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.

1. rŭdens, entis (gen. plur. rudentium, Vitr. 10, 19; Prud. adv. Symm. praef. 2; abl. rudenti, Vitr. 10, 2), m. (fem., Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 1) [etym. unknown; acc. to the ancients from rudo, on account of the rattling; v. Non. p. 51], a rope, line, cord (very freq. and class.; syn.: restis, funis).

  1. I. Usu., a rope, line, belonging to the standing or running rigging of a ship; a stay, halyard, sheet, etc.; plur. collect., the rigging, cordage: clamor tonitruum et rudentum sibilus, Pac. ap. Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 2, 1; cf. Varr. L. L. 5, § 7 Müll. N. cr.; and Serv. Verg. A. 1, 87 (Trag. Rel. p. 100 Rib.); imitated by Vergil: clamorque virum stridorque rudentum, Verg. A. 1, 87; Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 1; 76; 92; Cic. Div. 1, 56, 127; Quint. 10, 7, 23; Verg. A. 3, 267; 682; 10, 229; Hor. Epod. 10, 5; Ov. M. 3, 616; 11, 474; 495 et saep.
    Hence,
    1. B. Rudens, the title of a comedy by Plautus.
    2. C. Trop.: rudentem explicavit immensum, spun a long yarn, unfolded a prodigious series of facts, Amm. 29, 1, 6.
      Prov.: rudentibus apta fortuna, a very uncertain fortune, Cic. Tusc. 5, 14, 40.
  2. II. The rope of an engine of war, Vitr. 10, 17 sq.