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tĕnax , ācis, adj. id.,
I.holding fast, griping, tenacious.
I. Lit.
A. In gen. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “prensatque tenaci forcipe ferrum,Verg. A. 12, 404; 8, 453; cf.: “dente tenaci Ancora fundabat naves,id. ib. 6, 3: “vinclum,id. G. 4, 412; Ov. M. 11, 252: “complexus,id. ib. 4, 377: “lappa,id. P. 2, 1, 14: “hedera arborem implicat,Cat. 61, 34: “loca limosa tenacia gravi caeno,Tac. A. 1, 63: “amplexus,App. M. 9, p. 219, 17: “maltha, quae est res omnium tenacissima,Plin. 36, 24, 58, § 181.— With gen.: “herba asperitate etiam vestium tenaci,Plin. 27, 5, 15, § 32. — Comp.: “cutis tenacior capilli,Plin. 22, 22, 39, § 82.—
b. Subst.: tĕnāces , ĭum, m., things that hold fast. i. e. bands, stalks, or pedicles of fruit, etc., Pall. Febr. 18, 1; 25, 9; id. Mart. 10, 4 and 9; id. Sept. 17.—
B. In partic., holding fast to wealth, power, etc., griping, sparing, niggardly, stingy, tenacious (class.; “syn. parcus): filius familias patre parco ac tenaci,Cic. Cael. 15, 36: He. Tenaxne pater ejus est? Phi. Immo edepol pertinax, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 39: “parcus, truculentus, tenax,Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 12: “eosdem restrictos et tenaces fuisse,Cic. Planc. 22, 54: “non tenax in largitate,Spart. Car. 5.—With gen.: “genus Quaesiti tenax,Ov. M. 7, 657.—Comp.: “milites tenaciores eorum (armorum) in proelio,Suet. Caes. 67.—
C. Transf., of things, that holds or sticks fast: jacere in tenaci gramine, that clings together, i. e. matted, Hor. Epod. 2, 24.—Sup.: “glaebis tenacissimum solum,Plin. Ep. 5, 6, 10: “cerae,sticky, viscid, Verg. G. 4, 161: “turpe referre pedem nec passu stare tenaci,Ov. P. 2, 6, 21.— Comp.: “pondere tenacior navis,Liv. 28, 30, 11: “panicula glutino tenacior,Plin. 16, 36, 64, § 158.—
II. Trop.
A. Holding fast, retentive, firm, steadfast, persistent, tenacious (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose); usually joined with gen.: “memoria tenacissima,Quint. 1, 1, 19: “naturā tenacissimi sumus eorum, quae rudibus annis percepimus,id. 1, 1, 5: “pertinacem ultra modum esse tenacem propositi,id. 11, 1, 90; so, “propositi,Hor. C. 3, 3, 1; Ov. M. 10, 405: “tenacem esse sui juris debet,Col. 1, 7, 2: “disciplinae tenacissimus,Plin. Ep. 10, 85 (17): “justitiae,Juv. 8, 25: “ficti pravique (Fama),Verg. A. 4, 188: “veri,Pers. 5, 48: “amicitiarum,Vell. 2, 29, 3: “exempli sui,id. 2, 84, 3 Ruhnk.: “animi,Manil. 4, 165: “longa tenaxque fides,Ov. Am. 2, 6, 14.—
B. In a bad sense, stubborn, obstinate: “equus contra sua vincla tenax,Ov. Am. 3, 4, 13; so, “equus,Liv. 39, 25, 13; “and in a lusus verbb.: si esses equos, esses indomabilis ... nimis tenax es,Plaut. Cas. 4, 3, 13: “cum video, quam sint mea fata tenacia, frangor,Ov. P. 1, 2, 63: “ira Caesaris,id. ib. 1, 9, 28: “morbi,Suet. Claud. 2.—Adv.: tĕnācĭter , closely, firmly, strongly, tightly, tenaciously.
a. Lit.: “pressisse tenaciter ungues,Ov. H. 9, 21: “vincire,Macr. Somn. Scip. 1, 6.—Comp.: “apprehendere,Val. Max. 7, 5, 2; Macr. S. 7, 3: “habitare,Aug. Ep. 6.—
b. Trop., persistently, firmly: “urgere,Ov. H. 3, 43.— Comp., Sol. 52, § 44; Amm. 25, 4, 4.—Sup., App. M. 5, p. 167, 22.
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hide References (31 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (31):
    • Cicero, For Plancius, 22.54
    • Cicero, For Marcus Caelius, 15.36
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 10.405
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 11.252
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 4.377
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 12.404
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 4.188
    • Vergil, Georgics, 4.161
    • Vergil, Georgics, 4.412
    • Suetonius, Divus Claudius, 2
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 7.657
    • Tacitus, Annales, 1.63
    • Plautus, Captivi, 2.2
    • Plautus, Casina, 4.3
    • Suetonius, Divus Julius, 67
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 22.82
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 27.32
    • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, 5.6.10
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 28, 30.11
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 39, 25
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 1, 1.19
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 1, 1.5
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 11, 1.90
    • Ovid, Ex Ponto, 1.2
    • Ovid, Ex Ponto, 1.9
    • Ovid, Ex Ponto, 2.1
    • Ovid, Ex Ponto, 2.6
    • Persius, Saturae, 5
    • Columella, Res Rustica, 1.7.2
    • Augustine, Epistualae, 6
    • Valerius Maximus, Facta et Dicta Memorabilia, 7.5.2
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