1. vīs — Lewis & Short
vīs, vis, f.,
plur. vīres, ĭum (class. only in nom., acc. andI abl. sing. and in plur.; gen. sing. very rare; Tac. Or. 26; Dig. 4, 2, 1; Paul. Sent. 5, 30; dat. sing. vi, Auct. B. Afr. 69, 2; C. I. L. 5, 837; collat. form of the nom. and acc. plur. vis, Lucr. 3, 265; 2, 586; Sall. ap. Prisc. p. 707, or H. 3, 62 Dietsch; Messala ap. Macr. S. 1, 9, 14) [Gr. i)/s, vis, sinew, force; i)=fi, with might], strength, physical or mental; force, vigor, power, energy, virtue (cf. robur).
I Lit.
1 In gen.
(a) Sing.:
celeritas et vis equorum,Cic. Div. 1, 70, 144:
magna vis eorum (urorum) et magna velocitas,Caes. B. G. 6, 28:
contra vim atque impetum fluminis,id. ib. 4, 17:
tempestatis,id. B. C. 2, 14:
venti,Lucr. 1, 271:
solis,id. 4, 326 (301):
horrida teli,id. 3, 170:
acris vini,id. 3, 476:
ferri aerisque,id. 5, 1286:
veneni,Cic. Cael. 24, 58 et saep.—
(b) Plur. (most freq. of physical strength):
non viribus aut velocitatibus aut celeritate corporum res magnae geruntur,Cic. Sen. 6, 17:
nec nunc vires desidero adulescentis, non plus quam adulescens tauri aut elephanti desiderabam,id. ib. 9, 27:
hoc ali vires nervosque confirmari putant,Caes. B. G. 6, 21:
me jam sanguis viresque deficiunt,id. ib. 7, 50 fin.:
perpauci viribus confisi transnatare contenderunt,id. ib. 1, 53:
nostri integris viribus fortiter repugnare,id. ib. 3, 4:
lacertis et viribus pugnare,Cic. Fam. 4, 7, 2:
omnibus viribus atque opibus repugnare,id. Tusc. 3, 11, 25:
non animi solum vigore sed etiam corporis viribus excellens,Liv. 9, 16, 12:
validis viribus hastam contorquere,Verg. A. 2, 50:
quicquid agas, decet agere pro viribus,with all your might, Cic. Sen. 9, 27; so,
supra vires,Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 22:
et neglecta solent incendia sumere vires,id. ib. 1, 18, 85:
seu virium vi seu exercitatione multā cibi vinique capacissimus,Liv. 9, 16, 13; cf.:
in proelii concursu abit res a Consilio ad vires vimque pugnantium,Nep. Thras. 1, 4 dub. (Siebel. vires usumque).—Poet., with inf.:
nec mihi sunt vires inimicos pellere tectis,Ov. H. 1, 109.—
2 In partic.
a Energy, virtue, potency (of herbs, drugs, etc.):
in radices vires oleae abibunt,Cato, R. R. 61, 1:
vires habet herba?Ov. M. 13, 942:
egregius fons Viribus occultis adjuvat,Juv. 12, 42. —
b Vis, personified, the same as Juno, Aus. Idyll. de Deis; cf. Verg. A. 7, 432 Serv. —
c Hostile strength, force, violence, = bi/a: EA POENA, QVAE EST DE VI, S. C. ap. Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 5:
cum vi vis illata defenditur,Cic. Mil. 4, 9; cf.:
celeri rumore dilato Dioni vim allatam,Nep. Dion, 10, 1:
ne vim facias ullam in illam,Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 37:
sine vi facere,id. ib. 4, 7, 20:
vim afferre alicui,Cic. Caecin. 21, 61; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 24, § 62; 2, 4, 66, § 148:
adhibere,id. Off. 3, 30, 110; id. Cat. 1, 8, 19:
praesidio tam valido et armato vim adferre,Liv. 9, 16, 4:
iter per vim tentare,by force, forcibly, Caes. B. G. 1, 14; so,
per vim,id. B. C. 2, 13; Cic. Att. 7, 9, 4:
ne id quidem satis est, nisi docet, ita se possedisse nec vi nec clam nec precario possederit,id. Caecin. 32, 92; so the jurid. formula in Lex Thoria ap. Grut. 202, 18; Dig. 41, 1, 22; Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 28:
vis haec quidem hercle est, et trahi et trudi simul,Plaut. Capt. 3, 5, 92; Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 20:
naves totae factae ex robore ad quamvis vim et contumeliam perferendam (shortly afterwards: tantas tempestates Oceani tantosque impetus ventorum sustineri),violence, shock, Caes. B. G. 3, 13:
caeli,a storm, tempest, Plin. 18, 28, 69, § 278.—To avoid the gen. form (v. supra):
de vi condemnati sunt,Cic. Phil. 2, 2, 4: de vi reus; id. Sest. 35, 75; id. Vatin. 17, 41:
ei qui de vi itemque ei qui majestatis damnatus sit,id. Phil. 1, 9, 23; cf. id. ib. 1, 9, 21 sq. Halm ad loc.; Tac. A. 4, 13.—
d In mal. part., force, violence: pudicitiam cum eriperet militi tribunus militaris ... interfectus ab eo est, cui vim adferebat, Cic. Mil. 4, 9:
matribus familias vim attulisse,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 24, § 62:
vis allata sorori,Ov. A. A. 1, 679:
victa nitore dei vim passa est,id. M. 4, 233:
vim passa est Phoebe,id. A. A. 1, 679.—
B Transf., concr.
