1. lūbrĭcus — Lewis & Short
lūbrĭcus, a, um, adj.Gr. lito/s, lisso/s, smooth; from root glit; cf. gli/sxros, glittus, and o)libro/s, slippery,
I slippery.
I Lit.:
loculi,Plaut. Mil. 3, 2, 38:
testudini injecta imbris in modum lubrico fastigio innoxia ad imum labebantur,Liv. 44, 9, 9:
assiduo lubricus imbre lapis,Mart. 4, 18, 2.— Subst.: lūbrĭcum, i, n., a slippery place, Cels. 8, 3:
in lubrico atque instabili fundamenta,Plin. 36, 14, 21, § 95.—With gen.: equi lubrico paludum lapsantes, on the slippery morass, Tac. A. 1, 65.—
B Transf.
1 Slippery, smooth, Mart. 9, 58, 3.—
2 That easily slips, glides, or moves away, slippery, slimy, lubricous:
natura lubricos oculos fecit,Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 142:
anguis,Verg. A. 5, 84:
exta,Tib. 2, 5, 14:
amnis,Ov. Am. 3, 6, 81:
pisces,Plin. 9, 20, 37, § 73:
conchylia,slimy, Hor. S. 2, 4, 30:
corpus,Plin. 2, 3, 3, § 7:
lubrica prensantes effugit umbra manus,Ov. F. 5, 476:
amnis,gliding, id. Am. 3, 6, 81.—
II Trop.
A Slippery, uncertain, hazardous, dangerous, critical (class.):
via vitae praeceps et lubrica,Cic. Fl. 42, 105; cf. id. Rep. 1, 28:
viae lubricae adulescentiae,id. Cael. 17, 41:
aetas puerilis maxime lubrica atque incerta,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 52, § 137:
cupiditas dominandi praeceps et lubrica,id. Phil. 5, 18, 50:
lubrica defensionis ratio,id. Planc. 2, 5:
observatio,Quint. 1, 5, 5:
locus,Plin. Ep. 1, 8, 35:
geometriam dico ... et si qua alia propter subtilitatem lubrica sunt,Sen. Ben. 3, 5, 1.—Poet., with inf.:
vultus nimium lubricus aspici,seductive, Hor. C. 1, 19, 8. —Subst.: lūbrĭcum, i, n., a slippery or hazardous state, period, or season:
in lubrico versari,Cic. Or. 28, 98:
lubricum aetatis,Plin. Ep. 3, 3, 4:
lubricum linguae,Dig. 48, 4, 7, § 3.—
B Gliding, fleeting:
historia lubrica est hac atque illac fluit, ut homines, qui manibus invicem adprehensis gradum firmant, continent et continentur,passing from one subject to another, Quint. 9, 4, 129:
annus,fleeting, Ov. A. A. 3, 364. —
C Slippery, deceitful:
nequiquam patrias tentasti lubricus artes,Verg. A. 11, 716.—
D Prone, inclined, ready:
flore capi juvenum lubrica mentem nympha,Sil. 5, 18: aetas ad vitium, Ambros. de Interp. Job et Dav. 1, 7, 21.—
E Unsteady, unsettled, easily going astray:
si qua in parte lubricum adulescentiae nostrae declinat,Tac. A. 14, 56:
lubricam principis aetatem retinere,id. ib. 13, 2.