I.late (freq. and class.; cf.: tardus, lentus): nescis quid vesper serus vehat (the title of a work by Varro), Varr. ap. Gell. 1, 22, 4; 13, 11, 1: “sero a vespere,” Ov. M. 4, 415: “serā nocte,” Liv. 1, 57, 9; Col. 1 praef.; Prop. 1, 3, 10; Val. Fl. 7, 400: “crepuscula,” Ov. M. 1, 219: “lux,” id. ib. 15, 651: “dies,” Tac. H. 3, 82 (cf. infra, B.): “hiems,” Liv. 32, 28, 6: “anni,” i. e. ripe years, age, Ov. M. 6, 29; 9, 434; id. F. 5, 63; cf. “aetas,” id. A. A. 1, 65; Plaut. Aul. 4, 1, 4: “gratulatio,” Cic. Fam. 2, 7, 1: “portenta deūm Tarda et sera nimis, id. poët. Div. 2, 30, 64: nepotes,” Ov. M. 6, 138: “posteritas,” id. P. 1, 4, 24: sera eruditio, quam Graeci ὀψιμαθίαν appellant, Gell. 11, 7, 3; cf. poet., of persons, with gen.: o seri studiorum! ye late-learned, ὀψιμαθεῖς (i. e. backward, ignorant), Hor. S. 1, 10, 21 (v. infra, b. α): ulmus, late- or slowly-growing (acc. to others, old), Verg. G. 4, 144; so, “ficus,” late in bearing, Col. 5, 10, 10; cf. serotinus, and v. the foll. under sup.—Comp. (rare; not in Cic. or Cæs.; cf. adv. infra fin.): “serior mors (opp. maturior),” Cels. 2, 6 med.: “senectus,” Mart. 5, 6, 3: “spe omnium serius bellum,” Liv. 2, 3, 1: “serior putatio,” Col. 4, 23, 1; 2, 10, 15.—Poet., for posterior: “serior aetas,” Ov. Tr. 5, 9, 7; Tib. 1, 4, 33: “hora,” Ov. H. 19, 14.—Sup.: “successores quam serissimi,” Vell. 2, 131, 2: “serissima omnium (pirorum) Amerina, etc.,” ripening the latest, Plin. 15, 15, 16, § 55; cf. supra.—
b. Poet.
(α).
For the adv. sero, of one who does any thing late: “serus in caelum redeas,” Hor. C. 1, 2, 45: “serus Graecis admovit acumina chartis,” id. Ep. 2, 1, 161: “jusserit ad se Maecenas serum sub lumina prima venire Convivam,” late in the day, id. S. 2, 7, 33: “nec nisi serus abi,” Ov. A. A. 2, 224: “poena tamen tacitis sera venit pedibus,” Tib. 1, 10, 3: “(me) Arguit incepto serum accessisse labori,” Ov. M. 13, 297.—So with things as subjects: “sera rubens accendit lumina Vesper,” Verg. G. 1, 251: “imposita est sero tandem manus ultima bello,” Ov. M. 13, 403: “seros pedes assumere,” id. ib. 15, 384: “Cantaber serā domitus catenā,” Hor. C. 3, 8, 22: “serum ut veniamus ad amnem Phasidos,” Val. Fl. 4, 708.—With gen.: “o seri studiorum!” Hor. S. 1, 10, 21 (v. supra); so, “belli serus,” Sil. 3, 255.—With inf.: “cur serus versare boves et plaustra Bootes?” Prop. 3, 5 (4, 4), 35.—
(β).
For adverb. use of sera and serum, v. adv. infra.—
B. Substt. ‡
1. sēra , ae, f. (sc. hora), a late hour, the evening hour, ἑσπέρα, sera, vespra, crepusculum, Gloss. Vet.—
2. sērum , i, n., late time, late hour (of the day or night; first in Liv.; “esp. in the historians): serum erat diei,” Liv. 7, 8, 4: “quia serum diei fuerit,” id. 26, 3, 1: “jamque sero diei subducit ex acie legionem,” Tac. A. 2, 21 fin.: “extrahebatur in quam maxime serum diei certamen,” Liv. 10, 28, 2 Drak. N. cr.: “in serum noctis convivium productum,” id. 33, 48; cf.: ad serum usque diem, Tac. H. 3, 82.—Absol., in Sueton., of a late hour of the day: “in serum dimicatione protractā,” Suet. Aug. 17; id. Ner. 22: “in serum usque patente cubiculo,” id. Oth. 11.—
II. Pregn., too late (class.): “ut magis exoptatae Kalendae Januariae quam serae esse videantur,” Cic. Phil. 5, 1: “neque rectae voluntati serum est tempus ullum, etc.,” Quint. 12, 1, 31: “tempus cavendi,” Sen. Thyest. 487: bellum, Sall. Fragm. ap. Philarg. Verg. G. 4, 144: “Antiates serum auxilium post proelium venerant,” Liv. 3, 5 fin.; 31, 24: “auxilia,” Val. Fl. 3, 562: “improbum consilium serum, ut debuit, fuit: et jam profectus Virginius erat, etc.,” Liv. 3, 46 fin.: “redit Alcidae jam sera cupido,” Val. Fl. 4, 247: “seras conditiones pacis tentare,” Suet. Aug. 17: “cum tandem ex somno surrexissent, in quod serum erat, aliquot horas remis in naves collocandis absumpserunt,” which was too late, Liv. 33, 48, 8: “hoc serum est,” Mart. 8, 44, 1; and with a subj.-clause: “dum deliberamus, quando incipiendum sit, incipere jam serum est,” Quint. 12, 6, 3; so, “serum est, advocare iis rebus affectum, etc.,” id. 4, 2, 115.—
b. Poet. for the adverb (cf. supra, I. b. α): “tum decuit metuisse tuis: nunc sera querelis Haud justis assurgis,” too late, Verg. A. 10, 94: “ad possessa venis praeceptaque gaudia serus,” Ov. H. 17, 107: “Herculeas jam serus opes spretique vocabis Arma viri,” Val. Fl. 3, 713: “serā ope vincere fata Nititur,” Ov. M. 2, 617: “auxilia ciere,” Val. Fl. 3, 562.—Hence, adv., in three forms.
