1. rādix — Lewis & Short
rādix, īcis (
I gen. plur. radicium, Cassiod. H. E. 1, 1; Jul. Val. Itin. Alex. 32 (75)), f. Gr. r(i/za, a root; r(a/dic, a shoot or twig; cf. ramus, a root of a plant (cf. stirps).
I Lit.
1 In gen. (mostly in plur.):
radices agere,to strike root, Varr. R. R. 1, 37 fin.; Ov. R. Am. 106; id. M. 4, 254; Col. 5, 6, 8; Plin. 16, 31, 56, § 127; cf.
infra, II.: capere radices,to take root, Cato, R. R. 133, 3; Plin. 17, 17, 27, § 123:
penitus immittere radices,Quint. 1, 3, 5:
emittere radices e capite, ex se,Col. 3, 18, 6; 5, 10, 13:
descendunt radices,Plin. 16, 31, 56, § 129:
arbores ab radicibus subruere,Caes. B. G. 6, 27, 4:
herbas radice revellit,Ov. M. 7, 226:
radicibus eruta pinus,Verg. A. 5, 449:
segetem ab radicibus imis eruere,id. G. 1, 319.—Sing.:
(arbos) quae, quantum vertice ad auras, tantum radice in Tartara tendit,Verg. G. 2, 292; Plin. 16, 31, 56, § 128; Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 150; Ov. H. 5, 147. —
2 In partic., an edible root, Caes. B. C. 3, 48; esp. a radish:
Syriaca,Col. 11, 3, 16; 59:
also simply radix,Pall. 1, 35, 5; Hor. S. 2, 8, 8; Ov. M. 8, 666 al.:
dulcis,licorice, Scrib. Comp. 170. —
B Transf.
1 The root, i. e. the lower part of an object, the foot of a hill, mountain, etc.— In plur.:
in radicibus Caucasi natus,Cic. Tusc. 2, 22, 52:
in radicibus Amani,id. Fam. 15, 4, 9:
sub ipsis radicibus montis,Caes. B. G. 7, 36; 7, 51 fin.; 69; id. B. C. 1, 41; 3, 85, 1 et saep. — In sing.:
a Palatii radice,Cic. Div. 1, 45, 101; Plin. 37, 10, 66, § 180.—
2 That upon which any thing is fixed or rests (e. g. the tongue, a feather, a rock); a root, foundation (poet.; used alike in sing. and plur.):
linguae,Ov. M. 6, 557:
plumae,id. ib. 2, 583:
saxi,Lucr. 2, 102; Ov. M. 14, 713.—
3 Radix virilis = membrum virile, Cael. Aur. Tard. 2, 1, 13.—
II Trop., a root, ground, basis, foundation, origin, source (almost entirely in the plur.):
vera gloria radices agit atque etiam propagatur,Cic. Off. 2, 12, 43:
virtus altissimis defixa radicibus,id. Phil. 4, 5, 13:
audeamus non solum ramos amputare miseriarum, sed omnes radicum fibras evellere,id. Tusc. 3, 6, 13:
facilitatis et patientiae,id. Cael. 6, 14:
Pompeius eo robore vir, iis radicibus,i. e. so deeply rooted, firmly established in the State, id. Att. 6, 6, 4:
illic radices, illic fundamenta sunt,Quint. 10, 3, 3:
a radicibus evertere domum,from its foundation, utterly, Phaedr. 3, 10, 49:
ex iisdem, quibus nos, radicibus natum (C. Marium),i. e. a native of the same city, Cic. Sest. 22, 50; Varr. R. R. 2, 8, 1; cf. in sing.:
Apollinis se radice ortum,Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 72:
ego sum radix David,Vulg. Apoc. 22, 16 et saep.—
Of words,origin, derivation, Varr. L. L. 6, 5, 61; 7, 3, 88 al.