I.a piper, flute-player, flutist.
I. Lit.: “age, tibicen, refer ad labias tibias, suffla celeriter tibi buccas,” Plaut. Stich. 5, 4, 41: “si tibiae non referant sonum, abiciendas sibi tibicen putat,” Cic. Brut. 51, 192: “tibicen sine tibiis canere non potest,” id. de Or. 2, 83, 338; id Leg. 2, 24, 62; id. Ac. 2, 7, 20; id. Dom. 47 123; id. Agr. 2, 34, 93; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 98; id. A. P. 415: “tibicines abierunt,” Liv. 9, 30, 5: “funus celebratum ... praecedente tibicine,” Plin. 10, 43, 60, § 122; Val. Max. 2, 5, 4: transit idem jurisconsultus tibicinis Latini modo, i. e. preludes or rehearses the legal formulas (as the flutist accompanies the actors), Cic. Mur. 12, 26. —Sing. collect.: “crebro tibicine,” Cic. Sen. 13, 44. —
II. Transf., a kind of pillar, support, or prop of a building, Cat. 61, 158; Ov. F. 4, 695: “urbem colimus tenui tibicine fultum,” Juv. 3, 193. — “Of Atlas, supporting the heaven,” Arn. 2, 92; cf.: “tibicines in aedificiis dici existimantur a similitudine tibiis canentium, qui ut cantantes sustineant, ita illi aedificiorum tecta,” Fest. p. 366 Müll.
