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subtīlis , e, adj. sub-tela; and therefore, prop., woven fine; hence,
I.fine, not thick or coarse, thin, slender, minute (syn. tenuis).
B. Transf., of the senses, fine, nice, acute, delicate, exqui site (rare): “palatum,Hor. S. 2, 8, 38: “subtilior gula,Col. 8, 16, 4.—
II. Trop., fine, nice, precise, exact, accurate, keen, subtle (class.; syn.: elegans, concinnus).
2. Transf., of taste or judgment, fine, keen, delicate, exquisite (syn.: “sagax, acutus): judicium,Cic. Fam. 15, 6, 1; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 242; cf.: “subtilis veterum judex,id. S. 2, 7, 101: “sapiens subtilisque lector,Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 7: “vir subtilis, dispositus, acer, disertus,id. ib. 2, 11, 17; 4, 17, 4.—
B. In partic., in rhet., of speech or of the speaker, plain, simple, unadorned (syn. simplex): “genus dicendi,Cic. Or. 21, 69; cf.: “acutissimum et subtilissimum dicendi genus,id. de Or. 2, 23, 98: “oratio,id. Or. 5, 20; cf. id. ib. 23, 78: “Stoicorum non ignoras, quam sit subtile vel spinosum potius dicendi genus,id. Fin. 3, 1, 3: subtile quod ἰσχνὸν vocant, Quint. 12, 10, 58: “disputator,Cic. Off. 1, 1, 3: “quis illo (Catone) in docendo edisserendoque subtilior?id. Brut. 17, 65: “oratione limatus atque subtilis,id. de Or. 1, 39, 180; cf. id. de Or. 3, 8, 31: Lysias subtilis scriptor atque elegans, id. Brut. 9, 35; Quint. 10, 1, 78: “praeceptor,id. 1, 4, 25; 12, 10, 51.—Hence, adv.: subtīlĭter , finely, minutely.
1. Lit.: “subtiliter insinuatus ad parvas partes aër,Lucr. 6, 1031: “conexae res,closely, intimately, id. 3, 739: “dividere aliquid,Plin. 5, 12, 13, § 67: “fodere,lightly, superficially, Pall. Febr. 21 fin.
2. Trop., finely, acutely, minutely, accurately, subtly.
a. In gen.: “subtiliter judicare,finely, acutely, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 57, § 127: “de re publicā quid ego tibi subtiliter? tota periit,minutely, particularly, id. Att. 2, 21, 1; cf.: “haec ad te scribam alias subtilius,id. ib. 1, 13, 4: “subtiliter exsequi numerum,Liv. 3, 5: “de aliquā re subtiliter disserere,Cic. Fl. 17, 41: “aliquid persequi,id. de Or. 1, 21, 98; cf.: “id persequar subtilius,id. Rep. 2, 23, 42: “subtilius haec disserunt,id. Lael. 5, 18: “subtilius ista quaerunt,id. ib. 2, 7 et saep. —
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hide References (47 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (47):
    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 15.6.1
    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 9.21.1
    • Cicero, Letters to Atticus, 2.21.1
    • Cicero, Letters to Atticus, 5.14.3
    • Old Testament, Ezekiel, 16.10
    • Cicero, Against Verres, 2.4.127
    • Old Testament, Isaiah, 19.9
    • Horace, Satires, 2.8.38
    • Horace, Satires, 2.7.101
    • Cicero, On Oratory, 1.21
    • Cicero, On Oratory, 1.23
    • Cicero, On Oratory, 1.39
    • Cicero, On Oratory, 2.23
    • Cicero, On Oratory, 3.8
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 4.114
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 4.122
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 4.901
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 6.1031
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 6.225
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 3.195
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 3.739
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 4.88
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 11.11
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 2.11
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 31.40
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 11.46
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 18.129
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 18.74
    • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, 4.14.7
    • A. Cornelius Celsus, De Medicina, 7.7
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 3, 5
    • Cicero, De Republica, 2.23
    • Cicero, de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, 3.1
    • Cicero, de Natura Deorum, 2.47
    • Cicero, De Amicitia, 5
    • Cicero, De Officiis, 1.1
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 1, 4.25
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 8, 3.40
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 10, 1.78
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 12, 10.51
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 12, 10.58
    • Seneca, Epistulae, 76.14
    • Columella, Res Rustica, 8.16.4
    • Cicero, Brutus, 17.65
    • Cicero, Brutus, 9.35
    • Cicero, Orator, 21.69
    • Cicero, Orator, 5.20
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