stirps

stirps (collat. form of the nom. stir-pes or stirpis, in the best MSS., Liv. 1, 1 fin.; 41, 8, 10; 26, 13, 16; v. Drak. ad locc.), pis, f. ( poet. and post-Aug.; also m., Enn. ap. Fest. p. 313 Müll., and ap. Non. 226, 32 (Ann. 184); Pac. ap. Non. 227, 2 (Trag. Fragm. 421), and ap. Charis. p. 85 P.; Cato, R. R. 40, 2; Verg. G. 2, 379; id. A. 12, 208; 12, 770; 12, 781; Col. 5, 9, 13; Plin. 8, 26, 40, § 96; cf. Quint. 1, 6, 2) [root star-; cf. sternere; Gr. storennumi; prop. that which extends or spreads].

I.

Lit., the lower part of the trunk of plants, including the roots; a stock, stem, stalk; a root (class. and very freq.; cf.

radix): arborum altitudo nos delectat. radices stirpesque non item,

Cic. Or. 43, 147:

terra stirpes amplexa alat,

id. N. D. 2, 33, 83; cf. id. ib. 2, 10, 26; 2, 47, 120;

2, 51, 127: ut tantum modo per stirpis alantur suas,

id. ib. 2, 32, 81:

sceptrum in silvis imo de stirpe recisum,

Verg. A. 12, 208: harundo omnis ex unā stirpe numerosa, Plin. 16, 36, 65, §

163: palmarum stirpibus ali,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 38, § 99; so,

palmarum,

id. ib. 2, 5, 50, §

131 (for which: radices palmarum,

id. ib. 2, 5, 33, § 87); cf.:

lento in stirpe moratus,

Verg. A. 12, 781 (for which, just before:

lentā in radice): stirpes raptas volvere,

Hor. C. 3, 29, 37:

validis amplexae stirpibus ulmos,

Verg. G. 2, 367:

hic stirpes obruit arvo,

id. ib. 2, 24:

domos avium cum stirpibus imis Eruit,

id. ib. 2, 209; cf.

of hair: vellere albos ab stirpe capillos,

Prop. 3 (4), 25, 13; Tib. 1, 8, 45:

ex hac nimiā licentiā, ut ex stirpe quādam, exsistere, etc.,

Cic. Rep. 1, 44, 68.—

B.

Transf.

1.

Of vegetables.

a.

A plant, shrub (esp. freq. in plur.):

stirpium naturae,

Cic. Fin. 5, 4, 10; cf.:

cum arborum et stirpium eadem paene natura sit,

id. ib. 5, 11, 33; so (with arbores) id. Phil. 2, 22, 55; (with herbae) id. N. D. 2, 64, 161:

pati (terram) stirpium asperitate vastari,

id. ib. 2, 39, 99:

stirpes tenent,

Luc. 4, 42:

internatas saxis stirpes et herbas vellentes,

Tac. H. 4, 60.—

b.

A shoot, sprout:

rami stirpesque,

Lucr. 5, 1100:

stirpem praecisum circumligato, etc.,

Cato, R. R. 40, 2:

probatissimum genus stirpis deponere, i. e. malleolos,

Col. 3, 5, 4:

stirpem post annum praecidi,

id. 5, 6, 13:

stirpis committere ramis,

engraft, Lucr. 5, 1365.—

2.

Of persons.

a.

A stem, stock, race, family, lineage (cf.:

genus, familia): ignoratio stirpis et generis,

Cic. Lael. 19, 70:

stirpis ac gentilitatis jus,

id. de Or. 1, 39, 176:

qui sunt ejusdem stirpis,

id. Rab. Post. 1, 2: a stirpe supremo, Enn. ap. Non. 226, 32 (Ann. v. 184 Vahl.):

divinae stirpis Acestes,

Verg. A. 5, 711:

Priami de stirpe,

id. ib. 5, 297:

Herculis stirpe generatus,

Cic. Rep. 2, 12, 24:

hinc orti stirpe antiquissimā sumus,

id. Leg. 2, 1, 3:

hominum sceleratorum,

Caes. B. G. 6, 34:

ab stirpe socius et amicus populi Romani,

Sall. J. 14, 2 et saep.:

unum relictum, stirpem genti Fabiae futurum,

Liv. 2, 50 fin. —

b.

Like Engl. scion, = offspring, descendant, progeny (mostly poet.; not in Cic.): stirps liberum, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 16 Müll. (Trag. v. 317 Vahl.); so,

liberum,

Liv. 45, 11; cf.:

aliquis magnā de stirpe nepotum,

Verg. A. 6, 864:

stirps et genus omne futurum,

id. ib. 4, 622; cf.:

en stirps et progenies tot consulum, tot dictatorum,

Tac. A. 2, 37 fin.:

stirpis virilis,

Liv. 1, 1, 11; cf.:

qui stirpem ex sese domi relinquerent,

id. 41, 8, 9.—

II.

Trop., source, origin, foundation, first beginning, cause, etc.:

altae stirpes stultitiae,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 6, 13:

superstitionis stirpes,

id. Div. 2, 72, 149:

virtutis,

id. Cael. 32, 79:

quā ex stirpe orirentur amicitiae cognationum,

id. Fin. 4, 7, 17:

quodsi exquiratur usque ab stirpe auctoritas,

Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 180:

populum a stirpe repetere,

Cic. Rep. 3, 12, 21 Mos.:

repetam stirpem juris a naturā,

id. Leg. 1, 6, 20:

stirps ac semen malorum omnium,

id. Cat. 1, 12, 30; cf.:

ea pars, quae quasi stirps est hujus quaestionis,

id. Fin. 4, 2, 5:

non ingenerantur hominibus mores tam a stirpe generis ac seminis, quam, etc.,

original nature, id. Agr. 2, 35, 95; cf.:

exoletā stirpe gentis,

Liv. 37, 8, 4.—So esp. in phrase ab stirpe, utterly:

Karthago ab stirpe interiit,

Sall. C. 10, 1:

gens ab stirpe exstincta est,

Liv. 9, 34, 19:

omne genus ab stirpe sublatum esse,

id. 34, 2, 3; cf.:

omnis intra annum cum stirpe exstinctos,

id. 9, 29, 10:

velut ab stirpibus renata urbs,

id. 6, 1, 3.