grex — Lewis & Short
grex, grĕgis, m. (
I fem., Lucil. ap. Charis. p. 72 P.; Lucr. 2, 662; Inscr. ap. Maff. Mus. Veron. 127, 4) [Sanscr. root jar-, come together; Gr. a)gei/rw, a)gora/], a flock, herd, drove, swarm (cf.: armentum, jumentum, pecus).
I Lit., of animals:
pecudes dispulsae sui generis sequuntur greges,Cic. Att. 7, 7, 7; cf.:
greges armentorum reliquique pecoris,id. Phil. 3, 12, 31:
nobilissimarum equarum,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 7, § 20:
asinorum,Varr. R. R. 2, 6, 2:
lanigeri,Verg. G. 3, 287:
vir gregis ipse caper,id. E. 7, 7; cf.:
dux gregis,i. e. a bull, Ov. A. A. 1, 326:
elephantorum,Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 5:
porcorum,Juv. 2, 80:
pavonum,Varr. R. R. 3, 6, 2:
anserum,id. ib. 3, 10, 1:
anatum,id. ib. 3, 11, 1:
avium,Hor. Ep. 1, 3, 19.—Opp. to armenta, of small cattle:
non ego sum pastor, non hic armenta gregesve,Ov. M. 1, 513; 4, 635; Tib. 1, 5, 28.—Prov.:
grex totus in agris Unius scabie cadit,Juv. 2, 79. —
II Transf.
A Of a number of persons, in a good or bad sense, a company, society, troop, band, crowd.
1 In gen.:
in hunc igitur gregem P. Sullam ex his honestissimorum hominum gregibus reicietis?Cic. Sull. 28, 77:
amicorum,id. Att. 1, 18, 1; cf.:
scribe tui gregis hunc,i. e. receive him into the number of your friends, Hor. Ep. 1, 9, 13:
philosophorum,Cic. de Or. 1, 10, 42:
ille virorum (of the Fabians),Sil. 7, 58:
Cethegus libertos suos orabat, uti grege facto cum telis ad se irrumperent,i. e. in a body, Sall. C. 50, 2; id. J. 58, 3:
quos respexit rex grege facto venientes,Liv. 8, 24, 13:
ne servi quidem uno grege profugiunt dominos,i. e. all together, Curt. 10, 2, 12:
ego forsitan propter multitudinem patronorum in grege annumerer,Cic. Rosc. Am. 32, 89:
Epicuri de grege porcus,Hor. Ep. 1, 4, 16:
grex contaminatus turpium virorum,id. C. 1, 37, 9:
venalium,Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 67:
indocilis,Hor. Epod. 16, 37:
cum populum gregibus comitum premit spoliator,Juv. 1, 46.—
2 In partic., of players or charioteers, a company, troop, band: si voltis adplaudere hunc gregem et fabulam, Plaut. Ps. 5, 2, 33; id. Cas. prol. 22; Ter. Heaut. prol. 45; id. Phorm. prol. 32; Petr. 80; Inscr. Grut. 1024, 5; Inscr. ap. Marin. Frat. Arv. p. 257.—
B Of things (very rare):
virgarum,a bundle of rods, Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 99.