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tempus , ŏris (
I.abl. temp. tempori or temperi; v. infra), n. etym. dub.; perh. root tem-; Gr. τέμνω; prop. a section; hence, in partic., of time.
I. Lit., a portion or period of time, a time: “tempus diei,daytime, Ter. Heaut. 1, 2, 38; 1, 1, 116: “extremum diei,Cic. de Or. 1, 7, 26; cf.: “matutina tempora,morning hours, id. Fam. 7, 1, 1: “anni tempora,the seasons, Lucr. 2, 33; 5, 1396; cf.: “quam (Ennam) circa sunt laetissimi flores omni tempore anni,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 48, § 107: “maturius paulo, quam tempus anni postulabat, in hiberna exercitum deduxit,Caes. B. G. 1, 54: “erat hibernum tempus anni,Cic. Rep. 1, 12, 18; Auct. B. Alex. 43, 1.—
2. Esp. of the time intervening between two events, etc., an interval, period, time: “longo post tempore,Verg. E. 1, 68: “magno post tempore,Just. 13, 4, 25; 16, 1, 1: “brevi post tempore,id. 1, 7, 19; 4, 4, 4; 12, 2, 6: “parvo post tempore,Val. Max. 8, 6, 1. — Plur.: “longis temporibus ante,Cic. Rep. 2, 34, 5.—
B. Transf., time, in general.
1. Lit.
a. In gen.: “tempus est, id quo nunc utimur (nam ipsum quidem generaliter definire difficile est), pars quaedam aeternitatis cum alicujus annui, menstrui, diurni nocturnive spatii certā significatione,Cic. Inv. 1, 26, 39: “tempus esse dicunt intervallum mundi motus: id divisum in partes aliquot, maxime ab solis et lunae cursu: itaque ab eorum tenore temperato tempus dictum,Varr. L. L. 6, § 2 Müll.: hos siderum errores id ipsum esse, quod rite dicitur tempus, Cic. Univ. 9 fin.: “neque ut celari posset, tempus spatium ullum dabat,Ter. Hec. 3, 3, 14; cf.: “nisi tempus et spatium datum sit,Cic. Quint. 1, 4: “vix huic tantulae epistulae tempus habui,id. Att. 1, 14, 1: “egeo tempore,id. Q. Fr. 3, 5, 4: “unius horae tempus,Liv. 44, 9, 4: “aliquot dierum tempus amisit,Lact. Mort. Pers. 45, 5: “tempus duorum mensium petere ad delectus habendos,Liv. 29, 5, 7: “triginta dierum tempus petens, ut, etc.,id. 38, 37, 10: “tempus, pacis an belli, festinationis an otii,Cic. de Or. 3, 55, 211: “ut tempora postulabant belli,Liv. 24, 8, 7: “nec belli tantum temporibus, sed etiam in pace,id. 35, 28, 1: “temporibus Punici belli,Just. 30, 3, 1; 43, 4, 11: “mihi vero omne tempus est ad meos libros vacuum,Cic. Rep. 1, 9, 14: “erit, erit illud profecto tempus et illucescet ille aliquando dies, cum, etc.,id. Mil. 26, 69: “ex quo tempore tu me diligere coepisti,id. Fam. 3, 4, 2: “eo tempore, quo promulgatum de multā ejus traditur,Liv. 6, 38, 12; 23, 10, 13: “tempore, quo in homine non ut nunc omnia consentientia,id. 2, 32, 9: “privatum eo tempore Quinctium fuisse, cum sacramento adacti sint,id. 3, 20, 4: “per idem tempus,Cic. Brut. 83, 286: “quos ad me id temporis venturos esse praedixeram,at that time, id. Cat. 1, 4, 10: “scripta in aliquod tempus reponantur,Quint. 10, 4, 2: “non tantulum Umquam intermittit tempus, quin, etc.,Plaut. Bacch. 2, 2, 32: “uno et eodem temporis puncto nati . . . nascendi tempus,Cic. Div. 2, 45, 95; cf.: “alienum tempus est mihi tecum expostulandi,id. Fam. 3, 10, 6: “dare tempus exponendi de aliquā re,id. ib. 1, 9, 3: “committendi proelii,Caes. B. G. 2, 19: “edendi,Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 22: “curandi,id. ib. 1, 2, 39: “tyranno ad consultandum tempus datum est,Liv. 34, 33, 5: “datum cum iis conloquendi tempus,id. 26, 22, 11; 45, 24, 11.—In plur.: “id certis temporibus futurum,Cic. Rep. 1, 15, 23: “si Athenienses quibusdam temporibus nihil nisi, etc., agebant,id. ib. 1, 27, 43: “superioribus temporibus ad te nullas litteras misi,id. Fam. 5, 17, 1: “illis temporibus,id. Lael. 1, 5: “temporibus illis,id. Arch. 3, 6. —
