monstrum

monstrum, i, n. [moneo].

I.

Orig. belonging to relig. lang., a divine omen indicating misfortune, an evil omen, portent (syn.:

ostentum, prodigium, portentum): quia ostendunt, portendunt, monstrant, praedicunt, ostenta, portenta, monstra, prodigia dicuntur,

Cic. Div. 1, 42, 93; cf.: monstrum dictum velut monestrum, quod moneat aliquid futurum; prodigium velut praedicium, quod praedicat; portentum quod portendat; ostentum, quod ostendat, Paul. ex Fest. p. 140 and 138 Müll.; cf. id. ib. p. 157: hic est nullum (dubium) quin monstrum siet, Enn. ap. Non. 469, 6 (Trag. v. 326 Vahl.):

monstra deūm,

Verg. A. 3, 59; cf. Ov. M. 15, 571.—

II.

Transf., a monster, monstrosity (whether a living being or an inanimate thing).

A.

Ofliving beings:

monstrum hominis,

you monster of a man, Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 29:

monstrum advenit,

id. ib. 5, 2, 21:

horrendum, of Polyphemus,

Verg. A. 3, 658.—Also with respect to character:

en monstrum mulieris,

that monster of a woman, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 64:

nulla jam pernicies a monstro illo atque prodigio comparabitur,

Cic. Cat. 2, 1, 1:

fatale, of Cleopatra,

Hor. C. 1, 37, 21:

tune etiam, immanissimum ac foedissimum monstrum ausus es?

Cic. Pis. 14, 31:

hominum,

monsters of men, Gell. 17, 1, 1.—Of beasts:

succinctam latrantibus inguina monstris, i. e. canibus,

Verg. E. 6, 75:

quae plurima terrae monstra ferunt,

id. G. 1, 185.—

B.

Of inanim. things, of the sea, Verg. A. 5, 849:

infelix, of the Trojan horse,

id. ib. 2, 245.—Of the ship Argo, Cat. 64, 15:

non mihi jam furtum, sed monstrum ac prodigium videbatur,

Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 73, § 171: monstra narrare, dicere, to relate wonders, prodigies, marvels:

mera monstra narrabat,

Cic. Att. 4, 7, 1:

dicere,

id. Tusc. 4, 24, 54:

ac portenta loqui,

Lucr. 590:

totaque jam sparsis exarserat insula monstris,

Val. Fl. 2, 248:

in vitā suā fecit monstra,

he did wonderful things, Vulg. Eccl. 48, 15; Sap. 19, 8.