Nox

nox, noctis (collat. form of the abl. noctu; v. in the foll.: nox, adverb. for nocte; v. fin. ), f. (once masc. in Cato; v. infra, I.) [Sanscr. nak, naktis, night; Gr. nux; Germ. Nacht; Engl. night; from root naç; cf. neco, nekus], night.

I.

Lit.: hinc nox processit stellis ardentibus apta, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 343 Vahl.):

ipsa umbra terrae soli officiens noctem efficit,

Cic. N. D. 2, 19, 49:

negat ullum esse cibum tam gravem, quin is die et nocte concoquatur,

in a day and a night, in twenty-four hours, id. ib. 2, 9, 24 (v. dies, I. B. 2.):

quod serenā nocte subito candens et plena luna defecisset,

id. Rep. 1, 15, 23:

dinumerationibus noctium ac dierum,

id. ib. 3, 2, 3:

Milo mediā nocte in campum venit,

id. Att. 4, 3, 4:

omni nocte dieque,

Juv. 3, 105:

de nocte,

by night, Cic. Mur. 33, 69:

multā de nocte profectus est,

late at night, id. Att. 7, 4, 2; and:

vigilare de nocte,

id. Mur. 9, 22 (v. de, I. B. 2.):

multā nocte veni ad Pompeium,

id. Q. Fr. 2, 9, 2:

qui ad multam noctem vigilāssem,

id. Rep. 6, 10, 10:

ad multam noctem pugnatum est,

Caes. B. G. 1, 26:

sub noctem naves solvit,

id. B. C. 1, 28:

noctes et dies urgeri,

night and day, Cic. de Or. 1, 61, 260; cf.:

qui (scrupulus) se dies noctesque stimulat,

id. Rosc. Am. 2, 6 et saep. (v. dies, I. B. 2.):

concubiā nocte visum esse in somnis ei, etc.,

id. Div. 1, 27, 57 (v. concubius).—

(β).

Abl. noctu: hac noctu filo pendebit Etruria tota, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 1, 4 (Ann. v. 153 Vahl.); so,

hac noctu,

Plaut. Am. 1, 1. 116:

noctu hac,

id. Mil. 2, 4, 28: noctu concubiā, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 1, 4 (Ann. v. 169 Vahl.):

senatus de noctu convenire, noctu multā domum dimitti, Quadrig. ib.: ergo noctu futura, cum media esse coeperit, auspicium Saturnaliorum erit,

Macr. S. 1, 4 fin. —Once masc. (as in cum primo lucu;

v. lux): in sereno noctu,

Cato, R. R. 156, 3.—

2.

In partic., personified: Nox, the goddess of Night, the sister of Erebus, and by him the mother of Æther and Hemera, Cic. N. D. 2, 17, 44; Hyg. Fab. prooem.; Verg. A. 5, 721; Serv. Verg. A. 6, 250; Tib. 2, 1, 87; 3, 4 17; Ov. F. 1, 455; Val. Fl. 3, 211; Stat. Th. 2, 59 et saep.—

B.

Transf.

1.

That which takes place or is done at night, nightdoings, night-work ( poet. and in post-class. prose):

omnis et insanā semita nocte sonat,

nocturnal noise, a revelling by night, Prop. 5, 8, 60; Val. Fl. 2, 219.—Hence, Noctes Atticae, the title of a work of Gellius, which he wrote at Athens by night, Gell. praef.—

2.

Sleep, a dream ( poet. ): pectore noctem Accipit, [p. 1221] Verg. A. 4, 530:

talia vociferans noctem exturbabat,

Stat. Th. 10, 219:

abrupere oculi noctem,

id. ib. 9, 599; Sil. 3, 216.—

3.

In mal. part., Plaut. Trin. 2, 1, 21; id. As. 1, 3, 42; Cic. Att. 1, 16, 5; Hor. Epod. 15, 13; Stat. Th. 1, 69; Just. 12, 3 et saep.; cf.:

nox vidua,

Cat. 6, 7; Ov. H. 19, 69.—

4.

Death ( poet. ):

omnes una manet nox,

Hor. C. 1, 28, 15:

jam te premet nox fabulaeque Manes,

id. ib. 1, 4, 16:

in aeternam clauduntur lumina noctem,

Verg. A. 10, 746.—

5.

