Felix

1.

fēlix, īcis (abl. felici, except Cic. Or. 48, 159; and as nom. prop., v. II. B. 2. infra), adj. [from root feo, fevo, to bear, produce, Gr. phuô; cf.: fio, femina; whence fetus, fecundus, femina, fenus], fruit-bearing, fruitful, fertile, productive.

I.

Lit. (rare; not in Cic.): felices arbores Cato dixit, quae fructum ferunt, infelices quae non ferunt, Paul. ex Fest. p. 92, 10 Müll.; cf. Fronto Ep. ad Amic. 2, 6 ed. Mai.; so,

arbor,

Liv. 5, 24, 2:

arbusta,

Lucr. 5, 1378:

rami,

Verg. G. 2, 81; so,

rami feliciores,

Hor. Epod. 2, 14:

silvae,

i. e. of fruitful trees, Verg. G. 4, 329:

Massica Baccho,

fruitful in vines, id. A. 7, 725; cf.

Campania,

Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 60:

felicior regio,

Ov. P. 2, 10, 51; cf.:

felix oleae tractus,

Claud. Cons. Mall. Theod. 179:

venti,

Val. Fl. 6, 711.—

B.

In partic.

1.

In the old relig. lang.: felices arbores, all the nobler sorts of trees, whose fruits were offered to the superior deities, in contradistinction to the infelices, which were dedicated to the inferior deities, Macr. S. 2, 16, 2.—

2.

Felix, as an adj. propr. in Arabia Felix, the fertile portion of Arabia, opp. Arabia Deserta and Petraea; v. Arabia.—

II.

Transf.

A.

Act., that brings good luck, of good omen, auspicious, favorable, propitious, fortunate, prosperous, felicitous (orig. belonging to the relig. lang.; in the class. per. almost confined to poets;

syn.: faustus, fortunatus, beatus, secundus): quae (omina) majores nostri quia valere censebant, idcirco omnibus rebus agendis: QVOD BONVM FAVSTVM FELIX FORTVNATVMQVE ESSET praefabantur,

Cic. Div. 1, 45, 102; so, QVOD BONVM FORTVNATVM FELIXQVE SALVTAREQVE SIET POPVLO ROMANO QVIRITIVM, etc., an old formula in Varr. L. L. 6, § 86; cf.

also: ut nobis haec habitatio Bona, fausta, felix fortunataque eveniat,

Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 3:

quod tibi mihique sit felix, sub imperium tuum redeo,

Liv. 22, 30, 4:

auspicia,

Verg. A. 11, 32; cf.

omen,

Ov. P. 2, 1, 35:

o dea... Sis felix, nostrum leves, quaecumque, laborem,

Verg. A. 1, 330; cf.:

sis bonus o felixque tuis!

id. E. 5, 65:

terque novas circum felix eat hostia fruges,

id. G. 1, 345:

Zephyri,

id. A. 3, 120:

sententia,

Ov. M. 13, 319:

industria (corresp. to fertilis cura),

Plin. H. N. 14 praef. § 3.—

B.

Lucky, happy, fortunate (the predom. signif. in prose and poetry):

exitus ut classi felix faustusque daretur,

Lucr. 1, 100:

Polycratem Samium felicem appellabant,

Cic. Fin. 5, 30, 92:

Caesar Alexandriam se recepit, felix, ut sibi quidem videbatur,

id. Phil. 2, 26, 64; cf. id. ib. 2, 24, 59:

vir ad casum fortunamque felix,

id. Font. 15, 33:

ille Graecus ab omni laude felicior,

id. Brut. 16, 63:

Sulla felicissimus omnium ante civilem victoriam,

Sall. J. 95, 4:

in te retinendo fuit Asia felicior quam nos in deducendo,

Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 10, § 30; cf.:

quin etiam si minus felices in diligendo fuissemus,

id. Lael. 16, 60:

vade, o felix nati pietate,

Verg. A. 3, 480; cf. id. ib. 6, 785:

Praxiteles quoque marmore fericior,

i. e. succeeded better as a sculptor, Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 69:

felices ter et amplius, Quos irrupta tenet copula,

Hor. C. 1, 13, 17:

omnes composui. Felices! nunc ego resto,

id. S. 1, 9, 28:

