urbanus

urbānus, a, um, adj. [urbs], of or belonging to the city or town, city-, town- (opp. rusticus; cf.: urbicus, oppidanus).

I.

Lit.

A.

Adj.:

nostri majores non sine causā praeponebant rusticos Romanos urbanis,

Varr. R. R. 2, praef. §

1: rustica et urbana vita,

id. ib. 3, 1, 1:

vita (opp. rustica),

Quint. 2, 4, 24; cf. Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 17:

urbani assidui cives, quos scurras vocant,

Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 165:

scurra,

id. Most. 1, 1, 14:

leges,

id. Rud. 4, 3, 85:

tribus,

Cic. de Or. 1, 9, 38:

praetor,

Caes. B. C. 3, 20:

plebes,

Sall. C. 37, 4:

servitia,

id. ib. 24, 4:

exercitus,

Liv. 27, 3, 9:

administratio rei publicae (opp. provincialis),

Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 15, § 43:

res,

Plaut. Cas. 1, 13; Caes. B. G. 7, 6:

motus,

id. ib. 7, 1:

luxus,

Tac. A. 2, 44: praedia, land and houses, all land covered by buildings (v. praedium), Dig. 50, 16, 198; 8, 1, 1; cf. ib. 8, tit. 2:

fundus,

Cato, R. R. 8, 2:

rus,

Just. 31, 2:

cohortes,

Dig. 25, 1, 8, § 9.—

2.

Subst.: urbā-nus, i, m., an inhabitant of a city, a city man, citizen:

urbani fiunt rustici,

Plaut. Merc. 4, 3, 15 sq.:

omnes urbani, rustici,

Cic. Fin. 2, 23, 77:

sermo omnis non modo urbanorum, sed etiam rusticorum,

id. Or. 24, 81:

otiosi,

Liv. 5, 20, 6:

obrepere urbanis,

Plin. Ep. 9, 20, 2.—

B.

Esp., devoted to the city, fond of city life:

diligere secessum, quem tu nimis urbanus es, nisi concupiscis,

Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 29.—

II.

Transf., in the city fashion, in the city style, citizenlike, both in a good and a bad sense.

A.

In a good sense.

1.

Polished, refined, cultivated, courteous, affable, urbane (syn.:

comis, humanus): hominem non solum sapientem, verum etiam, ut nunc loquimur urbanum,

Cic. Fam. 3, 8, 3; cf. Quint. 8, 3, 34 sq.; so Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 6, § 17.—

b.

Transf., of plants, improved, cultivated, ornamental: sunt arborum quaedam urbaniores, quas his placet nominibus distinguere. Hae mites, quae fructu atque aliqua dote umbrarumve officio humaniusjuvant, non improbe dicantur urbanae. Plin. 16, 19, 32, § 78:

acanthi topiariae et urbanae herbae,

id. 22, 22, 34, § 76.—

2.

Of speech.

a.

In gen., refined, polished, elegant. nice, choice:

in vocibus nostrorum oratorum recinit quiddam et resonat urbanius,

Cic. Brut. 46, 171:

genus dicendi,

Quint. 2, 8, 4:

os facile, explanatum, jucundum, urbanum, id est, in quo nulla neque rusticitas neque peregrinitas resonet,

id. 11, 3, 30:

distinctior et urbanior et altior Cicero,

Tac. Or. 18.—

b.

In [p. 1935] partic., of wit, witty, humorous, facetious: urbanus homo erit, cujus multa bene dicta responsaque erunt: et qui in sermonibus, circulis, conviviis, item in contionibus, omni denique loco ridicule commodeque dicet, Domit. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 105:

dictum per se urbanum,

id. 6, 3, 54:

circumfertur Marcii Philippi velut urbanissimum factum atque dictum,

Col. 8, 16, 3:

qui est in isto genere urbanissimus,

Cic. Cael. 15, 36:

Romani veteres atque urbani sales,

id. Fam. 9, 15, 2:

homines lauti et urbani,

id. Verr. 2, 1, 6, § 17:

hic tibi comis et urbanus liberque videtur,

witty, clever, Hor. S. 1, 4, 90:

urbanus coepit haberi,

id. Ep. 1, 15, 27:

in senatu dicax et urbanus et bellus,

Plin. Ep. 4, 25, 3:

urbanos qui illa censuerunt dicam an miseros? Dicerem urbanos, si senatum deceret urbanitas,

id. ib. 8, 6, 3.—

B.

In a bad sense, bold, forward, impudent:

frontis ad urbanae descendi praemia,

Hor. Ep. 1, 9, 11:

audacia,

Cic. Prov. Cons. 4, 8.— Adv.: urbānē (acc. to II. A.).

1.

Courteously, civilly, affably, politely, urbanely:

severe et graviter et prisce agere, an remisse ac leniter et urbane,

Cic. Cael. 14, 33:

urbanius agere,

id. ib. 15, 36: urbanissime et prudentissime adjuvit, Treb. Gallien. 14.—More freq.,

2.

Of speech, wittily, acutely, elegantly, happily:

aliquem facete et urbane ridere,

Cic. Fin. 1, 11, 39:

bene et urbane dicere,

Quint. 6, 3, 42; 5, 7, 26; 6, 1, 46 al.:

interrogare,

id. 11, 3, 126:

emendare,

id. 8, 3, 54:

urbanius elabi,

id. 2, 11, 2:

urbanissime respondere,

Gell. 15, 5, 3.