Darkness, obscurity, the gloom of tempest:

quae lucem eriperet et quasi noctem quandam rebus offunderet,

Cic. N. D. 1, 3, 6:

carcer infernus et perpetuā nocte oppressa regio,

Sen. Ep. 82, 16:

taetrā nimborum nocte coörtā,

Lucr. 4, 172:

imber Noctem hiememque ferens,

Verg. A. 3, 194:

venturam melius praesagit navita noctem,

Prop. 4, 10, 5 (mortem, Müll.).—Hence, poet., of clouds of missiles, Luc. 7, 520; Val. Fl. 7, 598:

veteris sub nocte cupressi,

the shadow, id. 1, 774.—

6.

Blindness:

perpetuāque trahens inopem sub nocte senectam Phineus,

Ov. M. 7, 2: ego vero non video, nox oboritur, Sen. ap. Quint. 9, 2, 43: vultus perpetuā nocte coöpertus, Ps.-Quint. Decl. 1, 6. —

7.

The shades below, the infernal regions:

descendere nocti,

Sil. 13, 708:

noctis arbiter,

i. e. Pluto, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 1, 55.—

II.

Trop.

A.

Darkness, confusion, gloomy condition:

doleo me in hanc rei publicae noctem incidisse,

Cic. Brut. 96, 330; cf.:

rei publicae offusa sempiterna nox esset,

id. Rosc. Am. 32, 91:

nox ingens scelerum,

Luc. 7, 571.—

B.

Mental darkness, ignorance ( poet. ):

quantum mortalia pectora caecae Noctis habent,

Ov. M. 6, 472.—

2.

Obscurity, unintelligibility:

mei versus aliquantum noctis habebunt,

Ov. Ib. 63.— Hence, adv.: nocte, noctū (cf. diu), and nox, in the night, at night, by night.

(α).

Form nocte (rare but class.):

luce noctem, nocte lucem exspectatis,

Auct. Her. 4, 36, 48:

in campum nocte venire,

Cic. Att. 4, 3, 4 (shortly after:

in Comitium Milo de nocte venit): nec discernatur, interdiu nocte pugnent,

Liv. 8, 34 fin.; so id. 21, 32, 10; cf.:

nec nocte nec interdiu,

id. 1, 47; Juv. 3, 127, 198:

velut nocte in ignotis locis errans,

Quint. 7 prol. 3.—

(β).

Form noctu (so most freq.): ob Romam noctu legiones ducere coepit, Enn. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 179 Müll. (Ann. v. 295 Vahl.):

noctuque et diu,

Plaut. Cas. 4, 4, 5; so, noctu diuque, Titin. and Sall. Hist. Fragm. ap. Charis. p. 185 P.; cf.: nec noctu nec diu, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Non. 98, 27:

continuum diu noctuque iter properabant,

Tac. A. 15, 12 fin.:

quā horā, noctu an interdiu,

Auct. Her. 2, 4, 7; cf.:

nonnumquam interdiu, saepius noctu,

Caes. B. G. 1, 8 fin.:

noctu ambulabat in publico Themistocles,

Cic. Tusc. 4, 19, 44:

noctu ad oppidum respicientes,

id. Div. 1, 32, 69; id. Fam. 14, 7, 1:

noctu Jugurthae milites introducit,

Sall. J. 12, 4:

noctu profugere,

id. ib. 106, 2:

dum noctu stertit,

Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 27:

noctu litigare,

Juv. 6, 35; 605; 14, 306.—

(γ).

Form nox (cf. pernox, and the Gr. nuktos, only ante-class.): SI NOX FVRTVM FACTVM SIT, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Macr. S. 1, 4 med.:

hinc media remis Palinurum pervenio nox,

Lucil. Sat. 3, 22: quin tu hic manes? Arg. Nox si voles manebo, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 7 Ussing (al. mox); cf. id. Trin. 4, 2, 22 Brix, Krit. Anh. and Ritschl, ed. 2: si luci, si nox, si mox, si jam data sit frux, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 724 P. (Ann. v. 412 Vahl.); cf. Gell. 12, 1.