1. ăcĭēs — Lewis & Short
ăcĭēs, ēi, f.v. 2. acer (
I gen. acii and acie, like dii and die, facii and facie, fr. dies, facies, Cn. Mat. ap. Gell. 9, 14; Caes. B. G. 2, 23; Sall. ap. Serv. ad Verg. G. 1, 208, or Sall. Fragm. ed. Kritz. p. 118; cf. Prisc. p. 780 P.), a sharp edge or point.
I Lit., of a sword, dagger, sickle, etc.:
gladiorum,Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 11: Vulg. Heb. 11, 34:
securium,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43, § 113:
falcis,Verg. G. 2, 365:
hastae,Ov. M. 3, 107:
ferri,Plin. 7, 15, 13.—
B Transf.
1 Of the sense or faculty of sight,
a Keenness of look or glance, sharpness of vision or sight: oculorum, Lucil. ap. Non. 34, 32; cf. Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4; Lucr. 1, 324;
also acies alone,id. 2, 420; and in plur., id. 4, 693:
ne vultum quidem atque aciem oculorum ferre potuisse,Caes. B. G. 1, 39:
pupula ad te dirigit aciem,Cat. 63, 56:
tanta tenuitas, ut fugiat aciem,Cic. Tusc. 1, 22:
bonum incolumis acies, misera caecitas,id. Fin. 5, 28, 84; so ib. 4, 24; Verg. A. 12, 558 al.—Hence,
b Concr., the pupil of the eye, Lucr. 3, 411; cf.
with 414: acies ipsa, quā cernimus, quae pupula vocatur,Cic. N. D. 2, 57:
in Albania gigni quosdam glaucā oculorum acie,Plin. 7, 2, 2 (cf. ib.: glaucis oculis); and poet. (as pars pro toto) for the eye, Lucr. 3, 363; 4, 249; 281; 358;
720: huc geminas nunc flecte acies,Verg. A. 6, 789; 12, 658 (hence the word is also used in the plur., cf. below, 2.).—
c A looking at an object with fixed attention, look, aim:
ad eam rem habeo omnem aciem,Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 38.—On the contr., prima acie, at the first glance, Lucr. 2, 448 (cf. primo aspectu, Cic. de Or. 3, 25, 98).—
2 In milit. lang., the front of an army (conceived of as the edge of a sword), line of battle, battle-array.
a In abstr. (cf. Vitr. praef. 1. 7, p. 154 Rod.):
quibus ego si aciem exercitus nostri ostendero,Cic. Cat. 2, 3, 5:
aciem instruere,Caes. B. G. 1, 22:
dirigere,id. ib. 6, 8:
extra aciem procurrere,id. B. C. 1, 55:
statuit non proeliis, neque in acie, sed alio more bellum gerendum,Sall. J. 54; cf. Liv. 5, 41, 4;
also of the arrangement of ships for a naval engagement,Nep. Hann. 11; cf. Caes. B. C. 1, 58.—Hence, metaph.
b The battlearray; in concr., an army drawn up in order of battle: acies est instructa a nobis decem cohortium, Galba ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30:
hostium acies cernebatur,Caes. B. G. 7, 62: altera pars acii vitassent fluminis undas, Matius ap. Gell. 9, 14 (as transl. of Il. 21 init.):
dubitavit acie pars, Sall. Fragm. l. l.: stabit ante aciem,Vulg. Deut. 20, 2; 1 Par. 12, 33:
prima acies hastati erant,the van, the first line, Liv. 8, 8:
tertiam aciem laborantibus subsidio mittere,Caes. B. G. 1, 52: ab novissima acie, from the rear:
ante signa procedere,Liv. 8, 10:
dextra acies (= dextrum cornu),the right wing, Liv. 27, 48, 8:
agmina magis quam acies pugnabant,in marching order, rather than in order of battle, id. 25, 34 (acies is here, and in similar cases, considered as the sing. used collectively; v. Oud. and Herz. Caes. B. G. 7, 62; yet the plur. is more than probable). Rarely of cavalry, Liv. 8, 39; Vell. 2, 112.—Poet.: acies Vulcania, of a long line of fire, Verg. A. 10, 408.—
c The action of the troops drawn up in battlearray, a battle, engagement, = pugna: in acie celebri objectans vitam, Pac. ap. Non. 234, 25; Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4: mea facta in acie obliti, Att. ap. Non. 502, 1:
in acie Pharsalica,Cic. Lig. 3; so id. Fam. 6, 3:
in acie vincere,Caes. B. G. 7, 29:
dimicare,ib. 7, 64:
copias in aciem ducere,Liv. 31, 34:
producere in aciem,Nep. Milt. 5:
excedere acie,Caes. B. C. 2, 41; Liv. 31, 17:
direxerunt aciem contra eos,Vulg. Gen. 14, 8; 2 Par. 18, 33.—
3 Acies ferri, steel, Plin. 34, 14, 41.—
4 Poet., sheen, brightness:
obtunsa stellarum,Verg. G. 1, 395.
II Fig.
A (Acc. to I. B.) (like acumen.) Acuteness of the mind, sharpness, force, power (so very often in Cicero, but always with the gen. mentis, animi, ingenii):
(cum animus) exacuerit illam, ut oculorum, sic ingenii aciem ad bona eligenda, etc.,Cic. Leg. 1, 23, 60; so,
ingenii,id. Ac. 2, 39, 122:
mentis,id. N. D. 2, 17, 45; id. Tusc. 1, 30, 73:
animi,id. Sen. 23, 83; id. Phil. 12, 2; Vell. 2, 118, 4; cf.:
rerum diversitas aciem intentionis abrumpit,Flor. 1 prol., § 3.—
B A verbal contest, disputation, discussion, debate:
orationis aciem contra conferam,Plaut. Ep. 4, 1, 20: ad philosophos me revocas, qui in aciem non saepe prodeunt, Cic. Tusc. 2, 25, 60:
nos jam in aciem dimicationemque veniamus,id. Or. 13 fin.; cf. id. Opt. Gen. Or. 5, 17; Quint. 2, 10, 8; 6, 4, 17; 10, 1, 29.