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cŭnĕus , i, m. cf. Sanscr. çā, çān, to sharpen; Lat. cos, cautes,
I.a wedge.
I. Prop., Cato, R. R. 10, 3; 11, 4; Att. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 10, 23; Verg. G. 1, 144; Hor. C. 1, 35, 18: jamque labant cunei, i. e. the plugs or wedges by which the ship's hull was made tight, Ov. M. 11, 514: “Britannia in cuneum tenuatur,” is shaped like a wedge, Tac. Agr. 10; cf. cuneo, II.—*
B. Trop.: “hoc cuneo veritatis omnis extruditur haeresis,” Tert. adv. Marc. 1, 21 fin.—
II. Meton.
A. Troops drawn up for battle in the form of a wedge, Caes. B. G. 6, 39; Liv. 2, 50, 9; 10, 29, 7 al.; Tac. A. 1, 51; id. H. 2, 42; id. G. 6 sq.; Quint. 2, 13, 4; Verg. A. 12, 269; 12, 575 al.; cf. Veg. Mil. 1, 26; 3, 19; “of the Macedonian phalanx: cohortes invicem sub signis, quae cuneum Macedonicum (phalangem ipsi vocant) si possent, vi perrumperent, emittebat,” Liv. 32, 17, 11; “and Dict. of Antiq.—So of a mob: turbandae rei causā publicani cuneo inruperunt,” Liv. 25, 3, 18; “of a flight of geese,” Plin. 10, 23, 32, § 63.—
B. The wedge-form division of the rows of seats in a theatre, Vitr. 5, 6: “ad tumulum cuneosque theatri perferre, etc.,” Verg. A. 5, 664; Suet. Aug. 44; Juv. 6, 61; cf. Dict. of Antiq.—Hence, *
2. Transf., the spectators: “ut vero cuneis notuit res omnibus,” all the boxes, Phaedr. 5, 8, 35.—
C. In architecture, the wedge-like space between the different painted or inlaid panels in walls, Vitr. 7, 4, 4; 7, 5, 1.
A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by. Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and. Charles Short, LL.D. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1879.

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hide References (20 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (20):
    • Caesar, Gallic War, 6.39
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 2, 50.9
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 11.514
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 5.664
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 12.269
    • Vergil, Georgics, 1.144
    • Vitruvius, On Architecture, 5.6
    • Vitruvius, On Architecture, 7.4.4
    • Vitruvius, On Architecture, 7.5.1
    • Tacitus, Annales, 1.51
    • Tacitus, Historiae, 2.42
    • Tacitus, Agricola, 10
    • Suetonius, Divus Augustus, 44
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 10.63
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 25, 3
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 10, 29.7
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 32, 17.11
    • Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes, 2.10
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 2, 13.4
    • Tacitus, Germania, 6
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