I.thick, dense, i. e. consisting of parts crowded together. opp. to rarus (on the contrary, crassus, thick, is opp. to thin, fluid; and spissus, close, compact, with the predominant idea of impenetrability; cf. also: angustus, artus, solidus—class. and freq., esp. in poets and historians; in Cic. very rare).
I. Lit.
1. In space: “ne dum variantia rerum Tanta queat densis rarisque ex ignibus esse,” Lucr. 1, 654; cf. Verg. G. 1, 419 (for which densatus et laxatus aër, Quint. 5, 9, 16); and: “(terra) Rara sit an supra morem si densa requiras ... Densa magis Cereri, rarissima quaeque Lyaeo,” Verg. G. 2, 227 sq.: densa et glutinosa terra, Col. praef. § 24: silva, poëta ap. Cic. Att. 12, 15; cf.: “densiores silvae,” Caes. B. G. 3, 29, 2: “densissimae silvae,” id. ib. 4, 38, 3: “lucus densissimae opacitatis,” Front. Strat. 1, 11, 10: “denso corpore nubes,” Lucr. 6, 361; cf.: “denso agmine,” id. 6, 100; so, “agmen (sc. navium),” Verg. A. 5, 834: “densum umeris vulgus,” Hor. Od. 2, 13, 32 et saep.: “tunicae,” Plin. 11, 23, 27, § 77: “zmaragdi,” id. 37, 5, 18, § 68: “litus,” sandy, Ov. M. 2, 576; cf. Verg. G. 2, 275: “aequor,” i. e. frozen. Luc. 2, 640: “aër,” Hor. Od. 2, 7, 14; cf. “caelum,” Cels. 1 praef.; 3, 22: “nimbi,” Ov. M. 1, 269: “caligo,” Verg. A. 12, 466; cf.: “densissima nox,” pitch-dark night, Ov. M. 15, 31: umbra, Catull. 65, 13; Hor. Od. 1, 7, 20 et saep.— “Without distinction, corresp. with crassus,” Lucr. 6, 246 al.—
b. Poet. with abl., thickly set with, covered with, full of: loca silvestribus sepibus densa, poëta ap. Cic. N. D. 1, 42 fin.; cf.: “specus virgis ac vimine,” Ov. M. 3, 29: “vallis piceis et acuta cupressu,” id. ib. 3, 155: “Thybris verticibus,” id. F. 6, 502: “ficus pomis,” id. ib. 2, 253: “corpora setis,” id. M. 13, 846; cf. id. Am. 3, 1, 32: “femina crinibus emptis,” id. A. A. 3, 165: “funale lampadibus,” id. M. 12, 247: trames caligine opaca (coupled with obscurus), id. ib. 10, 54 et saep.—
B. Transf., of the parts themselves which are crowded together, thick, close, set close: “superiorem partem collis densissimis castris (sc. trinis) compleverant,” pitched very near together, Caes. B. G. 7, 46, 3: “sepes,” id. ib. 2, 22: “frutices,” Ov. M. 1, 122: “ilex,” id. F. 2, 165 et saep.: “hostes,” Verg. A. 2, 511: “ministri,” id. M. 2, 717: “densior suboles,” Verg. G. 3, 308: “dens (pectinis),” Tib. 1, 9, 68: “comae,” Ov. Am. 1, 14, 42; cf. “pilae,” id. F. 2, 348 et saep.— Poet.: “densorum turba malorum,” Ov. Tr. 5, 6, 41.—
2. In time, of things which take place in close succession, thick, frequent, continuous (mostly poet.): “ictus,” Verg. A. 5, 459; cf. “plagae,” Hor. Od. 3, 5, 31: “Aquilo,” strong, powerful, Verg. G. 3, 196: “silentia,” deep, profound, Val. Fl. 3, 604: “amores,” Verg. G. 4, 347: “pericula,” Ov. P. 4, 7, 15: “usus,” id. ib. 4, 3, 15: “ictus,” Amm. 15, 5, 31. —
II. Trop. of speech, condensed, concise: “vox atrox in ira, et aspera ac densa,” coarse, Quint. 11, 3, 63: “tanta vis in eo (sc. Demosthene) tam densa omnia, etc.,” id. 10, 1, 76; cf. transf. to the writer himself: densior ille (sc. Demosthenes), hic (sc. Cicero) copiosior, ib. § 106: densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides, ib. § 73: (Euripides) sententiis densus, ib. § 68.— Adv.: densē (very rare).
1. In space, thickly, closely, close together: “caesae alni,” Plin. 16, 37, 67, § 173: “calcatum quam densissime,” Vitr. 5, 12 med.: “milites densius se commovebant,” Amm. 24, 6, 8.—
2. (Acc. to no. I. B. 2.) In time, frequently, rapidly, one after the other: “quod in perpetuitate dicendi eluceat aliquando, idem apud alios densius, apud alios fortasse rarius,” Cic. Or. 2, 7: “nulla tamen subeunt mihi tempora densius istis,” Ov. P. 1, 9, 11: “replicatis quaestionibus dense,” Amm. 29, 3 fin.