(β). tempŏra , um (less freq. in the sing. tempus), after the Gr. τὰ καίρια (prop. the right place, the fatal spot), the temples of the head; plur.: “duae suturae super aures tempora a superiore capitis parte discernunt,Cels. 8, 1; Plin. 20, 6, 23, § 54; Lucr. 1, 930; 4, 5; 6, 1194; Tib. 2, 2, 7; Verg. A. 5, 416; Hor. C. 1, 7, 23; 3, 25, 20; 4, 1, 32; 4, 8, 33 et saep.—Sing.: “contorquet brachium et Graccho percutit tempus,Auct. Her. 4, 55, 68; Verg. A. 9, 418; Sil. 12, 414; Stat. Th. 10, 110; Vitr. 9, 6; Flor. 4, 12, 44 Duk. N. cr.; Vulg. Judic. 4, 21; 5, 26.—Poet., transf., the face, visage in gen., Prop. 2, 24 (3, 18), 3; 2, 18, 32 (3, 11, 10).—The head: “jacuit pulsus tria tempora ramo Cacus,upon his three heads, Prop. 4 (5), 9, 15.Sing.: “tremulum movens Cana tempus anilitas Omnia omnibus annuit,Cat. 61, 162. —
2. Transf.
a. The time in its moral aspects; the state of the times, position, state, condition; in plur., the times, circumstances (esp. freq. of dangerous or distressful cir cumstances): “si ad tuum tempus perduci tur, facilis gubernatio est,time of administration, consulship, Cic. Fam. 10, 1, 2: “omne meum tempus amicorum temporibus transmittendum putavi ... et meus labor in privatorum periculis versatus,id. Imp. Pomp. 1, 1: “quid a me cujusque tempus poscat,id. Planc. 32, 79: “tempori meo defuerunt,my necessity, id. Sest. 58, 123; cf.: “qui tot annos ita vivo, ut a nullius umquam me tempore aut commodo aut otium meum abstraxerit aut, etc.,id. Arch. 6, 12: “tempori cedere, id est necessitati parere, semper sapientis est habitum,id. Fam. 4, 9, 2: “nisi forte temporis causā nobis adsentiebare,id. Tusc. 4, 4, 8: “neque poëtae tempori meo defuerunt,id. Sest. 58, 123; cf.: “suscipere onus laboris atque officii ex necessariorum tempore,id. Div. in Caecil. 2, 5: “in summo et periculosissimo rei publicae tempore,id. Fl. 3, 6: “tempore summo rei publicae,id. Phil. 5, 17, 46; Cic. Verr. 1, 1, 1; cf.: “pecuniam conferre in rei publicae magnum aliquod tempus,id. Off. 3, 24, 93: “pro tempore atque periculo exercitum conparare,Sall. C. 30, 5: “o saepe mecum tempus in ultimum Deducte,to the last extremity, Hor. C. 2, 7, 1: “eae (res) contra nos faciunt in hoc tempore,at the present time, under the present circumstances, Cic. Quint. 1, 1; cf.: “nec miserae prodesse in tali tempore quibat,Lucr. 1, 93: “indignatus, dici ea in tali tempore audirique,Liv. 30, 37, 8; v. Zumpt, Gram. § 475.—In plur.: “incidunt saepe tempora, cum ea, etc.,Cic. Off. 1, 10, 31: “omnes illae orationes causarum ac temporum sunt,id. Clu. 50, 139: “tempora rei publicae, qualia futura sint, quis scit? mihi quidem turbulenta videntur fore,id. Fam. 2, 18, 3: “scripsi versibus tres libros de temporibus meis,id. ib. 1, 9, 23; cf. id. ib. § “11: dubia formidolosaque tempora,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 1, § 1: “cedere temporibus,id. Mil. 1, 2: “animus secundis Temporibus dubiisque rectus,Hor. C. 4, 9, 36: “Madates erat regionis praefectus, haud sane temporum homo,Curt. 5, 3, 4.—
b. Time in poetry and rhetoric, i. e. measure, quantity: “idem facit in trochaeo, qui temporibus et intervallis est par iambo,Cic. Or. 57, 194; cf.: “tempora certa modique,Hor. S. 1, 4, 58: “rhythmi spatio temporum constant,Quint. 9, 4, 46 sq.
