acies

ăcĭēs, ēi, f. [v. 2. acer] ( gen. acii and [p. 23] acie, like dii and die, facii and facie, fr. dies, facies, Cn. Mat. ap. Gell. 9, 14; Caes. B. G. 2, 23; Sall. ap. Serv. ad Verg. G. 1, 208, or Sall. Fragm. ed. Kritz. p. 118; cf. Prisc. p. 780 P.), a sharp edge or point.

I.

Lit., of a sword, dagger, sickle, etc.:

gladiorum,

Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 11: Vulg. Heb. 11, 34:

securium,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43, § 113:

falcis,

Verg. G. 2, 365:

hastae,

Ov. M. 3, 107:

ferri,

Plin. 7, 15, 13.—

B.

Transf.

1.

Of the sense or faculty of sight,

a.

Keenness of look or glance, sharpness of vision or sight: oculorum, Lucil. ap. Non. 34, 32; cf. Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4; Lucr. 1, 324;

also acies alone,

id. 2, 420; and in plur., id. 4, 693:

ne vultum quidem atque aciem oculorum ferre potuisse,

Caes. B. G. 1, 39:

pupula ad te dirigit aciem,

Cat. 63, 56:

tanta tenuitas, ut fugiat aciem,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 22:

bonum incolumis acies, misera caecitas,

id. Fin. 5, 28, 84; so ib. 4, 24; Verg. A. 12, 558 al.—Hence,

b.

Concr., the pupil of the eye, Lucr. 3, 411; cf.

with 414: acies ipsa, quā cernimus, quae pupula vocatur,

Cic. N. D. 2, 57:

in Albania gigni quosdam glaucā oculorum acie,

Plin. 7, 2, 2 (cf. ib.: glaucis oculis); and poet. (as pars pro toto) for the eye, Lucr. 3, 363; 4, 249; 281; 358;

720: huc geminas nunc flecte acies,

Verg. A. 6, 789; 12, 658 (hence the word is also used in the plur., cf. below, 2.).—

c.

A looking at an object with fixed attention, look, aim:

ad eam rem habeo omnem aciem,

Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 38.—On the contr., prima acie, at the first glance, Lucr. 2, 448 (cf. primo aspectu, Cic. de Or. 3, 25, 98).—

2.

In milit. lang., the front of an army (conceived of as the edge of a sword), line of battle, battle-array.

a.

In abstr. (cf. Vitr. praef. 1. 7, p. 154 Rod.):

quibus ego si aciem exercitus nostri ostendero,

Cic. Cat. 2, 3, 5:

aciem instruere,

Caes. B. G. 1, 22:

dirigere,

id. ib. 6, 8:

extra aciem procurrere,

id. B. C. 1, 55:

statuit non proeliis, neque in acie, sed alio more bellum gerendum,

Sall. J. 54; cf. Liv. 5, 41, 4;

also of the arrangement of ships for a naval engagement,

Nep. Hann. 11; cf. Caes. B. C. 1, 58.—Hence, metaph.

b.

The battlearray; in concr., an army drawn up in order of battle: acies est instructa a nobis decem cohortium, Galba ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30:

hostium acies cernebatur,

Caes. B. G. 7, 62: altera pars acii vitassent fluminis undas, Matius ap. Gell. 9, 14 (as transl. of Il. 21 init. ):

dubitavit acie pars, Sall. Fragm. l. l.: stabit ante aciem,

Vulg. Deut. 20, 2; 1 Par. 12, 33:

prima acies hastati erant,

the van, the first line, Liv. 8, 8:

tertiam aciem laborantibus subsidio mittere,

Caes. B. G. 1, 52: ab novissima acie, from the rear:

ante signa procedere,

Liv. 8, 10:

dextra acies (= dextrum cornu),

the right wing, Liv. 27, 48, 8:

agmina magis quam acies pugnabant,

in marching order, rather than in order of battle, id. 25, 34 (acies is here, and in similar cases, considered as the sing. used collectively; v. Oud. and Herz. Caes. B. G. 7, 62; yet the plur. is more than probable). Rarely of cavalry, Liv. 8, 39; Vell. 2, 112.— Poet.: acies Vulcania, of a long line of fire, Verg. A. 10, 408.—

c.

The action of the troops drawn up in battlearray, a battle, engagement, = pugna: in acie celebri objectans vitam, Pac. ap. Non. 234, 25; Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4: mea facta in acie obliti, Att. ap. Non. 502, 1:

in acie Pharsalica,

Cic. Lig. 3; so id. Fam. 6, 3:

in acie vincere,

Caes. B. G. 7, 29:

dimicare,

ib. 7, 64:

copias in aciem ducere,

Liv. 31, 34:

producere in aciem,

Nep. Milt. 5:

excedere acie,

Caes. B. C. 2, 41; Liv. 31, 17:

direxerunt aciem contra eos,

Vulg. Gen. 14, 8; 2 Par. 18, 33.—

3.

Acies ferri, steel, Plin. 34, 14, 41.—

4.

Poet., sheen, brightness:

obtunsa stellarum,

Verg. G. 1, 395.

II.

Fig.

A.

(Acc. to I. B.) (like acumen. ) Acuteness of the mind, sharpness, force, power (so very often in Cicero, but always with the gen. mentis, animi, ingenii):

(cum animus) exacuerit illam, ut oculorum, sic ingenii aciem ad bona eligenda, etc.,

Cic. Leg. 1, 23, 60; so,

ingenii,

id. Ac. 2, 39, 122:

mentis,

id. N. D. 2, 17, 45; id. Tusc. 1, 30, 73:

animi,

id. Sen. 23, 83; id. Phil. 12, 2; Vell. 2, 118, 4; cf.:

rerum diversitas aciem intentionis abrumpit,

Flor. 1 prol., § 3.—

B.

A verbal contest, disputation, discussion, debate:

orationis aciem contra conferam,

Plaut. Ep. 4, 1, 20: ad philosophos me revocas, qui in aciem non saepe prodeunt, Cic. Tusc. 2, 25, 60:

nos jam in aciem dimicationemque veniamus,

id. Or. 13 fin.; cf. id. Opt. Gen. Or. 5, 17; Quint. 2, 10, 8; 6, 4, 17; 10, 1, 29.