1. cālīgo — Lewis & Short
cālīgo (call-), ĭnis, f.root cal-, cover; cf.: oc-culo, clam, cella,
I a thick atmosphere, a mist, vapor, fog (mostly poet. or in post-Aug. prose):
suffundere caelum caligine,Lucr. 6, 479; 6, 461; 6, 92:
(ignis) piceă crassus caligine,Verg. G. 2, 309; cf. id. A. 9, 36; Liv. 29, 27, 7:
densa caligo occaecaverat diem,id. 33, 7, 2; cf. Suet. Ner. 19:
fumidam a terră exhalari caliginem,Plin. 2, 42, 42, § 111:
caligo aestuosa,Col. 11, 2, 53 (for which, id. 11, 2, 57:
nebulosus aestus): pruinae et caligo,id. 3, 2, 4; cf. Pall. Febr. 9, 2.—Also in plur.:
inter caligines,Col. 3, 1, 7.—Hence,
II Transf.
A (Causa pro effectu.) Darkness, obscurity, gloom (produced by mist, fog, etc.; freq. with tenebrae;
class. in prose and poetry): mi ob oculos caligo obstitit, Plaut Mil. 2, 4, 51: cum altitudo caliginem oculis obfudisset,i. e. had caused dizziness, Liv. 26, 45, 3:
erat in tantā calligine major usus aurium quam oculorum,id. 22, 5, 3 Weissenb.: noctem insequentem eadem calligc obtinuit;
sole orto est discussa,id. 29, 27, 7:
nox terram caligine texit,Lucr. 6, 853; 5, 649:
caeca noctis,id. 4, 457:
caecae umbra,id. 3, 305; cf. Verg. A. 3, 203:
quam simul agnorunt inter caliginis umbras,Ov. M. 4, 455:
ara obscurā caligine tecta,Cic. Arat. 194.—With tenebrae, Cic. Agr. 2, 17, 44; Curt. 9, 4, 18; Lampr. Comm. 16.—In later writers also with a gen.:
caligo tenebrarum,Quint. Decl. 18, 7; cf. Sen. Agam. 472 Heins.;
and inversely: tenebris illunae caliginis impeditus,App. M. 9, p. 214.—
B Trop.
1 In gen., mental blindness, dulness of perception:
quod videbam equidem, sed quasi per caliginem: praestrinxerat aciem animi D. Bruti salus,Cic. Phil. 12, 2, 3; so id. Fin. 5, 15, 43: adhuc tamen per caliginem video, Plin. Ep. 5, 8, 8: caecā mentem caligine consitus, * Cat. 64, 207:
Augustus... omnibus omnium gentium viris magnitudine suā inducturus caliginem,to throw into the shade, Vell. 2, 37, 1. —
2 Of dark, difficult circumstances, calamity, affliction, gloom:
vide nunc caliginem temporum illorum,Cic. Planc. 40, 96:
superioris anni,id. post Red. in Sen. 3, 5:
an qui etesiis, qui per cursum rectum regnum tenere non potuerunt, nunc caecis tenebris et caligine se Alexandriam perventuros arbitrati sunt?id. Agr. 2, 17, 44:
illa omnis pecunia latuit in illā caligine ac tenebris, quae totam rem publicam tum occuparant,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 76, § 177:
ecce illa tempestas, caligo bonorum, tenebrae rei publicae,id. Prov. Cons. 18, 43:
tantum caliginis, tantum perturbationis offusum,Plin. Ep. 3, 9, 16:
quaedam scelerum offusa caligo,Quint. 9, 3, 47.—
C In medic. lang., as a disease of the eyes, dim-sightedness, weakness of the eyes, Cels. 6, 6, n. 32; Plin. 20, 7, 26, § 61; 20, 23, 95, § 254; 25, 13, 92, § 144; 32, 9, 31, § 97; 34, 11, 27, § 114; Scrib. Comp. 179.