sĕnesco — Lewis & Short
sĕnesco, nŭi, 3 (
I gerundive:
senescendi homines,Varr. L. L. 6, § 11 Müll. N. cr.), v. inch. n. [seneo], to grow old, become aged; to grow hoary.
I Lit. (rare):
ita sensim aetas senescit,Cic. Sen. 11, 38; cf.:
tempora labuntur tacitisque senescimus annis,Ov. F. 6, 771:
senescente jam Graeciā,Cic. Rep. 1, 37, 58:
solve senescentem mature equum,Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 8:
arbores senescunt,Plin. 16, 27, 50, § 116: Solon significat se cottidie aliquid addiscentem senescere. Val. Max. 8, 7, 14.—In perf.:
avus (Augusti) tranquillissime senuit,Suet. Aug. 2:
ego senui et progressioris aetatis sum,Vulg. Josne, 23, 2.—In gerundive: longissimum spatium senescendorum hominum id (seclum) putarant, Varr. L. L. 6, § 11 Müll. N. cr.—
II Transf.
A For the usual consenescere, to grow old or gray in an occupation, etc., i. e. to linger too long over it:
inani circa voces studio senescunt,Quint. 8 prooem. § 8.—
B (Causa pro effectu.) To decay or diminish in strength; to grow weak, feeble, or powerless; to waste away, fall off, wane, decline, etc. (the prevailing signif. of the word in prose and poetry; cf. consenesco; while inveterasco is to grow better by age).
1 Of living subjects (a favorite expression of Livy;
perh. not in Cic., but cf. consenesco, II. 2.): Hannibalem jam et famā senescere et viribus,Liv. 29, 3 fin.; cf.
of the same,id. 22, 39:
otio senescere,id. 25, 7:
non esse cum aegro senescendum,id. 21, 53:
dis hominibusque accusandis senescere,to pine away, id. 5, 43 Drak.; cf.:
amore senescit habendi,Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 85:
socordiā,Tac. A. 1, 9; Val. Max. 8, 13, 7:
ne (agni) desiderio senescant,Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 17.—
Of doves,Col. 8, 8, 4:
quod antiquatur et senescit prope interitum est,Vulg. Heb. 8, 13.—
2 Of things:
quaedam faciunda in agris potius crescente lunā quam senescente,in the waning of the moon, Varr. R. R. 1, 37, 1; so,
luna (opp. crescens),Cic. N. D. 2, 37, 95; Plin. 2, 9, 6, § 42:
arbores hiemali tempore cum lunā simul senescentes,Cic. Div. 2, 14, 33:
nunc pleno orbe, nunc senescente (al. senescentem) exiguo cornu fulgere lunam,Liv. 44, 37:
continuā messe senescit ager,becomes exhausted, worn out, Ov. A. A. 3, 82:
prata,Plin. 18, 28, 67, § 259: uniones, i. e. grow pale or dim, id. 9, 35, 56, § 115; cf.
smaragdi,id. 37, 5, 18, § 70:
caseus in salem,grows salt with age, id. 11, 42, 97, § 242: coma, falls out, Domit. ap. Suet. Dom. 18 fin.: monumenta virūm, decay (with delapsa), Lucr. 5, 312 et saep.:
mensis senescens,drawing to an end, closing, Varr. L. L. 6, § 10 Müll.; so,
hiems,Cic. N. D. 2, 19, 49.—Of abstr. things:
oratorum laus senescit,Cic. Tusc. 2, 2, 5; cf.:
ut laus senescens,id. de Or. 2, 2, 7:
senescere civitatem otio,Liv. 1, 22, 2:
omnia orta occidunt et aucta senescunt,Sall. J. 2, 3; cf. Fabri ad Sall. C. 20, 10; so,
somnia,Sall. J. 35, 3:
vires,id. H. Fragm. 3, 22, p. 235 Gerl.; Liv. 9, 27:
Hannibalis vis,id. 25, 16:
bellum,id. 28, 36; 30, 19:
pugna,id. 5, 21:
fama,id. 27, 20; Tac. H. 2, 24; cf.
rumores,id. A. 2, 77:
consilia,Liv. 35, 12:
vitia (opp. maturescente virtute),id. 3, 12:
invidia,id. 29, 22:
fortuna (opp. florere),Vell. 2, 11, 3:
amor,Ov. A. A. 3, 594.