I.gen. plur. nucerum for nucum, Cael. ap. Charis. p. 40 P.), f. etym. dub., a nut. At weddings it was customary to strew nuts on the floor: “sparge, marite, nuces,” Verg. E. 8, 30; cf. Varr. ap. Serv. ad E. 8, 30; Paul. ex Fest. p. 173 Müll.; Plin. 15, 22, 24, § 86; Mart. 5, 135. Nutshells were used in coloring the hair: “viridi cortice tincta nucis,” Tib. 1, 8, 44. Nuts were strewn at the festival of Ceres, Sinn. Capito ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 177 Müll. Children played with nuts, Suet. Aug. 83; Cat. 61, 131; “hence, prov.: nuces relinquere,” to give up childish sports, to betake one's self to the serious business of life, to throw away our rattles, Pers. 1, 10: nux cassa, a nutshell: “tene amatorem esse inventum inanem quasi cassam nucem,” Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 137.—Fig. of a thing of no value, Hor. S. 2, 5, 36 ( = res vel vilissima); cf.: “non ego tuam empsim vitam vitiosā nuce,” Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 45.—
II. Transf.
A. A fruit with a hard shell or rind: “nux amara,” a bitter almond, Cels. 3, 10; so Col. 7, 13; Plin. 15, 7, 7, § 26: “castaneae nuces,” chestnuts, Verg. E. 2, 52: “nux pinea,” Macr. S. 2, 6, 1; the fruit of the tithymalus, Plin. 26, 8, 40, § 66.—
B. A nut-tree: “inter primas germinant ulmus, salix, nuces,” Plin. 16, 25, 41, § 97; Liv. 24, 10; Juv. 11, 119.—Poet., an almond-tree, Verg. G. 1, 187.
