densus

densus, a, um, adj. [kindred with dasus, daulos (i. e. dasulos); cf. Lat. dumus, old form dusmus, and dumetum], thick, dense, i. e. consisting of parts crowded together. opp. to rarus (on the contrary, crassus, thick, is opp. to thin, fluid; and spissus, close, compact, with the predominant idea of impenetrability; cf. also: angustus, artus, solidus—class. and freq., esp. in poets and historians; in Cic. very rare).

I.

Lit.

1.

In space:

ne dum variantia rerum Tanta queat densis rarisque ex ignibus esse,

Lucr. 1, 654; cf. Verg. G. 1, 419 (for which densatus et laxatus aër, Quint. 5, 9, 16); and:

(terra) Rara sit an supra morem si densa requiras... Densa magis Cereri, rarissima quaeque Lyaeo,

Verg. G. 2, 227 sq.: densa et glutinosa terra, Col. praef. § 24: silva, poëta ap. Cic. Att. 12, 15; cf.:

densiores silvae,

Caes. B. G. 3, 29, 2:

densissimae silvae,

id. ib. 4, 38, 3:

lucus densissimae opacitatis,

Front. Strat. 1, 11, 10:

denso corpore nubes,

Lucr. 6, 361; cf.:

denso agmine,

id. 6, 100; so,

agmen (sc. navium),

Verg. A. 5, 834:

densum umeris vulgus,

Hor. Od. 2, 13, 32 et saep.:

tunicae,

Plin. 11, 23, 27, § 77:

zmaragdi,

id. 37, 5, 18, § 68:

litus,

sandy, Ov. M. 2, 576; cf. Verg. G. 2, 275:

aequor,

i. e. frozen. Luc. 2, 640:

aër,

Hor. Od. 2, 7, 14; cf.

caelum,

Cels. 1 praef.; 3, 22:

nimbi,

Ov. M. 1, 269:

caligo,

Verg. A. 12, 466; cf.:

densissima nox,

pitch-dark night, Ov. M. 15, 31: umbra, Catull. 65, 13; Hor. Od. 1, 7, 20 et saep.—

Without distinction, corresp. with crassus,

Lucr. 6, 246 al. —

b.

Poet. with abl., thickly set with, covered with, full of: loca silvestribus sepibus densa, poëta ap. Cic. N. D. 1, 42 fin.; cf.:

specus virgis ac vimine,

Ov. M. 3, 29:

vallis piceis et acuta cupressu,

id. ib. 3, 155:

Thybris verticibus,

id. F. 6, 502:

ficus pomis,

id. ib. 2, 253:

corpora setis,

id. M. 13, 846; cf. id. Am. 3, 1, 32:

femina crinibus emptis,

id. A. A. 3, 165:

funale lampadibus,

id. M. 12, 247: trames [p. 547] caligine opaca (coupled with obscurus), id. ib. 10, 54 et saep.—

B.

Transf., of the parts themselves which are crowded together, thick, close, set close:

superiorem partem collis densissimis castris (sc. trinis) compleverant,

pitched very near together, Caes. B. G. 7, 46, 3:

sepes,

id. ib. 2, 22:

frutices,

Ov. M. 1, 122:

ilex,

id. F. 2, 165 et saep.:

hostes,

Verg. A. 2, 511:

ministri,

id. M. 2, 717:

densior suboles,

Verg. G. 3, 308:

dens (pectinis),

Tib. 1, 9, 68:

comae,

Ov. Am. 1, 14, 42; cf.

pilae,

id. F. 2, 348 et saep.— Poet.:

densorum turba malorum,

Ov. Tr. 5, 6, 41.—

2.

In time, of things which take place in close succession, thick, frequent, continuous (mostly poet. ):

ictus,

Verg. A. 5, 459; cf.

plagae,

Hor. Od. 3, 5, 31:

Aquilo,

strong, powerful, Verg. G. 3, 196:

silentia,

deep, profound, Val. Fl. 3, 604:

amores,

Verg. G. 4, 347:

pericula,

Ov. P. 4, 7, 15:

usus,

id. ib. 4, 3, 15:

ictus,

Amm. 15, 5, 31. —

II.

Trop. of speech, condensed, concise:

vox atrox in ira, et aspera ac densa,

coarse, Quint. 11, 3, 63:

tanta vis in eo (sc. Demosthene) tam densa omnia, etc.,

id. 10, 1, 76; cf. transf. to the writer himself: densior ille (sc. Demosthenes), hic (sc. Cicero) copiosior, ib. § 106: densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides, ib. § 73: (Euripides) sententiis densus, ib. § 68.— Adv.: densē (very rare).

1.

In space, thickly, closely, close together:

caesae alni,

Plin. 16, 37, 67, § 173:

calcatum quam densissime,

Vitr. 5, 12 med.:

milites densius se commovebant,

Amm. 24, 6, 8.—

2.

(Acc. to no. I. B. 2.) In time, frequently, rapidly, one after the other:

quod in perpetuitate dicendi eluceat aliquando, idem apud alios densius, apud alios fortasse rarius,

Cic. Or. 2, 7:

nulla tamen subeunt mihi tempora densius istis,

Ov. P. 1, 9, 11:

replicatis quaestionibus dense,

Amm. 29, 3 fin.