c. In gram., a tense of a verb, Varr. L. L. 9, § 32; 95 sq.; 10, § 47 Müll.; Quint. 1, 5, 47; 9, 1, 11; 9, 3, 11 et saep.—
II. Adverb. phrases.
A. tempŏrē , and more freq in adverb. form, tempŏrī or tempĕrī , at the right or fitting time, at the appointed time, in time, betimes, timely, seasonably: “rogat, satisne tempori opera sient confecta,Cato, R. R. 2, 1; 3, 4; cf.: “qui vult sua tempori conficere officia,Plaut. Rud. 4, 2, 16: reddere aliquid tempori, Titin. ap. Non. 369, 22: “sequimini, ut, quod imperatum est, veniam advorsum temperi,Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 90; cf.: “temperi huic anteveni,id. Trin. 4, 2, 66: “temperi ego faxo scies,id. Ps. 1, 3, 153: “ut cenam coqueret temperi,id. Stich. 5, 2, 6; id. Cas. 2, 6, 60.—In a punning allusion to the meaning temple (v. supra): Eu. Coquite, facite, festinate nunc jam, quantum lubet. Co. Temperi: “postquam implevisti fusti fissorum caput,Plaut. Aul. 3, 3, 6: “ego renovabo commendationem, sed tempore,Cic. Fam. 7, 18, 1: “temporis ars medicina fere est: data tempore prosunt, Et data non apto tempore vina nocent,Ov. R. Am. 131 sq.: “tempore abest,id. H. 4, 109.—Comp.: “memini te mihi Phameae cenam narrare: temperius fiat: cetera eodem modo,Cic. Fam. 9, 16, 8: “modo surgis Eoo Temperius caelo, modo serius incidis undis,more betimes, earlier, Ov. M. 4, 198: “ut propter cibi spem temporius ad officinam redeant,Col. 8, 4, 3; 2, 8, 12; App.M. 9, p. 229, 22.—
B. Form tempore, in time, with the progress of time, gradually: “tempore ruricolae patiens fit taurus aratri, ... Tempore paret equus habenis,Ov. Tr. 4, 6, 1 sqq. —
C. Ad tempus.
1. At the right or appointed time, in time: “ad tempus redire,Cic. Att. 13, 45, 2: “ad tempus venire,Liv. 38, 25: “ad tempus ei mendacium vestrum accommodavistis,Cic. Cael. 7, 17.—
2. For some time, for the time being, for a while, for the moment: “quae (perturbatio animi) plerumque brevis est et ad tempus,Cic. Off. 1, 8, 27: “coli ad tempus,id. Lael. 15, 53: dux ad tempus lectus, Liv. 28, 42, 5; Tac. A. 1, 1; cf.: “ad breve (sc. tempus),Suet. Tib. 68. —
D. Ante tempus, before the right time, too soon: “ante tempus mori miserum esse,Cic. Tusc. 1, 39, 93; id. Lael. 3, 11: “ante tempus domo digressus,Sall. J. 79, 7; Suet. Aug. 26; cf.: “sero post tempus venis,Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 90.—
E. Ex tempore, instantaneously, forthwith, on the spur of the moment, extempore: “versus fundere ex tempore,Cic. de Or. 3, 50, 194: “magnum numerum optimorum versuum dicere ex tempore,id. Arch. 8, 18: “scribere,Quint. 10, 3, 17; Sen. Contr. 3, praef.—
F. In tempore, at the right, proper, or appropriate time, in time: “in tempore ad eam veni,Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 123: “in ipso tempore eccum ipsum,in the nick of time, id. And. 3, 2, 52: “ni pedites equitesque in tempore subvenissent,Liv. 33, 5, 2: “in tempore memorare,Tac. A. 1, 58 fin.
G. In tempus, for a time, temporarily: “scena in tempus structa,Tac. A. 14, 20; cf.: “in omne tempus,forever, Cic. Fam. 5, 15, 1.—
H. Per tempus, at the right time, in time: “non potuisti magis per tempus mihi advenire quam advenis,Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 30; cf.: “per tempus subvenistis mihi,id. Truc. 1, 2, 85.—
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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (128):
    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 10.1.2
    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 12.19.2
    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 2.18.3
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