imum

infĕrus, a, um (ante-class. collat. form of the nom. sing. infer:

ubi super inferque vicinus permittet,

Cato, R. R. 149 ), adj. [cf. Sanscr. adh-aras, adh-amas, the lower, lowest; and Lat. infra], that is below, underneath, lower; opp. superus.

I.

Posit.

A.

In gen.: inferus an superus tibi fert Deus funera, Liv. Andr. ap. Prisc. p. 606 P.; cf.:

Di Deaeque superi atque inferi,

Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 36; Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 6; cf.

also: ut ex tam alto dignitatis gradu ad superos videantur deos potius quam ad inferos pervenisse,

Cic. Lael. 3, 12:

limen superum inferumque salve,

Plaut. Merc. 5, 1, 1:

ut omnia supera, infera, prima, ultima, media videremus,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 26, 64:

loca,

the lower parts, id. Arat. 474:

fulmina,

that come out of the ground, Plin. 2, 52, 53, § 138: aqua, that falls down, rain-water, Varr. ap. Non. 1, 221: mare inferum, the Lower, i. e. the Tuscan Sea (opp. mare superum, the Upper or Adriatic Sea), Mel. 2, 4; Plin. 3, 5, 10, § 75; Cic. Att. 9, 3, 1; id. de Or. 3, 19 et saep. also without mare:

navigatio infero,

upon the Tuscan Sea, id. Att. 9, 5, 1.—

B.

In partic., underground, belonging to the Lower World: infĕri, ōrum, m. ( gen. inferūm for inferorum, Varr. ap. Macr. S. 1, 16; Sen. de Ira, 2, 35), the inhabitants of the infernal regions, the dead:

triceps apud inferos Cerberus,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 5, 10:

si ab inferis exsistat rex Hiero,

were to rise from the dead, Liv. 26, 32:

si salvi esse velint, Sulla sit iis ab inferis excitandus,

to be raised from the dead, Cic. Cat. 2, 9, 20:

inferorum animas elicere,

id. Vatin. 6, 14:

ad inferos poenas parricidii luere,

in the infernal regions, id. Phil. 14, 12, 32:

ab inferis excitare aliquem,

i. e. to quote the words of one deceased, id. Or. 25, 85; id. Brut. 93, 322.

II.

Comp.: infĕrĭor, ius, lower in situation or place.

A.

Lit.:

spatium,

Caes. B. G. 7, 46, 3:

locus,

id. ib. 2, 25:

pars,

id. ib. 7, 35: ex inferiore loco dicere, from below (opp. ex superiore loco, from the tribunal), Cic. Att. 2, 24, 3; cf.

superus, II. A.: onerosa suo pondere in inferius feruntur,

downwards, Ov. M. 15, 241:

scriptura,

Cic. Inv. 2, 40, 117.— Plur. subst.: infĕrĭōres, um, m., the people of the lower part of the city, Auct. B. Alex. 6, 3. —

B.

Trop.

1.

Subsequent, later, latter, in time or succession:

erant inferiores quam illorum aetas, qui, etc.,

lived later, were younger, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 5, 2; cf.:

aetate inferiores paulo quam Iulius, etc.,

id. Brut. 49, 182; and:

inferioris aetatis esse,

id. ib. 64, 228:

inferiores quinque dies,

the latter, Varr. L. L. 6, § 13 Müll. —

2.

Inferior in quality, rank, or number.

(α).

With abl. specif.:

voluptatibus erant inferiores, nec pecuniis ferme superiores,

Cic. Rep. 2, 34:

inferior fortunā,

id. Fam. 13, 5, 2:

dignitate, auctoritate, existimatione, gratia non inferior, quam qui umquam fuerunt amplissimi,

id. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 6:

inferiores animo,

Caes. B. G. 3, 24:

quemadmodum causa inferior, dicendo fieri superior posset,

Cic. Brut. 8:

erat multo inferior navium numero Brutus,

Caes. B. C. 1, 57. — With abl.:

ut humanos casus virtute inferiores putes,

Cic. Lael. 2.—

(β).

With in and abl.:

in jure civili non inferior, quam magister fuit,

Cic. Brut. 48, 179.—

(γ).

Absol.:

inferiores extollere,

Cic. Lael. 20, 72; cf. id. ib. §

71: invident homines maxime paribus aut inferioribus,

id. de Or. 2, 52, 209; cf.:

indignum est, a pari vinci aut superiore, indignius ab inferiore atque humiliore,

id. Quint. 31:

supplices inferioresque,

id. Font. 11:

ordines,

Caes. B. C. 1, 46:

crudelis in inferiores,

Auct. Her. 4, 40:

non inferiora secutus,

naught inferior, Verg. A. 6, 170.

