LOGOI

The corpus record — Latin

clarus

clarus

loud, sonorous; bright, shining, clear

Generated live from the audited Latin corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

Densest 12 of 256 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. clarus — de Vaan

clarus 'loud, sonorous; bright, shining, clear' [adj. o/a] (Naev.+) Derivatives: clarere 'to shine brightly' (Enn.+), clarescere 'to become loud or clear' classis (Lucr.+); claritudo 'fame; brightness' (Cato+); clarore 'to make clear' (Enn.+), — [de Vaan, s.v. clarus, p. 131]

2. clārus — Lewis & Short

clārus, a, um, adj.kindr. with Germ. klar; Engl. clear; cf. clamo,

I clear, bright (opp. obscurus, caecus; very freq. in all periods, and in all kinds of composition).
I Lit.
A Relating to the sight, clear, bright, shining, brilliant, etc.
(a) Absol.: luce clarā et candidā, Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 49: ut mulierum famam multorum oculis lux clara custodiat, open day, Cic. Leg. 2, 15, 37; cf.: frequentissimā celebritate et clarissimā luce laetari, id. Cael. 20, 47: lumen, Lucr. 3, 1: oculorum lumina, id. 4, 825; cf.: mundi lumina (i.e. sol et luna), Verg. G. 1, 5: oculi, Cato, R. R. 157, 10: incendia, Verg. A. 2, 569: lucerna, Hor. S. 2, 7, 48: scintillae ignis, Lucr. 6, 163: fulmina, id. 6, 84: vestis splendor, id. 2, 52: color, id. 5, 1258; cf.: color clarissimus, id. 2, 830: candor, id. 4, 232: loca, id. 5, 779 al.: caelum, Tac. A. 1, 28: nox, id. Agr. 12: pater omnipotens clarus intonat, in the clear sky, Verg. A. 7, 141 Serv.; cf. Cic. Arat. 4: sidus, Hor. C. 4, 8, 31: clarissimae gemmae, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 27, § 62; cf. lapides, Hor. C. 4, 13, 14: vitrum, Ov. M. 4, 355: purpurarum sidere clarior usus, Hor. C. 3, 1, 42.—
(b) With abl.: speculo, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 112 dub.: argento clari delphines, Verg. A. 8, 673: rutilis squamis, id. G. 4, 93: ferrugine, id. A. 9, 582; cf. id. ib. 11, 772 Wagn.: auro gemmisque corona, Ov. M. 13, 704; 2, 2; 11, 359: albo Lucifer exit Clarus equo, id. ib. 15, 190: claraeque coruscis Fulguribus taedae, Lucr. 5, 295 al. —*
2 Poet., of the wind (cf.: albus, candidus, and in Gr. lampro\s a)/nemos; v. Lidd. and Scott under lampro/s), making clear, i. e. bringing fair weather: aquilo, Verg. G. 1, 460 Forbig. ad loc.—
B Relating to the hearing, clear, loud, distinct: clarā voce vocare, Lucr. 4, 711; Cic. Clu. 48, 134; id. Caecin. 8, 22; Liv. 7, 31, 12; 42, 25, 12; Ov. M. 3, 703: lectio, Cels. 1, 2: clariore voce, Caes. B. G. 5, 30; cf. Cic. Tusc. 5, 7, 19: sonor, Lucr. 4, 567: clamor, Plaut. Poen. 5, 3, 27: plausus, id. As. Grex. 6: plangor, Ov. M. 4, 138: latratus, id. ib. 13, 806: ictus, id. ib. 2, 625: strepitus, Suet. Vit. Luc.: vox (opp. obtusa), Quint. 11, 3, 15; 9, 4, 136 Spald.: spiritus, id. 11, 3, 55; cf. id. 11, 3, 41 and 82: syllabae clariores, id. 8, 3, 16.—
II Trop.
