subtilitas

subtīlĭtas ( supt- ), ātis, f. [subtilis], fineness, thinness, slenderness, minuteness (syn. tenuitas).

I.

Lit. (mostly post-Aug.;

not in Cic.): linearum,

Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 82:

ferramentorum,

the keen edge, sharpness, id. 28, 9, 41, § 148:

inenarrabilis florum,

id. 21, 1, 1, § 1:

muliebris,

Vitr. 4, 1 med.:

immensa animalium,

Plin. 11, prooem. 1, §

1: caelandi fingendique ac tingendi,

id. 35, prooem. §

1: umoris,

id. 2, 65, 65, § 163. —

II.

Trop.

A.

In gen., keenness, acuteness, penetration, definiteness, exactness, subtlety, etc. (class.;

syn.: acumen, sollertia): sententiarum,

Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 1:

disputandi,

id. Tusc. 3, 23, 56:

ea subtilitas, quam Atticam appellant,

id. Brut. 17, 67:

subtilitas sermonis,

id. Rep. 1, 10, 16:

credunt plerique militaribus ingeniis subtilitatem deesse,

Tac. Agr. 9:

ingens,

Petr. 31:

tanta,

id. 38; Sen. Ep. 113, 1:

Aristoteles, vir immensae subtilitatis,

Plin. 18, 34, 77, § 335; cf.:

litterarum,

id. 2, 108, 112, § 247:

geometrica,

id. 2, 65, 65, § 164:

perversa grammaticorum,

id. 35, 3, 4, § 13:

subtilitas parcimoniae compendia invenit,

id. 17, 22, 35, § 171:

picturae summa suptilitas,

id. 35, 9, 36, § 67:

inutilis,

Sen. Ep. 65, 16:

quaedam inutilia et inefficacia ipsa subtilitas reddit,

id. ib. 82, 24: nimia, id. ib 88, 43.—

B.

In partic., in rhet., plainness, simplicity, absence of ornament:

orationis subtilitas imitabilis quidem illa videtur esse existimanti, sed nihil est experienti minus,

Cic. Or. 23, 76; id. Brut. 84, 291:

suavitatem Isocrates, subtilitatem Lysias, vim Demosthenes habuit,

id. de Or. 3, 7, 28:

subtilitas et elegantia scriptorum,

id. Fam. 4, 4, 1.