15; cf.: “ille tuum, Castrice, dulce latus,” your constant associate, Mart. 6, 68, 4.—
2. Relationship, kindred, esp. collateral relationship (post-Aug.): “quibus (liberis) videor a meo tuoque latere pronum ad honores iter relicturus,” Plin. Ep. 8, 10, 3: “sunt et ex lateribus cognati ut fratres sororesque,” Dig. 38, 10, 10, § 8: “ex latere uxorem ducere,” ib. 23, 2, 68: “latus omne divinae domus,” Stat. S. 5 praef.: omnes personae cognatorum aut supra numerantur, aut infra, aut ex transverso, sive a latere ... a latere, fratres et sorores, liberique eorum; item parentium fratres et sorores liberique eorum, (Ulp.) de Grad. Cogn. 2 ap. Huschke, Jurisp. Antejust. p. 530.
