Tergum, tergi, n. g. Virg.The backe of a man, beast, or any other thing.Horrentia terga snum, Virgil.The backes of swins tough with bristles.Immane tergum leonis.Virg.Ingentia terga boum.Virg. Lubrica terga. Virg.Ostreatum tergum.Plaut.Recutuum tergum Delphinis.Ouid.Sessile tergum Ouid.A large backe that one may sit on.Summum tergum.Ouid. Sedere tergo. Catul. Considere tergo tauri. Ouid.Terram consternere tergo. Virgil. To lie on his backe vpon the ground.Conuertere terga, Vide CONVERTO.Squamea terga conuoluens anguis.Virg.Lubrica terga conuoluit coluber.Virg.Victa dabat terga.Ouid.Dare terga. Qui. To run away: to turne their backs to flee.Dare terga versa fugæ.Virg.To turne their backs and flee.Dare terga fugæ. Idem. Ouid.Dare tergum in fugam, Idem.Ouid.Impugnare hostium terga. Liuius. To assault their eninries at their backes.Insilire tergo alicuius.Ouid.To leape on, &c.Laceratum virgis tergum.Liu.Ones backe beaten that the blond foloweth.Nudare terga fugæ.Virg.Plecti tergo. Horat. To be beaten on his backe: to be backe beaten.Præbere terga esfugio.Tacit.To turne their backes & flee.Præbere terga fugæ, Idem.Ouid.Recipere ad terga. Plin. Inambulare manibus ad tergum reiectis. A sin. Ciceron. To walke with his handes behinde him.Grues in tergo præuolantium colla & capita reponÛt, Cic.Secare terga verbere. Tibul. Vertere terga.Liu.To turne their backes in flying.Vinctus post tergum nodis ahenis.Virg. Scriptus tergo. Iuuenal. Written on the backe side.A tergo sequi.Virg.Aliquem tergo adoriti. Cice. To set on one at his backe.A tergo & fronte, pro anteriore & posteriore parte, Vide A vel A B præpositiones.Teneri tergo, fronte, lateribus.Cic.A tergo & fronte videre, pro diligenter. Ex Homero. A tergo lupi, & fronte præcipitium. Prouerbium. Tergum collis.Liu.The hinder part or backe side of an hil.Glauca terga aquæ. Claud. Glacialia terga fluuiorum. Claud. Aerea terga loricæ.Stat.The backe side of a coate of fence. Tergum, pro tergore aliquando accipitur.Virg.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
tergeo or less freq. tergo, si, sum, 2 or 3 (v. Neue, Formenl. 2, 423 sq.; part. perf. tertus, Varr. ap. Non. 179, 7 and 8), v. a. [for stergo; akin to stringo; Gr. straggeu/w, to twist], to rub off, wipe off, wipe dry, wipe clean, cleanse.I.Lit. (class.; syn. verro): numquam concessavimus Lavari aut fricari aut tergeri aut ornari, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 10: mantelium, ubi manus terguntur, Varr L. L. 6, 85 Müll.; so, frontem sudario, Quint. 6, 3, 60: nares in adversum, id. 11, 3, 121: fossas,
to dry
, Cato, R. R. 2, 4; Col. 2, 21, 3: aequatam (mensam) mentae tersere virentes, Ov. M. 8, 663: pars leves clipeos et spicula lucida tergent,
rub off
,
polish
,
burnish
, Verg. A. 7, 626: arma, Liv. 26, 51, 4: leve argentum, vasa aspera, Juv. 14, 62: manuque simul velut lacrimantia tersit Lumina, Ov. M. 13, 132: oculos pedibus, Plin. 11, 48, 108, 258. — Poet.: aridus unde aures terget sonus ille,
grates upon
, Lucr. 6, 119: nubila caeli (Aurora),
to scatter
, Sil. 16, 136: tergere palatum,
to tickle the palate
, Hor. S. 2, 2, 24. — Absol.: qui tractant ista, qui tergunt, qui ungunt, qui verrunt, Cic. Par. 5, 2, 37: si QVIS TERGERE ORNARE REFICERR VOLET (sc. aram), Inscr. Orell. 2489.—II.Trop. (very rare): librum, i. e.
to improve
,
amend
, Mart. 6, 1, 3: scelus,
to expiate
, Sen. Herc. Oet. 907.—Hence, tersus, a, um, P. a., wiped off, i. e. clean, neat (not in Cic.). A.Lit.: (mulier) lauta, tersa, ornata, etc., Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 4; cf id. Pa. 1, 2, 31; cf.: alii sunt circumtonsi et tersi atque unctuli, Varr. ap Non. 179, 8: plantae, Ov. M. 2, 736: tersum diem pro sereno dictum ab antiquis, Fest. p. 363 Müll. — B.Trop., pure, correct, nice, neat, terse: judicium acre tersumque. Quint. 12, 10, 20: tersum ac limatum esse oportet quod libris dedicatur, id. 12, 10, 50: elegiae tersus atque elegans auctor, id. 10, 1, 93; of in comp.: multo est tersior ac purus magis (Horatius), id. 10, 1, 94: opus tersum, molle, jucundum, Plin. Ep. 9, 22, 2; so, praefationes tersae, graciles, dulces, id. ib. 2, 3, 1.—Sup.: vir in judicio litterarum tersissimus, Stat. S. 2 praef.—No adv.