A Clear, manifest, plain, evident, intelligible (syn.: planus, apertus, perspicuus, dilucidus, etc.): vide ut mi haec certa et clara attuleris, Ter. Hec. 5, 4, 1 Ruhnk.; cf.: omnia non properanti clara certaque erunt, Liv. 22, 39, 22: clara res est, quam dicturus sum, totā Siciliā celeberrima atque notissima, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 25, § 61; 2, 5, 38, § 101; id. Tusc. 1, 32, 78: luce sunt clariora nobis tua consilia, id. Cat. 1, 3, 6: id quod est luce clarius, id. Tusc. 1, 37, 90: si ea, quae dixi, sole ipso inlustriora et clariora sunt, id. Fin. 1, 21, 71; id. Div. 1, 3, 6: caecis hoc satis clarum est, Quint. 12, 7, 9: lumen eloquentiae, id. 3, 8, 65; cf. id. 12, 10, 15; 11, 1, 75: in narrando (T. Livius) clarissimi candoris, id. 10, 1, 101 Spald. and Frotsch.: Massinissam regem post LXXXVI. annum generasse filium clarum est, Plin. 7, 14, 12, § 61: somno clarius, Ov. F. 3, 28: exempla, Tac. Or. 8; id. A. 4, 11: documenta, id. ib. 6, 22.—
B Brilliant, celebrated, renowned, illustrious, honorable, famous, glorious, etc. (cf.: illustris, insignis, eximius, egregius, praestans, nobilis; a favorite epithet, esp. in the sup., like fortissimus, designating the highest praise of the honor-loving Roman; hence, a standing title, at all times, of distinguished public characters, as consuls, proconsuls, pontifices, senators, etc.): nobilitas, Plaut. Rud. 4, 2, 28; opp. to obscurus, Lucr. 1, 639; so Quint. 5, 10, 26: clari viri atque magni, Cato ap. Cic. Planc. 27, 66; Cic. Sest. 69, 144: certe non tulit ullos haec civitas aut gloriā clariores, aut auctoritate graviores, Cic. de Or. 2, 37, 154: vir fortissimus et clarissimus, Cic. Verr. 1, 15, 44; cf. id. ib. 2, 5, 58, § 153; id. de Or. 1, 45, 198; id. Clu. 48, 134: exempla clara et inlustria, id. Div. 2, 3, 8: pugna clara et commemorabilis, Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 111: pax clarior majorque quam bellum fuerat, Liv. 10, 37, 4: animus abunde pollens potensque et clarus, Sall. J. 1, 3; so, facundia clara pollensque, id. ib. 30, 4: clara et magnifica, id. ib. 4, 8: clari potentesque fieri, id. C. 38, 1: familia, Tac. A. 2, 37; 3, 76: majores, id. ib. 4, 61: pater si in Equestri gradu clarus, clarior vitricus, Plin. Ep. 2, 13, 4: clarissimi consules, id. ib. 7, 33, 8: generis clarissimus auctor, Ov. P. 2, 9, 19: clarissima civitas, Nep. Thras. 2, 1: apud Germanicos quoque (Titus), Tac. H. 2, 77: scriptores, id. A. 1, 1.—
(b) With abl.: clariores gloriā, Cic. de Or. 2, 37, 154; v. supra: arte medicinae, Quint. 3, 6, 64: eloquendi suavitate, id. 10, 1, 83: sententiis, id. 10, 1, 90: Juppiter giganteo triumpho, Hor. C. 3, 1, 7: agendis causis, id. Ep. 1, 7, 47: Ajax toties servatis Achivis, id. S. 2, 3, 194: bello, Tac. Agr. 29; id. H. 3, 44: gens memoriā nominis, id. ib. 1, 67: Cluvius Rufus eloquentiā, id. ib. 4, 43.—
(g) With in: in arte tibiarum, Quint. 2, 3, 3; cf.: clarissimi in eā scientiā, Plin. 36, 5, 4, § 11: in litteris, Quint. 1, 6, 35: in agendo, id. 12, 10, 49: in foro, id. 10, 5, 14: in contionibus, id. 12, 2, 7; 12, 10, 49.—*
