āēr — Lewis & Short
āēr, āĕris, m. (in Enn. once
I fem., Gell. 13, 20, 14, as also a)h/r in Gr., in the earliest per, was fem., Gr. gen. aëros, Stat. Th. 2, 693; Gr. acc. aëra, Cic., Sen., Plin.;
pure Lat. form, āĕrem,Varr. L. L. 5, 10, 65; Cato ap. Serv ad Verg. A. 10, 184; Plin. 18, 1, 1, § 3; plur nom. and acc. āĕres, Vitr. 11; later āĕra, Ven. Fort. Carm 9, 1, 141, dat. āĕribus, Lucr. 4, 289; 5, 643), = a)hr, the air, properly the lower atmosphere (in distinction from aether, the upper pure air):
istic est is Juppiter quem dico, quem Graeci vocant Aërem, qui ventus est et nubes, imber postea, Atque ex imbre frigus, ventus post fit, aër denuo, Enn. ap. Varr L. L. 5, § 65 Müll. (Epicharm. v. 9 Vahl.,: terra circumfusa undique est hac animall spirabilique naturā, cui nomen est aër, Graecum illud quidem, sed perceptum jam tamen usu a nostris, tritum est enim pro Latino,Cic. N. D. 2, 36, 91:
itaque aër et ignis et aqua et terra primae sunt,id. Ac. 1, 7, 26:
Anaximenes aëra Deum statuit,id. N. D. 1, 10:
aërem in perniciem vertere,Plin. 18, 1, 1, § 3 al.—Also in plur.: aëribus binis, Lucr 4, 291: aëres locorum salubres aut pestilentes, Vitr 1, 1 fin.—
II Transf.
A Poet.: aër summus arboris, the airy summit, for the highest point, Verg. G. 2, 123; cf. Juv. 6, 99.—
B Also poet. for a cloud, vapor, mist:
Venus obscuro gradientes aëre sepsit,Verg. A. 1, 411: aëre septus, Val Fl. 5,401—
C With limiting adj. = the weather:
crassus,Cic. Ac. 2, 25, 81. fusus et extenuatus, id. N. D. 2, 39 purus et tenuis, id. ib. 2, 16 temperatus, id. Div 2, 42
1 † aera (dissyl.), ae, f., = ai)ra, a weed among grain; darnel, tare, or cockle, Lolium temulentum, Linn.; Plin. 18, 17, 44, § 156.