filum

fīlum, i. n. (also filus, i, m., acc. to Arn. 1, 36 dub., plur. heterocl., fili, Luc. 6, 460) [for figlum, v. figo], a thread of any thing woven (of linen or woolen cloth, a cobweb, etc.).

I.

Lit., Varr. L. L. 5, § 113 Müll.; Enn. ap. Non. 116, 6 (Ann. v. 259 ed. Vahl.); Verg. A. 6, 30; Ov. A. A. 3, 445; id. M. 4, 36; Mart. 6, 3, 5; Cels. 7, 16:

lumen candelae cujus tempero filum,

wick, Juv. 3, 287:

tenuia aranei,

a web, Lucr. 3, 383:

tineae,

Ov. M. 15, 372.— Poet., of the thread of life spun by the Fates:

sororum fila trium,

Hor. C. 2, 3, 16; Verg. A. 10, 815; Ov. M. 2, 654; id. Tr. 5, 10, 45; Sil. 4, 28; Mart. 10, 5, 10 al.— Prov.: pendere filo (tenui), to hang by a thread, for to be in great danger: hac noctu filo pendebit Etruria tota, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 1, 4, § 18 (Ann. v. 153 ed. Vahl.):

omnia sunt hominum tenui pendentia filo,

Ov. P. 4, 3, 35; Val. Max. 6, 4, 1.—

2.

In partic., the fillet of wool wound round the upper part of the flamen's cap, similar to the stemma of the Greeks; hence, in gen., a priest's fillet: APICVLVM, filum, quo flamines velatum apicem gerunt, Paul. ex Fest. p. 23 Müll.:

legatus capite velato filo (lanae velamen est), Audi, Juppiter, inquit, etc.,

Liv. 1, 32, 6:

filo velatus,

Tib. 1, 5, 15.—

B.

Transf. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).

1.

Of any thing slender and drawn out like a thread, a string, cord, filament, fibre:

tractat inauratae consona fila lyrae,

the strings, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 60; so,

lyrae,

id. M. 5, 118:

sonantia,

id. ib. 10, 89:

croci,

i. e. the stamen, id. F. 1, 342:

foliorum exilitas usque in fila attenuata,

Plin. 21, 6, 16, § 30; 11, 15, 15, § 39. —

2.

Plur., shreds, slices, remnants:

fila sectivi porri,

Juv. 14, 133:

porris fila resecta suis,

Mart. 11, 52:

fila Tarentini graviter redolentia porri edisti,

id. 13, 18.—

3.

I. q. crassitudo, the density, compactness, compact shape, or, in gen., contour, form, shape of an object:

forma quoque hinc solis debet filumque videri,

Lucr. 5, 571, v. Lachm. ad h. 1.; cf. id. 5, 581; 2, 341; 4, 88:

mulieris,

Plaut. Merc. 4, 4, 15:

corporis,

Varr. L. L. 10, § 4 Müll.; Gell. 1, 9, 2; Amm. 14, 11, 28:

forma atque filo virginali,

id. 14, 4, 2:

ingeniosus est et bono filo,

Petr. 46.—

II.

Trop. (cf. the preced. no. ), of speech, texture, sort, quality, nature, style (class.):

ego hospiti veteri et amico munusculum mittere (volui) levidense, crasso filo, cujusmodi ipsius solent esse munera,

i. e. of coarse texture, Cic. Fam. 9, 12, 2; cf.:

argumentandi tenue filum,

id. Or. 36, 124:

tenui deducta poëmata filo,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 225; cf.:

gracili connectere carmina filo, Col. poët. 10, 227: paulo uberiore filo,

Cic. de Or. 2, 22, 93:

orationis,

id. ib. 3, 26, 103:

aliud quoddam filum orationis tuae (= oratio uberior),

id. Lael. 7, 25.