Cupido

cŭpīdo ( cūpēdo or cuppēdo, Lucr. 1, 1082; 4, 1090; 5, 45), ĭnis, f. (m., Plant. Am. 2, 2, 210; Hor. C. 2, 16, 15; 3, 16, 39; 3, 24, 51; id. S. 1, 1, 61; id. Ep. 1, 1, 33; Ov. M. 8, 74; 9, 734; Sil. 4, 99; and personified in all authors; v. the foll.) [cupidus], access. form of cupiditas, desire, wish, longing, eagerness, in a good and (more usu.) in a bad sense (very freq. in the poets and histt., esp. in Sall.; twice in Quint., but in Cic. only as personified).

I.

In gen.

A.

In a good sense: cupido cepit miseram nunc me proloqui, etc. (transl. from Eurip. Med. 57: himeros m hupêlthe, etc.), Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 26, 63 (Trag. Rel. v. 291 Vahl.); cf.:

Romulum cupido cepit urbis condendae,

Liv. 1, 6, 3:

cupido eum ceperat in verticem montis ascendendi,

id. 40, 21, 2; and with inf.:

cupido incessit Aethiopiam invisere,

Curt. 4, 8, 3:

aquae,

Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 50; cf.:

laticum frugumque,

Lucr. 4, 1093:

gloriae,

Sall. C. 7, 3:

aeternitatis perpetuaeque famae,

Suet. Ner. 55:

lucis,

Quint. 6, prooem. §

13: placendi,

id. 10, 7, 17 al. —

2.

Trop., of things:

res medii cuppedine victae,

overcome by their tendency to a centre, Lucr. 1, 1082.—

B.

In a bad sense, desire, passion, lust, greed.

(α).

With gen.:

honorum caeca (with avarities),

Lucr. 3, 59; cf.

honoris,

Sall. C. 3, 5:

mala vitaï,

Lucr. 3, 1077:

immitis uvae (i. e. virginis immaturae),

Hor. C. 2, 5, 9:

praedae caeca,

Ov. M. 3, 620:

intempestiva concubitūs,

id. ib. 10, 689; cf.

Veneris,

id. ib. 14, 634 et saep.:

difficilia faciundi,

Sall. J. 93, 3:

ejus (oppidi) potiundi,

id. ib. 89, 6:

quarum (rerum) inmodica cupido inter mortales est,

Liv. 6, 35, 6:

populos ad cupidinem novae fortunae erigere,

id. 21, 19, 7.—In plur.:

malae dominationis cupidinibus flagrans,

Tac. A. 13, 2.—

(β).

Absol.:

homines cupidine caeci,

Lucr. 4, 1153; so id. 4, 1090:

cuppedinis acres curae,

id. 5, 45; Hor. C. 2, 16, 15 et saep.:

femineus,

Ov. M. 9, 734; cf.

muliebris,

Tac. A. 4, 39.—In plur., Hor. S. 1, 2, 111; 2, 7, 85; Tac. A. 3, 52:

eo provectas Romanorum cupidines, ut non corpora, ne senectam quidam aut virginitatem inpollutam relinquant,

id. ib. 14, 35.—

II.

In partic.

A.

The desire that springs from love, desire, love:

differor Cupidine ejus,

Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 29; cf.:

visae virginis,

Ov. M. 13, 906; Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 210; cf. id. Poen. 1, 1, 68. —In plur.:

me, Contactum nullis ante cupidinibus,

Prop. 1, 1, 2.—Hence,

2.

Personified: Cŭpīdo, ĭnis, m., the god of love, Cupid, son of Venus, Cic. N. D. 3, 23, 58 sq.; Prop. 2, 14, 5 (3, 18, 21); Ov. M. 1, 453; 5, 366 et saep.; Hor. C. 1, 2, 34; 2, 8, 14 al.;

in the form CVPEDO,

Inscr. Orell. 1367.—In plur.:

mater saeva Cupidinum,

Hor. C. 1, 19, 1 Orell. ad loc.; 4, 1, 5 al.; cf.

of sculptured figures: exstant caelati scyphi... Myos in eādem aede Silenos et Cupidines,

Plin. 33, 12, 55, § 155; 36, 5, 4, § 41. —Hence,

(β).

Cŭpīdĭnĕus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Cupid ( poet. ):

tela,

Ov. Tr. 4, 10, 65:

sagittae,

id. R. Am. 157.— Transf., lovely, charming ( = formosus), Mart. 7, 87, 9.—

B.

In animals, the sexual impulse:

equina,

Col. 6, 27, 3:

equi cupidine sollicitati,

id. 6, 27, 8.—

C.

(Cf. cupidus, II. A. 2., and cupiditas, II. B. 1.) Avarice, covetousness:

Narcissum incusat cupidinis ac praedarum,

Tac. A. 12, 57; in plur., id. H. 1, 66.—

* 2.

Personified:

Cupido sordidus,

sordid Avarice, Hor. C. 2, 16, 15.