I.to be light or clear, to shine, beam, glitter (syn.: splendeo, fulgeo).
I. Lit.: (lumen) Nihilo minus ipsi lucet, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 16, 51 (Trag. v. 389 Vahl.): tum candida lumina lucent, id. ap. Fest. p. 228 and 229 Müll. (Ann. v. 157 Vahl.): “(stella) luce lucebat aliena,” Cic. Rep. 4, 16, 16: “dum meus assiduo luceat igne focus,” Tib. 1, 1, 6: “lucet igne rogus,” Ov. H. 11, 104: “rara per occultos lucebat semita calles,” Verg. A. 9, 383: “lucet via longo Ordine flammarum,” id. ib. 11, 143; cf. Prop. 2, 14 (3, 6), 17: “interior caeli qua semita lucet,” Stat. Th. 9, 641: “(luminaria) lucent in firmamento caeli,” Vulg. Gen. 1, 15: “niveo lucet in ore rubor,” Ov. Am. 3, 3, 6: “lucent oculi,” id. M. 1, 239; Val. Fl. 6, 492: “cinis in multam noctem pertinaciter luxit,” Suet. Tib. 74: “virgatis lucent sagulis (sc. Galli),” glitter, Verg. A. 8, 660: “taedā lucebis in illa,” i. e. shall burn, Juv. 1, 155: “non amplius erit sol ad lucendum,” Vulg. Isa. 60, 19.—In the part. pres.: “e rosea sol alte lampade lucens,” Lucr. 5, 610; so, “globus lunae,” Verg. A. 6, 725: “faces,” Ov. F. 3, 270: “sedebat In solio Phoebus claris lucente smaragdis,” id. M. 2, 24: “lucerna lucens in caliginoso loco,” Vulg. 2 Pet. 1, 19.—Poet., with acc.: “huic lucebis novae nuptae facem,” will light her home with a torch, Plaut. Cas. 1, 30: tute tibi puer es; “lautus luces cereum,” id. Curc. 1, 1, 9.—
2. Of the day, daylight, etc., to appear, dawn, become light: “an umquam lucebit in orbe ille dies,” Sil. 16, 91: “lucente jam die,” Amm. 21, 15, 2.—
(β).
Esp., impers.: lucet, lucebat, etc., it is (was) light, it is (was) day, it is dawning: “priusquam lucet, adsunt,” Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 115: “si lucet lucet: lucet autem, lucet igitur,” Cic. Ac. 2, 30, 96: “si judicatum erit meridie non lucere,” id. Att. 1, 1, 1: “nondum lucebat,” id. Rosc. Am. 34, 97: “nec satis lucebat: cum autem luceret, etc.,” id. Att. 16, 13, a, 1: “ubi lucere coepisset,” id. Div. 1, 23, 47: expergiscere: lucet hoc, it is light, it is day there (in the sky), Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 63: “hoc ... luce lucebit,” id. Curc. 1, 3, 26. —
B. Transf., to shine or show through, to be discernible, visible (poet.): “si qua Arabio lucet bombyce puella,” Prop. 2, 2, 25 (2, 3, 15): “femineum lucet sic per bombycina corpus,” Mart. 8, 68, 7: “vitalia lucent,” are uncovered, Stat. Th. 8, 525.—
II. Trop., to shine forth, to be conspicuous, apparent, clear, evident: “nunc imperii nostri splendor illis gentibus lucet,” Cic. Imp. Pomp. 14, 41: “mea officia et studia, quae parum antea luxerunt,” id. Att. 3, 15, 4: “cum res ipsa tot, tam claris argumentis luceat,” id. Mil. 23, 61: “virtus lucet in tenebris,” id. Sest. 28, 60: “tota oratio lucet,” Quint. 8, 5, 29; 9, 1, 19.—Hence, lūcens , entis, P. a., shining, bright, conspicuous: lucentior usus, Mall. Theod. de Metr. 9, 7.