I.high, elevated, lofty, steep (syn.: altus, celsus, sublimis).
I. Lit.: Pergama ardua, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2: “aether,” Ov. M. 1, 151: “sidera,” id. ib. 1, 730: “cedrus,” id. Am. 1, 14, 12: “cervix equi,” Hor. S. 1, 2, 89: “et campo sese arduus infert (Turnus),” Verg. A. 9, 53.—Also in prose in Gell.: “supercilia,” i. e. proudly elevated, Gell. 4, 1, 1: “confragosus atque arduus clivis,” steep, Varr. R. R. 1, 18, 4: “ascensus,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 23: “arduus ac difficilis ascensus,” Liv. 25, 13: “ardua et aspera et confragosa via,” id. 44. 3: via alta atque ardua, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 16, 37: “mons,” Ov. M. 1, 316: “Tmolus,” id. ib. 11, 150 al.—Hence, subst.: arduum , i, n., a steep place, a steep: “Ardua dum metuunt, amittunt vera viaï,” Lucr. 1, 659: “in ardua montis Ite,” Ov. M. 8, 692: “ardua terrarum,” Verg. A. 5, 695: “per arduum scandere,” Hor. C. 2, 19, 21: “in arduo,” Tac. A. 2, 47: “in arduis ponet nidum suum,” Vulg. Job, 39, 27: “ardua Alpium,” Tac. H. 4, 70: “castellorum,” id. A. 11, 9: “ingressi sunt ardua,” Vulg. Jer. 4, 29. —
II. Trop.
A. That is difficult to reach or attain, difficult, laborious, hard, arduous: “magnum opus omnino et arduum conamur,” Cic. Or. 10, 33: “rerum arduarum ac difficilium perpessio,” id. Inv. 2, 54; so id. Leg. 1, 13: “id arduum factu erat,” Liv. 8, 16; Tac. A. 4, 4: “victoria,” Ov. M. 14, 453: “virtus,” Hor. C. 3, 24, 44: “nil mortalibus arduum est,” id. ib. 1, 3, 37.—Subst.: “nec fuit in arduo societas,” Tac. A. 12, 15.—
B. Troublesome, unpleasant: “in primis arduum videtur res gestas scribere,” Sall. C. 3, 2, upon which Gellius remarks: Arduum Sallustius non pro difficili tantum, sed pro eo quoque ponit, quod Graeci χαλεπὸν appellant: “quod est cum difficile tum molestum quoque et incommodum et intractabile,” Gell. 4, 15: “quam arduum onus,” Tac. A. 1, 11.—
C. Of fortune, difficult, adverse, inauspicious: “aequam memento rebus in arduis Servare mentem,” in adversity, Hor. C. 2, 3, 1.!*? Comp. arduior: iter longius arduiusque erat, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 600 P.—Sup. arduissimus: asperrimo atque arduissimo aditu, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 600 P.; cf.: assiduus, egregius, industrius, perpetuus, and Rudd. I. p. 180, n. 58.—Adv. not used.