tergum, i (poet. and in post-Aug. prose also tergus, ŏris), n. (masc.: familiarem tergum, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 53; cf. Non. 227, 23) [cf. Gr. tra/xhlos, neck; perh. root tre/xw, to run], the back of men or beasts (syn. dor sum). I.Lit.(a). Form tergum: dabitur pol supplicium mihi de tergo vestre, Plaut. As. 2, 4, 75: vae illis virgis miseris quae hodie in tergo morientur meo, id. Capt 3, 4, 117: manibus ad tergum rejectis, Asin ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 32, 3: boum terga, id. N D. 2, 63, 159; cf. tergo poenae pendere Ter. Heaut. 4, 4, 6: tergo ac capite puniri, Liv 3, 55, 14.—Of cranes eaeque in tergo praevolantium Colla reponunt, Cic. N. D. 2 49, 125. — Of the dolphin, Ov F 2, 113.— Of the crocodile: ejus terga cataphracta, Amm. 22, 15, 16.—(b). Form tergus aurea quam molli tergore vexit ovis, Prop. 2, 26 (3, 21), 6: ut equa facilem sui tergoris ascensum praebeat, Col. 6, 37, 10.—II.Transf.A.The back or hinder part, the back, rear, 1. Esp. in the phrases terga vertere or dare, to turn the back, pregn., for to take to flight, to flee: omnes hostes terga verterunt; neque prius fugere destiterunt, quam, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 53; so, terga vertere, id. ib. 3, 19; 3, 21; id. B. C. 3, 63; and even of a single person: terga vertit, Sen. Ep. 22, 7: qui plures simul terga dederant, etc., Liv 22, 29, 5: terga dare, id. 36, 38, 4: inter duas acies Etrusci, cum in vicem his atque illis terga darent, id. 2, 51, 9; Ov. M. 13, 224: terga fugae praebere, id. ib. 10, 706: terga praestare (fugae), Tac. Agr 37; Juv. 15, 75. — Trop. jam felicior aetas Terga dedit, tremuloque gradu venit aegra senectus, Ov M. 14, 143.—2. In gen.: inflexo mox dare terga genu, i. e.
yield to the burden
, Prop. 3, 9 (4, 8), 6: praebere Phoebo terga, to sun itself, Ov. M. 4, 715: concurrit ex insidiis versisque in Lucretium Etruscis terga caedit,
, Ov. A. A. 1, 209: terga collis, Liv. 25, 15, 12; cf.: terga vincentium, Tac. Agr. 37: summi plena jam margine libri Scriptus et in tergo necdum finitus Orestes,
written on the back
, Juv. 1, 6: retro atque a tergo,
behind one
, Cic. Div. 1, 24, 49; cf.: a tergo, a fronte, a lateribus tenebitur, id. Phil. 3, 13, 32: ut a tergo Milonem adorirentur,
behind
, id. Mil. 10, 29; 21, 56; id. Verr 2, 5, 38, 98: tumultum hostilem a tergo accepit, Sall. J. 58, 4; Caes. B. G 7, 87; Curt. 3, 1, 19; 3, 8, 27; 8, 5, 1: post tergum hostium legionem ostenderunt, Caes. B. G. 7, 62: ne nostros post tergum adorirentur, id. B. C. 3, 44: Germani post tergum clamore audito, id. B. G. 4, 15: post tergum hostem relinquere, id. ib. 4, 22: qui jam post terga reliquit Sexaginta annos,
has left behind him
,
has passed
, Juv. 13, 16: omnia jam diutino bello exhausta post tergum sunt, Curt. 4, 14, 11: omnia, quae post tergum erant, strata, id. 3, 10, 7: tot amnibus montibusque post tergum objectis, id. 4, 13, 7.—B.The back of any thing spread out horizontally, as land or water, i. e. the surface (poet.): proscisso quae suscitat aequore terga, Verg. G. 1, 97: crassa, id. ib. 2, 236: amnis, Ov. P. 1, 2, 82; Claud. B. G. 338; Luc. 5, 564; 9, 341.—C. (Pars pro toto.) The body of an animal (poet.). (a). Form tergum: (serpens) Squamea convolvens sublato pectore terga, Verg. G. 3, 426; so of a serpent, id. A. 2, 208; Petr 89; of Cerberus, Verg. A. 6, 422: horrentia centum Terga suum, i. e.
, Ov. M. 8, 649: diviso tergore (juvenci), Phaedr. 2, 1, 11: squalenti tergore serpens, Sil. 3, 209.—D.The covering of the back, the skin, hide, leather, etc. (in this signif. tergus freq. occurs; syn.: pellis, corium). (a). Form tergum: taurino quantum possent circumdare tergo,
ox-hide
, Verg. A. 1, 368: ferre novae nares taurorum terga recusant, Ov. A. A. 2, 655.—(b). Form tergus: tergora deripiunt costis et viscera nudant, Verg. A. 1, 211; so Cels. 7, 25, 1; 8, 1med.: durissimum dorso tergus, Plin. 8, 10, 10, 30; cf. id. 9, 35, 53, 105; Col. 7, 4 fin.—2.Transf., a thing made of hide or leather.(a). Form tergum: venti bovis inclusi tergo, i. e. in a bag made of a bull's hide, Ov. M. 14, 225; 15, 305: et feriunt molles taurea terga manus, i. e.
tymbals
, id. F. 4, 342; so id. ib. 4, 212: Idae terga, Stat. Th. 8, 221: pulsant terga, id. Achill. 2, 154: rupit Terga novena boum, i. e. the nine thicknesses of bull's hide, Ov. M. 12, 97: tergum Sulmonis, Verg. A. 9, 412; 10, 482; 10, 718; hence even: per linea terga (scuti), id. ib. 10, 784 (v. the passage in connection): duroque intendere bracchia tergo, i. e. cestus, id. ib. 5, 403; so id. ib. 5, 419.—(b). Form tergus: gestasset laevā taurorum tergora septem,