tibicen

tībīcen, ĭnis, m. [contr. from tībĭĭcen, from tibia-cano], a piper, flute-player, flutist.

I.

Lit.:

age, tibicen, refer ad labias tibias, suffla celeriter tibi buccas,

Plaut. Stich. 5, 4, 41:

si tibiae non referant sonum, abiciendas sibi tibicen putat,

Cic. Brut. 51, 192:

tibicen sine tibiis canere non potest,

id. de Or. 2, 83, 338; id Leg. 2, 24, 62; id. Ac. 2, 7, 20; id. Dom. 47 123; id. Agr. 2, 34, 93; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 98; id. A. P. 415:

tibicines abierunt,

Liv. 9, 30, 5:

funus celebratum... praecedente tibicine,

Plin. 10, 43, 60, § 122; Val. Max. 2, 5, 4: transit idem jurisconsultus tibicinis Latini modo, i. e. preludes or rehearses the legal formulas (as the flutist accompanies the actors), Cic. Mur. 12, 26. — Sing. collect.:

crebro tibicine,

Cic. Sen. 13, 44. —

II.

Transf., a kind of pillar, support, or prop of a building, Cat. 61, 158; Ov. F. 4, 695:

urbem colimus tenui tibicine fultum,

Juv. 3, 193. —

Of Atlas, supporting the heaven,

Arn. 2, 92; cf.:

tibicines in aedificiis dici existimantur a similitudine tibiis canentium, qui ut cantantes sustineant, ita illi aedificiorum tecta,

Fest. p. 366 Müll.