tĕnax — Lewis & Short
tĕnax, ācis, adj.id.,
I holding fast, griping, tenacious.
I Lit.
A In gen. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose):
prensatque tenaci forcipe ferrum,Verg. A. 12, 404; 8, 453; cf.:
dente tenaci Ancora fundabat naves,id. ib. 6, 3:
vinclum,id. G. 4, 412; Ov. M. 11, 252:
complexus,id. ib. 4, 377:
lappa,id. P. 2, 1, 14:
hedera arborem implicat,Cat. 61, 34:
loca limosa tenacia gravi caeno,Tac. A. 1, 63:
amplexus,App. M. 9, p. 219, 17:
maltha, quae est res omnium tenacissima,Plin. 36, 24, 58, § 181.— With gen.:
herba asperitate etiam vestium tenaci,Plin. 27, 5, 15, § 32. — Comp.:
cutis tenacior capilli,Plin. 22, 22, 39, § 82.—
b Subst.: tĕnāces, ĭum, m., things that hold fast. i. e. bands, stalks, or pedicles of fruit, etc., Pall. Febr. 18, 1; 25, 9; id. Mart. 10, 4 and 9; id. Sept. 17.—
B In partic., holding fast to wealth, power, etc., griping, sparing, niggardly, stingy, tenacious (class.;
syn. parcus): filius familias patre parco ac tenaci,Cic. Cael. 15, 36: He. Tenaxne pater ejus est? Phi. Immo edepol pertinax, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 39:
parcus, truculentus, tenax,Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 12:
eosdem restrictos et tenaces fuisse,Cic. Planc. 22, 54:
non tenax in largitate,Spart. Car. 5.—With gen.:
genus Quaesiti tenax,Ov. M. 7, 657.—Comp.:
milites tenaciores eorum (armorum) in proelio,Suet. Caes. 67.—
C Transf., of things, that holds or sticks fast: jacere in tenaci gramine, that clings together, i. e. matted, Hor. Epod. 2, 24.—Sup.:
glaebis tenacissimum solum,Plin. Ep. 5, 6, 10:
cerae,sticky, viscid, Verg. G. 4, 161:
turpe referre pedem nec passu stare tenaci,Ov. P. 2, 6, 21.— Comp.:
pondere tenacior navis,Liv. 28, 30, 11:
panicula glutino tenacior,Plin. 16, 36, 64, § 158.—
II Trop.
A Holding fast, retentive, firm, steadfast, persistent, tenacious (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose); usually joined with gen.:
memoria tenacissima,Quint. 1, 1, 19:
naturā tenacissimi sumus eorum, quae rudibus annis percepimus,id. 1, 1, 5:
pertinacem ultra modum esse tenacem propositi,id. 11, 1, 90; so,
propositi,Hor. C. 3, 3, 1; Ov. M. 10, 405:
tenacem esse sui juris debet,Col. 1, 7, 2:
disciplinae tenacissimus,Plin. Ep. 10, 85 (17):
justitiae,Juv. 8, 25:
ficti pravique (Fama),Verg. A. 4, 188:
veri,Pers. 5, 48:
amicitiarum,Vell. 2, 29, 3:
exempli sui,id. 2, 84, 3 Ruhnk.:
animi,Manil. 4, 165:
longa tenaxque fides,Ov. Am. 2, 6, 14.—
B In a bad sense, stubborn, obstinate:
equus contra sua vincla tenax,Ov. Am. 3, 4, 13; so,
equus,Liv. 39, 25, 13;
and in a lusus verbb.: si esses equos, esses indomabilis ... nimis tenax es,Plaut. Cas. 4, 3, 13:
cum video, quam sint mea fata tenacia, frangor,Ov. P. 1, 2, 63:
ira Caesaris,id. ib. 1, 9, 28:
morbi,Suet. Claud. 2.—Adv.: tĕnācĭter, closely, firmly, strongly, tightly, tenaciously.
a Lit.:
pressisse tenaciter ungues,Ov. H. 9, 21:
vincire,Macr. Somn. Scip. 1, 6.—Comp.:
apprehendere,Val. Max. 7, 5, 2; Macr. S. 7, 3:
habitare,Aug. Ep. 6.—
b Trop., persistently, firmly:
urgere,Ov. H. 3, 43.— Comp., Sol. 52, § 44; Amm. 25, 4, 4.—Sup., App. M. 5, p. 167, 22.