supercilium

sŭper-cĭlĭum, ii, n. [super and root kal-; Gr. kaluptô; Lat. celāre, to hide, cover; cf. Gr. kulon, epikulion, eyelid; cf. also, Ang.-Sax. hlid; Engl. lid; Germ. Augenlid]:

cilium est folliculus, quo oculus tegitur, unde fit supercilium,

Fest. p. 43 Müll.; Plin. 11, 37, 57, § 157.

I.

Lit., the eye-brow (good prose; more freq. in the plur.).

(α).

Plur.:

ex superciliorum aut remissione aut contractione facile judicabimus, etc.,

Cic. Off. 1, 41, 146:

supercilia abrasa,

id. Rosc. Com. 7, 20:

superiora superciliis obducta sudorem a capite defluentem depellunt,

id. N. D. 2, 57, 143:

nec sedeo duris torva superciliis,

Ov. H. 16 (17), 16:

constricta,

Quint. 1, 11, 10:

torta,

Plaut. Rud. 2, 2, 12:

conjuncta,

Suet. Aug. 79:

usque ad malarum scripturam currentia,

Petr. 126; Plin. 11, 37, 51, § 138:

balenae,

id. 9, 62, 88, § 186; Quint. 11, 3, 78; 11, 3, 79; 11, 3, 160:

mulieres potissimum supercilia sua attribuerunt ei deae (Junoni Lucinae),

Varr. L. L. 5, § 69 Müll.; cf. Fest. p. 305 ib.—

(β).

Sing.:

altero ad frontem sublato, altero ad mentum depresso supercilio,

Cic. Pis. 6, 14:

triste,

Lucr. 6, 1184:

altero erecto, altero composito supercilio,

Quint. 11, 3, 74:

quo supercilio spicit,

Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 100:

hirsutum,

Verg. E. 8, 34; Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 94; Ov. A. A. 3, 201; Juv. 2, 93 al.:

supercilium salit (as a favorable omen),

Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 105.—

B.

Transf., the prominent part of a thing, the brow, ridge, summit (not ante-Aug.):

clivosi tramitis,

Verg. G. 1, 108:

tumuli,

Liv. 34, 29, 11:

infimo stare supercilio,

at the bottom of the projection, id. 27, 18, 10; cf. Stat. Th. 6, 63: supercilium quoddam excelsum nacti, Auct. B. Afr. 58, 1; Plin. 6, 5, 5, § 17.—In archit., a projecting moulding over the scotia of a column or cornice, Vitr. 3, 3 med.; a threshold, id. 4, 6, 5.—Of the coast of the sea:

supercilia ejus sinistra,

Amm. 22, 8, 8; the shore of a river:

Nili,

id. 14, 8, 5:

Rheni,

id. 14, 10, 6:

fluminis,

id. 17, 9, 1:

amnis,

App. M. 5, p. 169, 34.—

II.

Trop.

A.

The nod, the will:

cuncta supercilio movens,

Hor. C. 3, 1, 8; Claud. Ep. ad Ser. 2, 58.—

B.

Pride, haughtiness, arrogance, sternness, superciliousness (class.; mostly sing.):

supercilium ac regius spiritus,

Cic. Agr. 2, 34, 93; id. Sest. 8, 19; id. Red. in Sen. 7, 14; Sen. Ben. 2, 4, 1; Juv. 6, 169; 5, 62:

triste Catonis,

Mart. 11, 2, 1:

pone supercilium,

id. 1, 5, 2:

supercilii matrona severi,

Ov. Tr. 2, 309; cf.:

contegere libidines fronte et supercilio, non pudore et temperantiā,

Cic. Prov. Cons. 4, 8.