claritas

clārĭtas, ātis, f. [clarus], clearness, brightness, splendor (in good prose, most freq. in the post-Aug. per.).

I.

Prop.

A.

Of objects affecting the sight (so for the most part only in Pliny the elder):

sidus Veneris claritatis tantae (est), ut, etc.,

Plin. 2, 8, 6, § 37; cf. id. 2, 8, 6, § 30; 23, 4, 41, § 84: matutina, id. 9, 35, 54, § 107:

visus,

id. 31, 10, 46, § 116; cf.

oculorum,

id. 18, 11, 29, § 114; 20, 10, 42, § 108: AD CLARITATEM (sc. oculorum), for clearness of sight (label of an ointment box), Inscr. Orell. 4234.—

B.

Of objects affecting the hearing, distinctness, clearness:

claritas in voce,

Cic. Ac. 1, 5, 19:

sonituum chordarum,

Vitr. 5, 3, 8:

vocis,

Quint. 6, prooem. §

11: vocalium,

id. 9, 4, 131; 11, 3, 41.—

II.

Trop.

A.

Intellectually, clearness, distinctness, perspicuity (rare):

pulchritudinem rerum claritas orationis illuminat,

Quint. 2, 16, 10; so id. 8, 3, 70; Cod. Th. 1, 1, 6, § 1.—

B.

Morally, celebrity, renown, reputation, splendor, high estimation (so most freq.; several times in Cicero, who never uses claritudo, while in Sallust only claritudo is found, q. v.; cf.

also amplitudo, splendor, nobilitas, gloria): num te fortunae tuae, num amplitudinis, num claritatis, num gloriae poenitebat?

Cic. Phil. 1, 13, 38, id. Div. 2, 31, 66:

quae ex multis pro tuā claritate audiam,

id. Fam. 13, 68, 1, cf. Quint. 3, 7, 11:

viri claritate praestantes,

Nep. Eum. 3, 3:

nominis, Auct. B. Afr. 22: generis,

Quint. 8, 6, 7; cf. id. 5, 11, 5; 3, 7, 11:

natalium,

Tac. H. 1, 49:

personarum,

Plin. Ep. 2, 14, 1:

Herculis,

Tac. G. 34 fin.:

vino Maroneo antiquissima claritas,

Plin. 14, 4, 6, § 53:

litterarum,

id. 14, 4, 5, § 44:

herbarum (i.e. nobiliores herbae),

id. 24, 19, 120, § 188.—In plur.:

claritates operum,

Plin. 35, 8, 34, § 53:

ingeniorum,

id. 37, 13, 77, § 201.