Latium felix,

id. C. S. 66:

tempora,

Juv. 2, 38:

saecula,

Ov. Tr. 1, 2, 103; Juv. 3, 312; Quint. 8, 6, 24: cf.:

nulla sorte nascendi aetas felicior,

id. 12, 11, 22:

felicissima facilitas,

id. 10, 1, 111:

felicissimus sermo,

id. 9, 4, 27:

ita sim felix, a form of asseveration,

Prop. 1, 7, 3:

malum, i. q. salubre,

salubrious, wholesome, Verg. G. 2, 127 Serv.—Prov.: felicem scivi, non qui quod [p. 734] vellet haberet, sed qui per fatum non data non cuperet, Aus. Idyll. 319, 23 sq.—

(β).

With gen. ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose):

Vergilius beatus felixque gratiae,

Plin. H. N. 14 praef. §

7: o te, Bolane, cerebri Felicem!

Hor. S. 1, 9, 12:

felices studiique locique,

Ov. M. 5, 267:

felix uteri,

Sil. 4, 359:

leti,

id. 4, 398:

famae,

id. 4, 731:

felices operum dies,

Verg. G. 1, 277.—

(γ).

With inf. ( poet. ):

quo non felicior alter Ungueretela manu ferrumque armare veneno,

happier, more successful in, Verg. A. 9, 772; id. G. 1, 284; Sil. 13, 126. —

(δ).

With gerund. dat. (rare):

tam felix vobis corrumpendis fuit,

successful in, Liv. 3, 17, 2.— Adv.: fēlīcĭter.

* 1.

(Acc. to I.) Fruitfully, abundantly:

hic segetes, illic veniunt felicius uvae,

Verg. G. 1, 54.—

2.

(Acc. to II.)

a.

Auspiciously, fortunately, favorably: quod mihi vobisque Quirites, Se fortunatim, feliciter ac bene vortat, Enn. ap. Non. 112, 3 (Ann. v. 112 ed. Vahl.); cf. Plaut. Aul. 4, 10, 58:

ut ea res mihi magistratuique meo, populo plebique Romanae bene atque feliciter eveniret,

Cic. Mur. 1, 1; Caes. B. G. 4, 25, 3.—In expressing a wish or in calling to a person, Good luck! faciam quod volunt. Feliciter velim, inquam, teque laudo, Cic. Att. 13, 42, 1:

feliciter, succlamant,

Phaedr. 5, 1, 4; Suet. Claud. 7; id. Dom. 13; Flor. 3, 3 fin.; Juv. 2, 119; Vulg. Gen. 30, 11 al.—

b.

Luckily, happily, successfully (most freq.):

omnes sapientes semper feliciter, absolute, fortunate vivere,

Cic. Fin. 3, 7, 26:

res publica et bene et feliciter gesta sit,

id. Phil. 5, 15, 40; id. Fam. 7, 28 fin.:

navigare,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 38, § 95; cf.:

qui te feliciter attulit Eurus,

Ov. M. 7, 659:

feliciter audet,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 166:

ob ea feliciter acta,

Sall. J. 55, 2.—Prov.:

feliciter sapit qui alieno periculo sapit,

Plaut. Merc. 4, 4, 40.— Comp., Ov. Ib. 305.— Sup.:

bella cum finitimis felicissime multa gessit,

Cic. Rep. 2, 9:

re gesta,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 37, 1:

gerere rem publicam,

Caes. B. C. 1, 7, 6:

cessit imitatio,

Quint. 10, 2, 16: Horatius... verbis felicissime audax, 10, 1, 96.

2.

Fēlix (with abl. Felice, v. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 67), a Roman surname of frequent occurrence, first applied to L. Sulla, Plin. 7, 44, 44, § 186.—

b.

Claudius Felix, Suet. Claud. 28.—

c.

Antonius Felix, procurator of Judea and Galilee under Claudius, Vulg. Act. 23, 26; 25, 14.—

d.

Julia Felix, i. q. Berytus, Plin. 5, 20, 17, § 78.

3.

fĕlix, ĭcis, v. filix init.