III.

Sup. in two forms: infĭmus (or infŭmus ) and īmus.

A.

Form infimus (infumus), a, um, lowest, last (= imus;

but where the lowest of several objects is referred to, infimus is used,

Cic. N. D. 1, 37, 103; 2, 6, 17; v. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 588).

1.

Lit.:

stabiliendi causa singuli ab infimo solo pedes terra exculcabantur,

Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 7:

ab infimis radicibus montis,

id. B. C. 1, 41, 3; 1, 42, 2:

cum scripsissem haec infima,

Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 6:

ab infima ara,

from the lowest part of the altar, id. Div. 1, 33; cf.:

sub infimo colle,

the foot, Caes. B. G. 7, 79. — Subst.: infĭmum, i, n., the lowest part, bottom, in the phrase:

ab infimo,

from below, at the bottom, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 140:

collis erat leniter ab infimo acclivis,

Caes. B. G. 7, 19, 1 (for which, ab imo;

v. below, B. 1.): stipites demissi et ab infimo revincti,

id. ib. 7, 73, 3; cf. Sen. Q. N. 3, 30, 4; 6, 4, 1; so,

ad infimum,

at the bottom, Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 3:

collis passus circiter CC. infimus apertus,

at the bottom, id. ib. 2, 18, 2.—

2.

Trop., lowest, meanest, basest in quality or rank:

infima faex populi,

Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 6; cf.:

condicio servorum,

id. Off. 1, 13:

infimo loco natus,

id. Fl. 11:

summos cum infimis pari jure retinebat,

id. Off. 2, 12:

humilitas natalium,

Plin. 18, 6, 7, § 37:

preces,

the most humble, Liv. 8, 2; 29, 30. — Hence, infĭmē, adv., only trop., at the bottom (late Lat.):

quid summe est, quid infime,

Aug. Ep. 18, 2. —

B.

Form imus, a, um, the lowest, deepest, last ( = infimus; but when opp. to summus, to express a whole from end to end, imus is used; v. Suet. Aug. 79; Quint. 2, 13, 9; Liv. 24, 34, 9; Cic. Rosc. Com. 7, 20; Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 54; cf. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 588).

1.

Lit.:

ab imis unguibus usque ad verticem summum,

Cic. Rosc. Com. 7, 20:

terra ima sede semper haeret,

id. Rep. 6, 18:

fundo in imo,

at the very bottom, Verg. A. 6, 581: vox, the deepest bass (opp. vox summa, the treble), Hor. S. 1, 3, 7; Quint. 11, 3, 15:

conviva,

that reclines at the bottom, Hor. S. 2, 8, 40; Mart. 6, 74:

ad imam quercum,

at the foot of the oak, Phaedr. 2, 4, 3:

in aure ima,

at the bottom of the ear, Plin. 11, 45, 103, § 205. — As substt.

A.

Plur.: īmi, ōrum, m., the lowest, most humble:

aequalis ad maximos imosque pervenit clementiae tuae admiratio,

Sen. Clem. 1, 1, 9:

pacis et armorum superis imisque deorum Arbiter,

Ov. F. 5, 665. —

B.

īmum, i, n., the bottom, depth, low [p. 945] est part. Lit.:

ab imo ad summum,

Hor. S. 2, 3, 308:

locus erat paulatim ab imo acclivis,

Caes. B. G. 3, 19, 1 (for which, ab infimo; v. above, A. 1.); so,

tigna paulum ab imo praeacuta,

id. ib. 4, 17:

suspirare ab imo,

to fetch a deep sigh, Ov. A. A. 3, 675:

(aures) instabiles imo facit,

at the bottom. at their roots, id. M. 11, 177:

aquae perspicuae imo,

down to the bottom, id. ib. 5, 588. — Plur.:

ima summis mutare,

to turn the lowest into the highest, Hor. C. 1, 34, 12; Vell. 2, 2:

ima,

the under world, Ov. M. 10, 47.—With gen.:

ima maris,

the bottom of the sea, Plin. 32, 6, 21, § 64:

ima montis,

the foot of a mountain, id. 4, 11, 18, § 40.—

2.

Trop., with respect to time or order, the last (mostly poet. ):

mensis,

Ov. F. 2, 52.—Hence, subst.: īmum, i, n., the last, the end:

nihil nostrā intersit an ab summo an ab imo nomina dicere incipiamus,

Auct. Her. 3, 18, 30:

si quid inexpertum scaenae committis... servetur ad imum,

till the last, to the end, Hor. A. P. 126:

dormiet in lucem... ad imum Threx erit,

at last, id. Ep. 1, 18, 35.