ŏpĕrĭo — Lewis & Short
ŏpĕrĭo, ŭi, ertum, 4 (archaic
I fut. operibo: ego operibo caput, Pompon. ap. Non. 507, 33; imperf. operibat, Prop. 4, 12, 35), v. a. pario, whence the opp. aperio, to uncover; cf. paro, to cover, cover over any thing (class.; syn.: tego, velo, induo).
I Lit.
A Operire capita, Plaut. Poen. 3, 4, 34; cf.:
capite operto esse,Cic. Sen. 10, 34:
operiri umerum cum toto jugulo,Quint. 11, 3, 141; id. praef. § 24.—Esp., of clothing:
aeger multā veste operiendus est,Cels. 3, 7 fin.; so in Vulg. Isa. 58, 7; id. Ezech. 18, 7 et saep.:
fons fluctu totus operiretur, nisi,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 53, § 118:
summas amphoras auro et argento,Nep. Hann. 9, 3:
mons nubibus,Ov. P. 4, 5, 5:
(rhombos) quos operit glacies Maeotica,Juv. 4, 42.—Comically: aliquem loris, to cover over, i. e. to lash soundly, Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 28:
reliquias malae pugnae,i. e. to bury, Tac. A. 15, 28:
operiet eos formido,Vulg. Ezech. 7, 18; id. Jer. 3, 25.—
B Transf., to shut, close (syn.:
claudo, praecludo, obsero): fores,Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 1:
ostium,Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 33:
iste opertā lecticā latus est,Cic. Phil. 2, 41, 106: oculos, to shut, close (opp. patefacere), Plin. 11, 37, 55, § 150; cf.:
opertos compressosve (oculos),Quint. 11, 2, 76.—
II Trop.
1 To hide, conceal, keep from observation, dissemble:
quo pacto hoc operiam?Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 6 Bentl. (al. aperiam):
non in oratione operiendā sunt quaedam,Quint. 2, 13, 12:
quotiens dictu deformia operit,id. 8, 6, 59; cf. id. 5, 12, 18:
luctum,Plin. Ep. 3, 16, 6:
domestica mala tristitia,Tac. A. 3, 18.—
2 To overwhelm, burden, as with shame, etc. (only in part. perf. pass.):
contumeliis opertus,loaded, overwhelmed, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 50, § 111; cf.:
judicia operta dedecore et infamiā,id. Clu. 22, 61:
infamiā,Tac. H. 3, 69.—
3 Of sin, to atone for, cover, cause to be forgotten (eccl. Lat.):
qui converti fecerit peccatorem, operiet multitudinem peccatorum,Vulg. Jac. 5, 20; id. 1 Pet. 4, 8.—ŏpertus, a, um, P. a., hidden, concealed (class.):
operta quae fuere, aperta sunt,Plaut. Capt. 3, 3, 9:
res,Cic. Fin. 2, 2, 5:
operta bella,Verg. G. 1, 465:
cineres,Hor. C. 2, 8, 9:
hamum,id. S. 1, 16, 50.—As subst.: ŏpertum, i, n., a secret place or thing, a secret; an ambiguous answer, dark oracle, etc.:
Apollinis operta,the dark, ambiguous oracles, Cic. Div. 1, 50, 115:
telluris operta subire,the depths, Verg. A. 6, 140: opertum Bonae Deae, the secret place or secret service, Cic. Par. 4, 2, 32:
litterarum,a secret, Gell. 17, 9, 22.—Adv.: ŏpertē, covertly, figuratively (post-class.):
operte et symbolice,Gell. 4, 11, 10.