1. bracchĭum — Lewis & Short
bracchĭum (less correctly brāchĭ-um;
I gen. bracchi, Lucr. 6, 434), ii, n. perh. kindr. with Gr. braxi/wn; but cf. Sanscr. bāhu; like frango, Sanscr. bhang, Bopp, Gloss. p. 239 a, the arm; particularly,
I Lit., the forearm, from the hand to the elbow (while lacertus is the upper arm, from the elbow to the shoulder), Lucr. 4, 830; 6, 397:
bracchia et lacerti,Ov. M. 1, 501; 1, 550 sq.:
subjecta lacertis bracchia,id. ib. 14, 305; Curt. 8, 9, 21; 9, 1, 29:
(feminae) nudae bracchia et lacertos,Tac. G. 17 (opp. umerus); Cels. 8, 1, § 79 sqq.; 8, 10, § 55 sqq.—Far oftener,
II Transf.
A In gen., the arm, the whole arm, from the shoulder to the fingers, Pac. ap. Non. p. 87, 26, and Varr. L. L. 5, 7, p. 4 Müll.; id. ap. Gell. 16, 16, 4:
quod eum bracchium fregisse diceret,Cic. de Or. 2, 62, 253; cf. Cels. 1, 10, 3:
multi ut diu jactato bracchio praeoptarent scutum manu emittere et nudo corpore pugnare,Caes. B. G. 1, 25:
bracchium (sc. dextrum) cohibere togā,Cic. Cael. 5, 11 (cf. Sen. Contr. 5, 6:
bracchium extra togam exserere): eodem ictu bracchia ferro exsolvunt (i.e. venas incidunt, as, soon after, crurum et poplitum venas abrumpit),Tac. A. 15, 63; 1, 41.—Of embraces:
collo dare bracchia circum,to throw the arms round the neck, Verg. A. 6, 700; cf.:
circumdare collo,Ov. M. 9, 459:
implicare collo,id. ib. 1, 762:
inicere collo,id. ib. 3, 389:
cervici dare,Hor. C. 3, 9, 2:
lentis adhaerens bracchiis,id. Epod. 15, 6: Hephaestionis bracchium hastā ictum est, Curt. 4, 16, 31:
ut in jaculando bracchia reducimus,Quint. 10, 3, 6:
sinisteriore bracchio,Suet. Dom. 17:
bracchia ad superas extulit auras,Verg. A. 5, 427:
alternaque jactat Bracchia protendens (Dares),id. ib. 5, 377:
juventus horrida bracchiis,Hor. C. 3, 4, 50.—Of a rower:
si bracchia forte remisit,Verg. G. 1, 202:
matri bracchia tendere,Ov. M. 3, 723:
patrio tendens bracchia caelo,id. ib. 9, 210:
tendens ad caelum bracchia,id. ib. 9, 293:
precando Bracchia sustulerat,id. ib. 6, 262.—Prov.:
dirigere bracchia contra Torrentem,to swim against the current, Juv. 4, 89.—
2 Of the movement of the arms in speaking:
bracchii projectione in contentionibus, contractione in remissis,Cic. Or. 18, 59; so Quint. 11, 3, 84:
extento bracchio paululum de gestu addidit,Cic. de Or. 2, 59, 242:
demissa bracchia,Quint. 2, 13, 9:
a latere modice remota,id. 11, 3, 159:
ut bracchio exserto introspiciatur latus,id. 11, 3, 118:
aliqui transversum bracchium proferunt et cubito pronunciant,id. 11, 3, 93:
bracchium in latus jactant,id. 4, 2, 39:
si contendemus per continuationem, bracchio celeri, mobili vultu utemur,Auct. Her. 3, 15, 27.—
3 Of the motion of the arms in dancing:
bracchia in numerum jactare,Lucr. 4, 769;
imitated by Ov.: numerosa bracchia jactat (ducit, Jahn),Ov. Am. 2,4,29, and id. R. Am. 754; Lucr. 4, 790; imitated in Ov. A. A. 1, 595; Prop. 2 (3), 22, 6; imitated in Stat. S. 3, 5, 66; cf.
of the labors of the Cyclopes: illi inter sese magnā vi bracchia tollunt In numerum,Verg. G. 4, 174.—
4 Trop.: levi or molli bracchio agere aliquid, to do any thing superficially, negligently, remissly (prob. peculiar to the lang. of conversation), Cic. Att. 4, 16, 6; so,
molli bracchio aliquem objurgare,id. ib. 2, 1, 6.—Prov.:
praebuerim sceleri bracchia nostra tuo,lend a hand, Ov. H. 7, 126.—
B The limbs of animals analogous to the arms of men; of the claws of crawfish, etc., Ov. M. 4, 625; 10, 127; 15, 369; Plin. 9, 31, 51, § 97: hence also of the sign Cancer, Ov. M. 2, 83; also of Scorpio, Verg. G. 1, 34; Ov. M. 2, 82; 2, 195.—Of the claws of the nautilus, Plin. 9, 29, 47, § 88, and other sea-fish, id. 11, 48, 108, § 258.—Of the lion:
in feminum et bracchiorum ossibus,Plin. 11, 37, 86, § 214.—
2 Comicé for armus or femur (as inversely armus = bracchium): Ar. Edepol vel elephanto in Indiā Quo pacto pugno perfregisti bracchium. Py. Quid? bracchium? Ar. Illud dicere volui femur, the shoulder, the shoulder-blade of the elephant, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 26 sq. Brix ad loc.—
C Objects resembling arms.
1 The branches of trees (cf. Ov. M. 1, 550: in ramos bracchia crescunt;
v. also manus and coma): vitem sub bracchia ungito,Cato, R. R. 95 fin.;
of the vine,Verg. G. 2, 368; Col. 4, 24, 2; 7, 8 sq.; 5, 5, 9 sq.; Pall. Febr. 9, 6;
id. Mai, 2, 1: quatiens bracchia Quercus,Cat. 64, 105:
differt quod in bracchia ramorum spargitur,Plin. 13, 9, 18, § 62:
(aesculus) Tum fortes late ramos et bracchia tendens, etc.,Verg. G. 2, 296; Ov. M. 14, 630; Val. Fl. 8, 114.—
2 An arm of the sea:
nec bracchia longo Margine terrarum porrexerat Amphitrite,Ov. M. 1, 13; Curt. 6, 4, 16.—
3 The collateral branches or ridges of a mountain:
Taurus ubi bracchia emittit,Plin. 5, 27, 27, § 98.—
4 Poet., = antenna, the sail-yards:
jubet intendi bracchia velis,Verg. A. 5, 829; cf. Stat. S. 5, 1, 244.—
5 In milit. lang., a (natural or artificial) outwork or line for connecting two points in fortifications, etc.; Gr. ske/lh:
aliā parte consul muro Ardeae bracchium injunxerat,a line of communication, Liv. 4, 9, 14; 38, 5, 8; 22, 52, 1 Drak.; 44, 35, 13; Hirt. B. Alex. 30; id. B. Afr. 38; 49; 51; 56; id. B. Hisp. 5; 6; 13; Curt. 6, 4, 16; Luc. 3, 387; 4, 266.—So of the side-works, moles, dikes, in the fortification of a harbor, Liv. 31, 26, 8; cf. Just. 5, 8, 5 Gron.; Plin. Ep. 6, 31, 15; Suet. Claud. 20.—
6 The arm of a catapult or ballista, Vitr. 1, 1; 10, 15 sq.