Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

ălo, ălŭi, altum, and ălĭtum, 3, v. a. (the ante-class. and class. form of the part. perf. from Plautus until after Livy is altus (in Cic. four times); alitus seems to have been first used in the post-Aug. per. to distinguish it from altus, the adj. Altus is found in Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 36; Varr. ap. Non. 237, 15; Cic. Planc. 33, 81; id. Brut. 10, 39; id. N. D. 2, 46, 118; id. Fam. 6, 1; Sall. J. 63, 3; on the contrary, alitus, Liv. 30, 28; Curt. 8, 10, 8; Val. Max. 3, 4, 4; 5, 4, 7; 7, 4, 1; 9, 3, 8; Sen. Contr. 3, praef. 10; Just. 44, 4, 12; Dig. 27, 3, 1; cf. Prisc. 897; Diom. 371; Charis. 220 P.; Wund. ad Cic. Planc. p. 201) [cf.: ἄν-αλτος = insatiable, ἄλσος = growth (of wood), 1. ad-oleo, ad-olesco, elementum; Goth. alan = to bring up; Germ. alt = old; Engl. old, eld, elder, and alderman], to feed, to nourish, support, sustain, maintain (in gen. without designating the means, while nutrire denotes sustenance by animal food; cf. Herz. ad Caes. B. G. 1, 18; 7, 32; Doed. Syn. II. p. 99).

  1. I. Lit.: quem ego nefrendem alui, Liv. And. ap. Fest. s. v. nefrendes, p. 163 Müll. (Trag. Rel. p. 5 Rib.): Athenis natus altusque, Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 36: alebat eos, Vulg. Gen. 47, 12: esurientes alebat, ib. Tob. 1, 20.
    With natus, educatus, or a similar word, several times: Alui, educavi, Att. ap. Non. 422, 14 (Trag. Rel. p. 150 Rib.): cum Hannibale alto atque educato inter arma, Liv. 30, 28 (cf. II. infra): aut equos Alere aut canes ad venandum, Ter. And. 1, 1, 30; id. Hec. 4, 4, 49: alere nolunt hominem edacem, id. Phorm. 2, 2, 21: quoniam cibus auget corpus alitque, Lucr. 1, 859; 5, 221 al.: quae etiam aleret adulescentes, Cic. Cael. 38: milites, id. Verr. 5, 80: nautas, id. ib. 5, 87: exercitum, id. Deiot. 24: magnum numerum equitatus, Caes. B. G. 1, 18: cum agellus eum non satis aleret, Cic. N. D. 1, 26, 72; so Nep. Phoc. 1, 4: locus ille, ubi altus aut doctus est, Cic. Planc. 33, 81: quibus animantes aluntur, id. N. D. 2, 19: (animus) aletur et sustentabitur isdem rebus, quibus astra sustentantur et aluntur, id. Tusc. 1, 19, 43 al.: latrociniis se suosque alebat, Caes. B. G. 8, 47; 1, 18: quos manus aut lingua perjurio aut sanguine civili alebat, Sall. C. 14, 3; cf. Kritz ad Sall. C. 37, 3; Nep. Arist. 3 fin.: ut nepotem elephantos alere prohiberet, Cic. Phil. 9, 4: canes, id. Sex. Rosc. 56: quod alerentur regiones eorum ab illo, Vulg. Act. 12, 20: velut amnis imbres Quem super notas aluere ripas, have swollen, Hor. C. 4, 2, 5: rhombos aequora alebant, id. S. 2, 2, 48 al.; Ov. M. 9, 339; 3, 411; and in a paradoxical phrase: infelix minuendo corpus alebat, and sustained his body by consuming it, i. e. nourished himself by his own flesh, id. ib. 8, 878 al.
    Hence in pass. with the abl. = vesci, to be nourished or sustained with or by something, to live or feed upon: panico vetere atque hordeo corrupto omnes alebantur, Caes. B. C. 2, 22: quia viperinis carnibus alantur, Plin. 7, 2, 2, § 27: locustis eos ali, etc., id. 7, 2, 2, § 29: hoc cibo aliti sunt, Vulg. Exod. 16, 35.
  2. II. Fig., to nourish, cherish, promote, increase, strengthen: honos alit artes, Cic. Tusc. 1, 2, 4: in ipsā urbe, in quā et nata et alta sit eloquentia, id. Brut. 10, 39: hominis mens alitur discendo et cogitando, id. Off. 1, 30: haec studia adulescentiam alunt, id. Arch. 7, 16; cf. Ochsn. Eclog. 134 al.: civitas, quam ipse semper aluisset, i. e. whose prosperity he had always promoted, Caes. B. G. 7, 33: vires, id. ib. 4, 1: nolo meis impensis illorum ali augerique luxuriam, Nep. Phoc. 1 fin.: alere morbum, id. Att. 21 fin.: insita hominibus libido alendi de industriā rumores, Liv. 28, 24: regina Vulnus alit venis, Verg. A. 4, 2: divitiis alitur luxuriosus amor, Ov. R. Am. 746: alitur diutius controversia, Caes. B. G. 7, 32: quid alat formetque poëtam, Hor. A. P. 307 al.
    Hence, altus, a, um.