I.“tenuia and tenuius, trisyl.,” id. 4, 66; 4, 808; 3, 243, v. Carey, Lat. Prosody, § 47), adj. root in Sanscr. tanu; ten., Gr. τείνω; prop. stretched out, drawn out; v. teneo; hence, thin, fine, close, etc. (syn.: gracilis, exilis).
I. Lit.
1. Of texture, fine, thin: “subtemen,” Plaut. Merc. 3, 1, 20: “vestes,” Tib. 2, 3, 53: “vestes,” Ov. A. A. 3, 707: “amictus,” id. M. 4, 104: “togae,” Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 32: “toga filo tenuissima,” Ov. A. A. 3, 445: “tunicae,” id. F. 2, 319: “natura oculos membranis tenuissimis vestivit et saepsit,” Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 142: “pellis,” Ov. A. A. 3, 77: “arietes tenuioris velleris,” Col. 7, 2, 5.—
2. Of substance, thin, rare, fine: “tenue caelum (opp. crassum),” Cic. Fat. 4, 7; so, “tenue purumque caelum,” id. Div. 1, 57, 130: aër, rare (with purus), id. N. D. 2, 16, 42; cf.: “aethereus locus tenuissimus est,” id. ib. 2, 15, 42: “capilli,” Ov. Am. 1, 14, 5: “comae,” Tib. 1, 9, 68: “rima,” Ov. M. 4, 65: “vinum,” thin, watery, Plin. 14, 9, 11, § 80; 15, 28, 33, § 110; 23, 1, 22, § 39: “aqua,” clear, Ov. F. 2, 250; cf. “sanguis (opp. crassus),” Plin. 11, 38, 90, § 221: “agmen (militum),” Liv. 25, 23, 16: “acies,” Tac. A. 1, 64; cf. “pluviae,” Verg. G. 1, 92.—
3. Of form, slim, thin, lank, slender, fine: “penna,” Hor. C. 2, 20, 1: “cauda (piscis),” Ov. M. 4, 726: “acus,” id. Am. 3, 7, 30: “tabellae,” Mart. 14, 3, 1: “nitedula,” thin, lank, meagre, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 29; cf.: “canes macie tenues,” Nemes. Cyn. 137: “Gellius,” Cat. 89, 1: “Thais,” Mart. 11, 101, 1: “umbra (defuncti),” Tib. 3, 2, 9; cf.: “animae (defunctorum),” Ov. M. 14, 411; id. F. 2, 565. —
4. Of sounds, weak, thin: vox, Pompon. ap. Macr. S. 6, 4, 12 (Com. Rel. v. 59 Rib.); Quint. 11, 3, 32. —
B. Transf., in gen., little, slight, trifling, poor, mean, etc.: “oppidum tenue sane,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 22, § 53; cf.: “magnae quondam urbis tenue vestigium,” Plin. 3, 4, 5, § 32: “murus,” Cic. Rep. 4, 4, 4: “amnis,” Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 53: “aqua,” shallow, Liv. 1, 4, 6; Ov. F. 2, 250; Quint. 12, 2, 11: “rivulus,” Cic. Rep. 2, 19, 34: “sulcus,” Verg. G. 1, 68: “foramen,” Plin. 16, 36, 66, § 165: “intervallum,” id. 31, 2, 2, § 4: “insignis tenui fronte Lycoris,” Hor. C. 1, 33, 5: “tenuem victum antefert copioso,” Cic. Tusc. 3, 20, 49; so, “victus,” id. Fin. 2, 28, 90; id. Lael. 23, 86; Hor. S. 2, 2, 53: “mensa,” id. C. 2, 16, 14: “cibus,” Phaedr. 4, 13, 7: “tenuissimum patrimonium,” Auct. Her. 4, 38, 50: “opes,” Cic. Quint. 1, 2: “res (familiaris),” Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 20; cf. “census,” id. ib. 1, 7, 56: “honores,” Nep. Milt. 6, 2: “praeda,” Caes. B. G. 6, 35: “tenuissimum lumen,” Cic. N. D. 2, 19, 50: “pumex,” i. e. light, Prop. 3 (4), 1, 8. — Transf., of poor persons: “tenuis (opp. locuples),” Cic. Off. 2, 20, 70: “servus sit an liber, pecuniosus an tenuis,” id. Inv. 1, 25, 35: “fortunae constitui tenuiorum videbantur,” id. Sest. 48, 103; cf.: “locupletissimi cujusque census extenuarant, tenuissimi auxerant,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 55, § 138: “tenuis et obaeratus,” Suet. Caes. 46: “Regulus,” Plin. Ep. 2, 20, 13.—With gen.: “tenuis opum,” Sil. 6, 19.—
