1. vĕtus — Lewis & Short
vĕtus, ĕris (ante-class. collat. form of the
I nom. sing. vĕter, Enn. and Att. ap. Prisc. p. 607 P.; cf. Varr. L. L. 6, § 2 Müll.; abl. regularly, vetere;
but veteri,Juv. 6, 121; Stat. Th. 1, 360; 11, 582; 13, 374; comp. class. vetustior; archaic form veterior), adj. Sanscr. vatsas, year; Gr. e)/tos, vetos.
I Adj.
A Old (opp. young), aged:
Acherunticus senex, vetus, decrepitus,Plaut. Merc. 2, 2, 20:
novus amator, vetus puer,id. ib. 5, 4, 15:
poëta,Ter. Heaut. prol. 22:
veteres ac moris antiqui memores,Liv. 42, 27, 4: veteres et sancti viri, Sall. H. 2, 23, 5 Dietsch:
parentes,Verg. A. 5, 576:
pecudes,Varr. R. R. 2, 11, 2:
gallinae,Plin. 10, 53, 74, § 146; Col. 8, 5, 14:
laurus,Verg. A. 2, 513:
caput,Tib. 1, 8, 42. —
B Old (opp. new), of long standing:
quam veterrumu'st, tam homini optimu'st amicus,Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 71:
maceria,id. ib. 2, 2, 50: Antemna veterior est Romā, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 716 P. (Orig. 1, fr. 25): quod si veteris contumeliae oblivisci vellet;
num etiam recentium injuriarum memoriam deponere posse?Caes. B. G. 1, 14:
invidia et infamia non recens, sed vetus ac diuturna,Cic. Verr. 1, 2, 5:
vetus atque usitata exceptio,id. de Or. 1, 37, 168:
sphaerae illius vetus esse inventum,id. Rep. 1, 14, 22:
amici veteres (opp. novi),id. Lael. 18, 67:
veterrima (amicitia),id. ib.:
naves,Caes. B. G. 5, 15:
nobilitas,Sall. J. 85, 4:
consuetudo,id. C. 23, 3:
provinciae,Liv. 21, 44, 7; 28, 39, 8.—Esp., of soldiers, veteran, experienced:
ille exercitatus et vetus (miles),Cic. Tusc. 2, 16, 38; cf.
exercitus,id. ib.; Caes. B. C. 1, 3; Liv. 41, 8, 5:
copiae,Caes. B. G. 1, 27:
milites,id. ib. 6, 40; Liv. 26, 41, 2:
legiones,id. 27, 8, 15:
centuriones,id. 4, 17, 10.—With gen. (post-Aug.):
gnaros belli veteresque laborum,Sil. 4, 532:
militiae,Tac. H. 4, 20:
regnandi,id. A. 6, 44:
scientiae et caerimoniarum,id. ib. 6, 12:
operis ac laboris,id. ib. 1, 20:
armorum,Sil. 17, 297.—With inf. (poet.):
hinc Fadum petit et veterem bellare Labicum,Sil. 5, 565.—
C Old, of a former time (opp. present, existing), former, earlier, ancient, etc. (cf. antiquus):
veterem atque antiquam rem novam ad vos proferam,Plaut. Am. prol. 118:
historia vetus atque antiqua,id. Trin. 2, 2, 100 Brix ad loc.:
credendum est veteribus et priscis, ut aiunt, viris,Cic. Univ. 11:
veterrimi poëtae Stoici,id. N. D. 1, 15, 41:
multo vetustior et horridior ille (Laelius) quam Scipio,archaic, antiquated, id. Brut. 21, 83:
in veterem revoluta figuram,Verg. A. 6, 449:
fama veterum malorum,id. ib. 6, 527:
injuria,Phaedr. 1, 21, 6.—
II Substt.
A vĕtĕres, um, m., the ancients, men of a former time, the fathers, ancestors, forefathers:
majores nostri, veteres illi, admodum antiqui, leges annales non habebant,Cic. Phil. 5, 17, 47.—Esp., of ancient authors, etc.:
nostri veteres,Plin. 36, 7, 12, § 59:
quae veteres factitarunt,Ter. Eun. prol. 43:
omnes veteres et Cicero praecipue,Quint. 9, 3, 1; cf. id. 5, 4, 1:
antiqui veteres,Front. Ep. ad Amic. 1, 5.—
B vĕtĕres, um, f. (sc. tabernae), the old booths on the south side of the Forum Romanum (opp. Novae, v. novus):
sub Veteribus,Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 19; Liv. 44, 16, 10; Plin. 35, 4, 8, § 25.—
C vĕtĕra, um, n., the old, old things, antiquity (opp. praesentia):
vetera semper in laude, praesentia in fastidio,Tac. Or. 18; cf. id. ib. 15:
si vetera mihi ignota (sunt),Cic. Sull. 18, 51:
vetera omittere,to leave out of consideration, Sall. J. 102, 14:
vetera odisse, nova optare,id. C. 37, 3:
vetera scrutari,traditions, Cic. Tusc. 1, 13, 29. —Prov.:
vetera vaticinamini,Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 129 Lorenz ad loc.