amoenus

ămoenus, a, um, adj. [amo; some comp. ameinôn], lovely, delightful, pleasant, charming (in gen. of objects affecting the sense of sight only; as a beautiful landscape, gar dens, rivers, pictures, etc.: amoena loca.. quod solum amorem praestentetad se amanda adliciant, Varr. ap. Isid. Orig. 14:

amoena sunt loca solius voluptatis plena,

Serv. ad Verg. A. 5, 734; while jucundus is used both in a phys. and mental sense; cf. Doed. Syn. III. p 36; class. in prose and poetry).

I.

Lit.: amoena salicta, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 20, 40 (Ann. v. 40 Vahl.): Ennius, qui primus amoeno Detulit ex Helicone perenni fronde coronam, who first from the charming Helicon, etc., Lucr. 1, 117:

fons,

id. 4, 1024:

locus,

Cic. de Or. 2, 71, 290:

praediola,

id. Att. 16, 3, 4:

loca amoena voluptaria,

Sall. C. 11, 5 Kritz:

amoena piorum Concilia,

Verg. A. 5, 734:

Devenere locos laetos et amoena virecta Fortunatorum nemorum sedesque beatas,

id. ib. 6, 638:

rus,

Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 6:

aquae, aurae,

id. C. 3, 4, 7: hae latebrae dulces, etiam, si credis, amoenae, delightful to me (subjectively), but also in and of themselves (objectively) pleasant, id. Ep. 1, 16, 15 Schmid.; cf.

Doed. Syn. III. p. 35: amoenae Farfarus umbrae,

Ov. M. 14, 330, where Merkel, opacae Farfarus undae:

amoenissima aedificia,

Tac. H. 3, 30:

pictura,

Plin. 35, 10, 37 fin. —In reproach: cultus amoenior, too showy, coquetting, Liv. 4, 44, 11.—As subst., ămoena, ōrum, n. (cf. abditus, etc.), pleasant places:

per amoena Asiae atque Achaiae,

Tac. A. 3, 7:

amoena litorum,

id. H. 3, 76. —

II.

Transf. to other things (rare, and for the most part only post-Aug.):

vita,

Tac. A. 15, 55:

ingenium,

id. ib. 2, 64; so id. ib. 13, 3:

animus, i. e. amoenitatibus deditus,

Aur. Vict. Epit. 1:

amoenissima verba,

Gell. 2, 26; 16, 3; 18, 5 al.—Hence, adv.

* a.

Old form ămoenĭter:

hilare atque amoeniter vindemiam agitare,

joyfully and delightfully, Gell. 20, 8.—

b.

Usu. form ămoenē;

* in respect to smell,

sweetly, fragrantly, Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 2; of a dwelling, pleasantly (in sup. ), Plin. Ep. 4, 23; of discourse (in comp. ), Gell. 14, 1, 32.