3. sērō^ .
A. (Acc. to I.) Late.
a. Late, at a late hour of the day or night (rare but class.): “eo die Lentulus venit sero,” Cic. Att. 7, 21, 1 (cf. infra, B.): “domum sero redire,” id. Fam. 7, 22.—
b. Late, at a late period of time, in gen. (freq. and class.): “res rustica sic est: si unam rem sero feceris omnia opera sero facies,” Cato, R. R. 5, 7; Cic. Brut. 10, 39; Quint. 6, 3, 103: “doctores artis sero repertos,” id. 2, 17, 7; 2, 5, 3.—Comp.: “modo surgis Eoo Temperius caelo, modo serius incidis undis,” Ov. M. 4, 198; Liv. 31, 11, 10: “serius, quam ratio postulat,” Quint. 2, 1, 1: “scripsi ad Pompeium serius quam oportuit,” Cic. Fam. 14, 10; 15, 1, 4; id. Sest. 31, 67; Liv. 37, 45, 18; 42, 28, 1: “itaque serius aliquanto notatus et cognitus (numerus),” Cic. Or. 56, 186: “serius egressus vestigia vidit in alto Pulvere,” Ov. M. 4, 105: “ipse salutabo decimā vel serius horā,” Mart. 1, 109, 9: omnium Versatur urna serius ocius Sors exitura, later or earlier (or, as we say, inverting the order, sooner or later), Hor. C. 2, 3, 26; so, “serius aut citius sedem properamus ad unam,” Ov. M. 10, 33: “serius ei triumphandi causa fuit, ne, etc.,” Liv. 39, 6, 4; 38, 27, 4: “in acutis morbis serius aeger alendus est,” Cels. 3, 2.—Sup.: “ut quam serissime ejus profectio cognosceretur,” Caes. B. C. 3, 75 (Scaliger ex conj.); so, “legi pira Tarentina,” Plin. 15, 17, 18, § 61 (al. serissima).—
B. (Acc to II.) Too late (freq. and class.): “abi stultus, sero post tempus venis,” Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 90: “idem, quando illaec occasio periit, post sero cupit,” id. Aul. 2, 2, 71; id. Am. 2, 2, 34; id. Men. 5, 6, 31; id. Pers. 5, 1, 16 (Opp. temperi); id. Trin. 2, 4, 14; 2, 4, 167; 4, 2, 147; Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 103; id. Ad. 2, 4, 8. (Scipio) factus est consul bis: “primum ante tempus: iterum sibi suo tempore, rei publicae paene sero,” Cic. Lael. 3, 11; id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 3, § 9: “sero resistimus ei, quem per annos decem aluimus contra nos,” id. Att. 7, 5, 5; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 63, § 164 et saep.: “ne nimis sero ad extrema veniamus,” far too late, id. Phil. 2, 19, 47; Liv. 21, 3, 5.—Hence, in a double sense, alluding to the signif. A. a.: “cum interrogaret (accusator), quo tempore Clodius occisus esset? respondit (Milo), Sero,” Quint. 6, 3, 49.—Prov.: sero sapiunt Phryges, are wise too late, are troubled with after-wit; v. sapio.—Comp., in the same sense: “possumus audire aliquid, an serius venimus?” Cic. Rep. 1, 13, 20: “ad quae (mysteria) biduo serius veneram,” id. de Or. 3, 20, 75: “doleo me in vitam paulo serius tamquam in viam ingressum,” id. Brut. 96, 330: erit verendum mihi, ne non hoc potius omnes boni serius a me, quam quisquam crudelius factum esse dicat, id. Cat. 1, 2, 5: “serius a terrā provectae naves,” Caes. B. C. 3, 8; Suet. Tib. 52.
