tenebra

tĕnē̆brae, ārum (collat. form tĕnē̆bra, ae, Lampr. Commod. 16; App. M. 5, p. 167, 25), f. [akin to Sanscr. tamisra, dark; cf. timere], darkness (stronger than obscuritas, and weaker than caligo; freq. and class.).

I.

Lit.

A.

In gen.:

veluti pueri omnia caecis In tenebris metuant,

Lucr. 2, 56:

tempestas atque tenebrae Coperiunt maria ac terras,

id. 6, 491:

cum obscurato sole tenebrae factae essent repente,

Cic. Rep. 1, 16, 25; cf.:

nos tenebras cogitemus tantas, quantae, etc.,

id. N. D. 2, 38, 96:

tetrae tenebrae et caligo,

id. Agr. 2, 17, 44;

v. caligo: tenebras et solitudinem nacti,

id. Fin. 3, 11, 38:

incultu, tenebris, odore foeda atque terribilis ejus (Tulliani) facies est,

Sall. C. 55, 4:

ipsis noctis tenebris,

Quint. 10, 6, 1:

obtentā densantur nocte tenebrae,

Verg. G. 1, 248:

neve velit (Sol) tenebras inducere rebus,

Ov. M. 2, 395:

tacitae,

Sen. Med. 114. —

B.

In partic.

1.

The darkness of night, night:

redire luce, non tenebris,

Cic. Phil. 2, 30, 76:

classem in statione usque ad noctem tenuit: primis tenebris movit,

Liv. 31, 23, 4:

somnus qui faciat breves tenebras,

Mart. 10, 47, 11:

tenebris,

during the night, Tib. 1, 6, 59; 2, 1, 76; Ov. Am. 1, 6, 10:

tenebris obortis,

Nep. Eum. 9, 5:

per tenebras,

Luc. 2, 686:

(me) videt pulsis Aurora tenebris,

Ov. M. 7, 703:

effulget tenebris Aurora fugatis,

id. ib. 2, 144.—

2.

The darkness or dimness of a swoon, a swoon:

tenebrae oboriuntur, genua inedia succidunt,

Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 30; Verg. A. 11, 824; Ov. M. 2, 181; 12, 136; id. Tr. 1, 3, 91; id. H. 13, 23; Luc. 3, 735; Plin. 7, 6, 5, § 41.—

3.

The darkness of death, death-shades ( poet. and rare):

juro, Me tibi ad extremas mansuram tenebras,

Prop. 2, 20 (3, 13), 17; cf.:

(urbes) ad Erebi profundos hiatus abactae, aeternis tenebris occultantur,

Amm. 17, 7, 13; cf. also in a play upon this signif. and that of B. 1.: certum'st mihi ante tenebras (i. e. noctem) tenebras (i. e. mortem) persequi, Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 88.—

4.

Blindness ( poet. and very rare):

occidit extemplo lumen tenebraeque sequuntur,

Lucr. 3, 415:

tenebras et cladem lucis ademptae Obicit,

Ov. M. 3, 515; 3, 525; Stat. Th. 4, 407. —

C.

Transf., concr., a dark, gloomy place.

1.

A dark bathing-place:

Grylli,

Mart. 2, 14, 13 (cf. id. 1, 60, 3).—

2.

A prison, dungeon:

clausi in tenebris, cum maerore et luctu morte graviorem vitam exigunt,

Sall. J. 14, 15: in atras et profundas tenebras eum claudebant, Tubero ap. Gell. 6, 4, 3. —

3.

Lurking-places, haunts:

emersus ex diuturnis tenebris lustrorum ac stuprorum,

Cic. Sest. 9, 20:

demonstres, ubi sint tuae tenebrae,

Cat. 55, 2.—

4.

Dark or poor lodgings:

quanti nunc tenebras unum conducis in annum,

Juv. 3, 225. —

5.

The infernal regions:

tenebrae malae Orci,

Cat. 3, 13:

infernae,

Verg. A. 7, 325; Hor. C. 4, 7, 25:

Stygiae,

Verg. G. 3, 551:

quid Styga, quid tenebras timetis?

Ov. M. 15, 154.—

II.

Trop., darkness, gloom, obscurity of the mind, of fame, of fortune, fate, etc. (class.):

isti tantis offusis tenebris ne scintillam quidem ullam nobis ad dispiciendum reliquerunt,

Cic. Ac. 2, 19, 61:

obducere tenebras rebus clarissimis,

id. ib. 2, 6, 16; cf.:

omnibus fulgore quodam suae claritatis tenebras obduxit,

Quint. 10, 1, 72: quas tu mihi tenebras cudis? what darkness are you raising about me? i. e. what trick are you playing me? Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 40:

tenebras dispulit calumniae,

Phaedr. 3, 10, 42:

quae jacerent omnia in tenebris, nisi litterarum lumen accederet,

obscurity, concealment, Cic. Arch. 6, 14:

vestram familiam abjectam et obscuram e tenebris in lucem evocavit,

id. Deiot. 11, 30; cf.: o tenebrae, o lutum, o sordes (Piso)! obscurity, i. e. low birth, baseness, id. Pis. 26, 62; id. Att. 7, 11, 1: vitae, gloomy fate or fortunes, Lucr. 2, 15:

qui tibi aestus, qui error, qui tenebrae erunt,

Cic. Div. in Caecil. 14, 45:

in illis rei publicae tenebris caecisque nubibus et procellis,

id. Dom. 10, 24:

ex superioris anni caligine et tenebris lucem in re publicā dispicere,

id. Red. in Sen. 3, 5:

si quid tenebrarum offudit exilium,

id. Tusc. 3, 34, 82:

tamquam si offusa rei publicae sempiterna nox esset, ita ruebant in tenebris omniaque miscebant,

id. Rosc. Am. 32, 91.