aridum

ārĭdus (contr. ardus, like arfacio from arefacio, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 18; Lucil. ap. Non. p. 74, 20; Inscr. Grut. 207), a, um, adj. [areo], dry, withered, arid, parched.

I.

Lit.:

ligna,

Lucr. 2, 881:

lignum,

Hor. C. 3, 17, 13; so Vulg. Eccli. 6, 3; ib. Isa. 56, 3:

cibus,

Lucr. 1, 809; so id. 1, 864:

ficis victitamus aridis,

Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 59:

folia,

Cic. Pis. 40, 97, and Plin. 12, 12, 26, § 46:

ficus,

Vulg. Marc. 11, 20:

Libye,

Ov. M. 2, 238:

quale portentum Jubae tellus leonum Arida nutrix,

Hor. C. 1, 22, 16:

terra arida et sicca,

Plin. 2, 65, 66, § 166; so,

terra arida,

Vulg. Sap. 19, 7:

arida terra,

ib. Heb. 11, 29; so absol.:

arida (eccl. Lat.),

ib. Gen. 1, 9; ib. Psa. 65, 6; ib. Matt. 23, 15: montes aridi sterilesque. Plin. 33, 4, 21, § 67.—Also, subst.: ārĭdum, [p. 161] i, n., a dry place, dry land:

ex arido tela conicere,

Caes. B. G. 4, 25:

naves in aridum subducere,

id. ib. 4, 29.— Meton., of thirst:

sitis,

Lucr. 3, 917, and 6, 1175; so,

os,

Verg. G. 3, 458:

ora,

id. A. 5, 200: guttur, Ov. [ad Liv. 422].—Of a fever:

febris,

i. e. causing thirst, Verg. G. 3, 458 (cf. Lucr. 4, 875); so,

morbus,

Veg. Vet. Art. 1, 4.—Of color:

arbor folio convoluto, arido colore,

like that of dried leaves, Plin. 12, 26, 59, § 129.—And of a cracking, snapping sound, as when dry wood is broken:

sonus,

Lucr. 6, 119:

aridus altis Montibus (incipit) audiri fragor,

a dry crackling noise begins to be heard in the high mountain forest, Verg. G. 1, 357.—

II.

Trop.

A.

Of things which are dried, shrunk up, shrivelled, meagre, lean:

crura,

Ov. A. A. 3, 272:

nates,

Hor. Epod. 8, 5:

uvis aridior puella passis,

Auct. Priap. 32, 1; so from disease, withered:

manus,

Vulg. Matt. 12, 10; ib. Marc. 3, 1; and absol. of persons:

aridi,

ib. Joan. 5, 3.— Hence, of food or manner of living, meagre, scanty:

in victu arido in hac horridā incultāque vitā,

poor, scanty diet, Cic. Rosc. Am. 27, 75:

vita horrida atque arida,

id. Quinct. 30.— Transf. to men, indigent, poor:

cliens,

Mart. 10, 87, 5.—

B.

Of style, dry, jejune, unadorned, spiritless:

genus sermonis exile, aridum, concisum ac minutum,

Cic. de Or. 2, 38, 159; so Auct. ad Her. 4, 11:

narratio,

Quint. 2, 4, 3:

aridissimi libri,

Tac. Or. 19.— Meton., of the orator himself:

orator,

Quint. 12, 10, 13:

rhetores,

Sen. Contr. 34:

magister,

Quint. 2, 4, 8.—

Of scholars: sicci omnino atque aridi pueri,

sapless and dry, Suet. Gram. 4; cf. Quint. 2, 8, 9.—

C.

In comic lang., avaricious, of a man from whom, as it were, nothing can be expressed (cf. Argentiexterebronides):

pumex non aeque est aridus atque hic est senex,

Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 18:

pater avidus, miser atque aridus,

Ter. Heaut. 3, 2, 15.—

* D.

In Plaut. as a mere natural epithet of metal: arido argentost opus, dry coin, Rud. 3, 4, 21.— Adv. not used.