(d) With ex: ex doctrinā nobilis et clarus, Cic. Rab. Post. 9, 23.—(e) With ob: ob obscuram linguam, Lucr. 1, 639: ob id factum, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 32; cf.: urbs clara ob insignem munimento naturali locum, Liv. 24, 39, 8.—(z) With ab: Trojanoque a sanguine clarus Acestes, Verg. A. 1, 550.—(h) With gen.: artis ejus, Plin. 37, 1, 4, § 8.—
2 As a title: clarissimus vir, Cic. Att. 15, 20, 2; cf. id. ib. 14, 11, 1: clarissimi consules, Plin. Ep. 7, 33, 8; cf. Dig. 49, 14, 18; Lampr. Elag. 4; Alex. Sev. 21 al.: permitto tibi vir clarissime Veiento (a senator), dicere, Plin. Ep. 9, 13, 19; so, ordo = senatorius, Vop. Aur. 18 fin.; cf. also Isid. Orig. 9, 4, 12.—
b Meton., of the wives of such distinguished public characters: clarissimae feminae, Dig. 1, 9, 8.—
c In a bad sense, notorious: minus clarum putavit fore quod de armario quam quod de sacrario esset ablatum, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 12, § 27; 2, 1, 19, § 50; 2, 4, 12, § 29: ecquid hoc totā Siciliā clarius, ecquid indignius? etc., id. ib. 2, 5, 7, § 16: populus (sc. Campanus), luxuriā superbiāque clarus, Liv. 7, 31, 6.—Hence, adv.: clārē (freq. and class.).
I Lit.
1 Of sight (acc. to I. A.), brightly, clearly: clare oculis video, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 35: clare fulgens caesaries, Cat. 66, 9: occidere, of a star, Col. 11, 2, 52.—Comp.: clarius micare, Plin. 10, 20, 22, § 43: nitere, Stat. S. 4, 1, 4. —Sup.: clarissime lucere, Vitr. 9, 4.—
2 Of hearing (acc. to I. B.), clearly, distinctly, plainly, aloud: clare recitare, Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 30: plaudite, id. Am. fin.; cf. id. Bacch. fin.: dic, Ter. And. 4, 4, 15 Ruhnk.: gemere, Cic. Att. 2, 20, 3: res clare enuntiare, Quint. 8, 3, 62: sonare, id. 11, 3, 55: exscreare, id. 11, 3, 160: maledicere, Suet. Vit. 14 et saep.: palam et clare, id. Claud. 3; cf. Mart. 7, 92, 5.—Comp.: clarius fabulari, Suet. Calig. 22.—Sup.: pisces clarissime audiunt, Plin. 10, 70, 89, § 193; Vitr. 5, 3.—
II Trop.
1 Mentally (acc. to II. A.), distinctly, intelligibly, clearly: clare atque evidenter ostendere, Quint. 8, 3, 86; cf. id. 4, 1, 1: aliquid intellegere, Plin. 37, 2, 6, § 16. —Comp.: eo clarius id periculum apparet, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 14, 2; so, clarius intellegi, Quint. 2, 5, 7: clarius elucebit, id. 12, 1, 26: clarius ostendemus, id. 2, 17, 25 al.Sup., Quint. 9, 1, 19.—
2 Morally (acc. to II. B.), illustriously, honorably (very rare): clarius exsplendescebat, Nep. Att. 1, 3.

In the wild

6 of 1,895 attestations shown.

Where it came from

  • de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Brill 2008) Treated in de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Brill 2008) s.v. clarus (scan pp. 131-132; entry #280).
  • Ernout-Meillet, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine Treated in Ernout-Meillet, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine s.v. clarus (scan p. 149; entry #2225).

Latin text and lemmatization derived from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-latinLit), CC BY-SA 4.0. Lewis & Short (public domain) via Perseus. This derived data is shared under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 license.