săgax — Lewis & Short
săgax, ācis, adj.sagio; cf. salax, from salio,
I of quick perception, whose senses are acute, sagacious (class.).
I Lit.
A Chiefly of the acute sense of smelling in dogs, keen-scented:
sagax Nasum habet,Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 17:
canes,Cic. Div. 1, 31, 65; Ov. M. 3, 207:
catulus,id. R. Am. 201. —With gen.:
naris sagax,Luc. 7, 829.— Poet.:
virtus venandi,Ov. Hal. 76.—
B Of other senses:
sollicitive canes canibusve sagacior anser,Ov. M. 11, 599:
palatum in gustu sagacissimum,Plin. 8, 37, 35, § 132. —
II Trop., intellectually quick, keen, acute, shrewd, sagacious (syn.: sollers, perspicax, acutus, subtilis).
(a) Absol.:
(homo) animal hoc providum, sagax, multiplex, acutum, memor, plenum rationis et consilii,Cic. Leg. 1, 7, 22; cf. id. Fin. 2, 14, 45:
mens,id. Tusc. 5, 23, 67; Lucr. 5, 420; 1, 1021:
animus,id. 2, 840; 4, 913:
ratio,id. 1, 131; 1, 369:
homo sagax et astutus,Mart. 12, 87, 4:
modo circumspectus et sagax, modo inconsultus ac praeceps,considerate, Suet. Claud. 15:
mire sagaces fallere hospites,Hor. C. 2, 5, 22:
curae,id. ib. 4, 4, 75.—Of a soothsayer, knowing the future, Ov. M. 8, 316.—
(b) Ad aliquid (class.):
ad suspicandum sagacissimus,Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 19: ad haec pericula perspicienda, Plancus ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 23, 4.—
(g) With gen. (poet. and in post-Aug. prose):
utilium sagax rerum et divina futuri,Hor. A. P. 218:
fibrarum et pennae divinarumque flammarum,skilled in, Sil. 3, 344; cf. in sup.:
prodigiorum (Joseph),Just. 36, 2, 8; and: rerum naturae, Col. praef., § 22 (with non ignarus). —
(d) With in or simple abl. (post-Aug.):
vir in conjecturis sagacissimus,Just. 1, 9, 14:
civitas rimandis offensis sagax,Tac. H. 4, 11.—(r) Inf.:
sagax quondam ventura videre,Ov. M. 5, 146.—Hence, adv.: să-gācĭter.
a Quickly, sharply, keenly, with quickness of scent, with a fine sense of smell:
canes si advenientem sagaciter odorantur,Col. 7, 12, 7.—Comp., Cic. Att. 6, 4, 3:
vultures sagacius odorantur,Plin. 10, 69, 88, § 191; Hor. Epod. 12, 4.—Sup., Cic. de Or. 2, 44, 186; Plin. 11, 37, 50, § 137.—
b Trop., acutely, shrewdly, accurately, sagaciously:
sagaciter pervestigare,Cic. de Or. 1, 51, 223:
intueri,Quint. 2, 8, 4; Liv. 27, 28:
perspicere naturam alicujus,Suet. Tib. 57 al.