II. Trop.
A. Fine, nice, delicate, subtle, exact (syn.: “elegans, subtilis): tenuis et acuta distinctio,” Cic. Ac. 2, 14, 43; cf.: “tenues autem differentias (praecepta) habent,” Sen. Ep. 94, 35: “(oratores) tenues, acuti,” Cic. Or. 5, 20; so, “orator,” id. ib. 24, 81; Quint. 12, 10, 21: “aures,” Lucr. 4, 913: “cura,” Ov. P. 4, 6, 37: “Athenae,” elegant, Mart. 6, 64, 17: “rationes latiore specie, non ad tenue limatae,” Cic. Ac. 2, 20, 66: “textum dicendi,” Quint. 10, 1, 64.— Subst.: tĕnŭe , is, n., that which is subtle (opp. comprehensibile), Lact. 7, 4, 12.—
B. Transf. (acc. to I. B.), weak, trifling, insignificant, mean, low: “cum tenuissimā valetudine esset,” weak, feeble, delicate, Caes. B. G. 5, 40: “tenuis atque infirmus animus,” id. B. C. 1, 32: “ingenium (opp. forte),” Quint. 10, 2, 19: “tenuis et angusta ingeni vena,” id. 6, 2, 3: tenuis exsanguisque sermo, Cic. de Or. 1, 13, 57; Quint. 8, 3, 18: “in ininimis tenuissimisque rebus labi,” Cic. de Or. 1, 37, 169: “tenuissimarum rerum jura,” id. Caecin. 12, 34: “artificium perquam tenue et leve,” id. de Or. 1, 28, 129: “grammatica, ars tenuis ac jejuna,” Quint. 1, 4, 5: “inanis et tenuis spes,” Cic. Rosc. Com. 14, 43; cf.: “spes tenuior,” id. Att. 3, 19, 2: “suspitio,” id. Caecin. 15, 43: “causa tenuis et inops,” id. Fam. 9, 12, 2: “curae,” Verg. G. 1, 177: “gloria,” id. ib. 4, 6: “damnum,” Tac. A. 12, 39: “negotia paulo ad dicendum tenuiora,” Quint. 12, 9, 8: “nec sua plus debet tenui Verona Catullo,” i. e. to the author of trifling, amorous lays, Mart. 10, 103, 5; v. tenuo, II. —
2. Esp., of rank, standing, etc., low, inferior, common: “tenuiores,” men of lower rank, the lower orders, Cic. Leg. 3, 10, 24; cf.: “tenuis L. Virginius unusque de multis,” id. Fin. 2, 20, 66: “tenuissimus quisque,” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 47, § 123: “homines,” id. Mur. 34, 70; cf.: “commoti animi tenuiorum,” id. ib. 23, 47: “si obscuri erunt aut tenues,” id. Part. Or. 34, 117: “qui tenuioris ordinis essent,” id. Leg. 3, 13, 30: “adulescentes tenui loco orti,” Liv. 2, 3, 2. — Hence, adv.: tĕnŭĭter .
1. Lit.
a. Thinly: “alutae tenuiter confectae,” Caes. B. G. 3, 13.—
b. Indifferently, poorly: Da. Quid rei gerit? Ge. Sic, tenuiter. Da. Non multum habet, Quod det, etc., Ter. Phorm. 1, 2, 95.—
2. Trop.
a. Finely, acutely, exactly, subtilely: “tenuiter disserere,” Cic. Or. 14, 46: “tenuiter multa, multa sublimiter tenere,” Plin. Ep. 4, 27, 1: “scribere (with argute),” id. ib. 6, 21, 4: “tenuiter et argute multa disserit,” Gell. 6, 2, 6.—Comp.: “illae (argumentationes) tenuius et acutius et subtilius tractantur,” Cic. Inv. 2, 16, 51.—
b. Lightly, slightly, superficially: “mihi nimium tenuiter Siculorum erga te voluntatis argumenta colligere videor,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 65, § 157; Auct. Her. 3, 8, 15; 4, 36, 48.— Sup.: “tenuissime aestimare,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 16, § 35.
