tenuitas

tĕnŭĭtas, ātis. f. [tenuis], thinness, slenderness, fineness, smallness, tenuity (class.).

I.

Lit.:

casurusne in conspectum videatur animus, an tanta sit ejus tenuitas, ut fugiat aciem,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 22, 50:

valetudo modo bona sit, tenuitas ipsa delectat,

slimness, id. Brut. 16, 64:

crurum,

Phaedr. 1, 12, 6: aëris, rarity (with siccitas), Sen. Q. N. 2, 10, 1:

lini,

Plin. 19, 1, 2, § 9:

chartae,

id. 13, 12, 24, § 79:

capillamenti,

id. 11, 37, 65, § 171:

liniam duxit summae tenuitatis per tabulam,

id. 35, 10, 36, § 81:

caudae,

id. 8, 33, 51, § 121:

cribri,

id. 18, 11, 27, § 105:

aquae,

thinness, clearness, purity, id. 31, 3, 23, § 38; cf.

sanguinis,

id. 11, 39, 92, § 226 et saep.—

B.

Transf. (acc. to tenuis, I. B.), smallness, insignificance, poverty, indigence, scarcity:

Magii,

Cic. de Or. 2, 66, 265:

alicujus,

Cic. Fil. Fam. 16, 21, 4; Caes. B. G. 7, 17:

aerarii,

Cic. Off. 2, 21, 74:

earum rerum, quas terra procreet, vel ubertatem vel tenuitatem,

id. Div. 2, 13, 30.—

II.

Trop., fineness, acuteness, minuteness in language:

limata tenuitas et rerum et verborum,

Cic. Fin. 3, 12, 40; id. Opt. Gen. Or. 3, 9:

(dialectica) sectas ad tenuitatem suam vires ipsā subtilitate consumet,

Quint. 12, 2, 13; 12, 10, 35; 10, 2, 23:

discriminum ac differentiarum tenuitates,

fine shades, Gell. 1, 3, 29.