1 Quantity, number, abundance (cf.: copia, multitudo); with gen.:
quasi retruderet hominum me vis invitum,Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 66:
innumerabilis servorum,Cic. Har. Resp. 11, 22:
in pompā cum magna vis auri argentique ferretur,Cic. Tusc. 5, 32, 91:
vis magna pulveris,Caes. B. C. 2, 26:
vis maxima ranunculorum,Cic. Fam. 7, 18, 3:
argenti,id. Prov. Cons. 2, 4:
vim lacrimarum profudi,id. Rep. 6, 14, 14:
odora canum vis,Verg. A. 4, 132; cf. absol.:
et nescio quomodo is, qui auctoritatem minimam habet, maximam vim, populus cum illis facit,Cic. Fin. 2, 14, 44.—
2 Vires, military forces, troops:
praeesse exercitui, ut praeter auctoritatem vires quoque ad coërcendum haberet,Caes. B. C. 3, 57:
satis virium ad certamen,Liv. 3, 60, 4:
undique contractis viribus signa cum Papirio conferre,id. 9, 13, 12:
robur omne virium ejus regni,the flower, id. 33, 4, 4:
concitet et vires Graecia magna suas,Ov. H. 15 (16), 340.—
3 Vires, the virile forces or organs, Arn. 5, 158; 5, 163; Inscr. Orell. 2322; 2332:
veluti castratis viribus,Plin. 11, 18, 19, § 60; cf.:
vis (= vires) multas possidere in se,Lucr. 2, 586.—Rarely sing.:
vis genitalis,Tac. A. 6, 18.—
II Trop.
A Mental strength, power, force, vigor:
vis illa divina et virtus oratoris,Cic. de Or. 2, 27, 120:
vis ac facultas oratoris,id. ib. 1, 31, 142:
suavitatem Isocrates ... sonitum Aeschines, vim Demosthenes habuit,id. ib. 3, 7, 28:
summa ingenii,id. Phil. 5, 18, 49:
magna vis est conscientiae in utramque partem,id. Mil. 23, 61:
magna vis est in fortunā in utramque partem,id. Off. 2, 6, 19:
patriae,id. de Or. 1, 44, 196:
quod ostentum habuit hanc vim, ut, etc.,power, effect, id. Div. 1, 33, 73:
qui indignitate suā vim ac jus magistratui quem gerebat dempsisset,Liv. 26, 12, 8:
hujus conventionis,Dig. 43, 25, 12.—Plur. (post-Aug.):
eloquentiae,Quint. 5, 1, 2:
facilitatis,id. 12, 9, 20:
ingenii,id. 1, 2, 23; 12, 1, 32:
orationis,id. 8, 3, 87.—
B Transf., of abstr. things, force, notion, meaning, sense, import, nature, essence (cf. significatio):
id, in quo est omnis vis amicitiae,Cic. Lael. 4, 15:
eloquentiae vis et natura,id. Or. 31, 112:
vis honesti (with natura),id. Off. 1, 6, 18; cf. id. Fin. 1, 16, 50:
virtutis,id. Fam. 9, 16, 5:
quae est alia vis legis?id. Dom. 20, 53:
vis, natura, genera verborum et simplicium et copulatorum,i.e. the sense, signification, id. Or. 32, 115:
vis verbi,id. Inv. 1, 13, 17; id. Balb. 8, 21:
quae vis insit in his paucis verbis, si attendes, si attendes, intelleges,id. Fam. 6, 2, 3:
quae vis subjecta sit vocibus,id. Fin. 2, 2, 6:
nominis,id. Top. 8, 35: metwnumi/a, cujus vis est, pro eo, quod dicitur, causam, propter quam dicitur, ponere, Quint. 8, 6, 23.