1. crassus, a, um, adj. [Sanscr. kart-, to spin; cf.: crates, cartilago, etc.]; as opp. to flowing, thin, lean, delicate, etc., solid, thick, dense, fat, gross, etc. (freq. and class. in prose and poetry).
- I. Lit.: semina (opp. liquida), Lucr. 4, 1259; cf.: crassius semen, id. 4, 1244: corpus, id. 6, 857: unguentum, Hor. A. P. 375: paludes, Verg. G. 2, 110: cruor, id. A. 5, 469: aquae, greatly swollen, Ov. Am. 3, 6, 8: ager, Varr. R. R. 1, 24, 1; Cic. Fl. 29, 71; cf.: terga (agri), Verg. G. 2, 236: homo, Ter. Hec. 3, 4, 26: turdi, Mart. 2, 40: toga, Hor. S. 1, 3, 15; cf. filum, Cic. Fam. 9, 12, 2; Ov. H. 9, 77: restis, Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 38: digiti crassi tres, as a measure, Cato, R. R. 40, 4.
- B. Esp., of the atmosphere, thick, dense, heavy: aër crassus et concretus, Cic. Tusc. 1, 18, 42; cf.: crassissimus aër, id. N. D. 2, 6, 17: caelum Thebis (opp. tenue Athenis), id. Fat. 4, 7: Baeotum in crasso jurares aëre natum, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 244; Juv. 10, 50: caligo nubis, Lucr. 6, 461; cf.: caliginis aër Crassior, id. 4, 350 al.: vitrum crassiore visu, less transparent, Plin. 36, 26, 67, § 196.
- II. Trop. (rare; not in Cic.): crassum infortunium, i. e. a sound beating, Plaut. Rud. 3, 5, 53: senes, stupid, dull, Varr. ap. Non. p. 86, 24: Ofellus Rusticus abnormis sapiens crassāque Minervā, i. e. dull, stolid, Hor. S. 2, 2, 3; cf.: crassiore ut vocant Musa, Quint. 1, 10, 28: turba, uncultivated, Mart. 9, 23: neglegentia, stupid, clumsy, Dig. 22, 6, 6: crassiora nomina, more rude or barbarous, Mart. 12, 18, 12; cf. Gell. 13, 20, 15.
Hence, adv.: crassē (rare; not in Cic.), thickly.
- 1. Lit.: picare vasa, Col. 12, 44, 5; cf. oblinere, Scrib. Comp. 46.
- 2. Grossly, rudely: crasse illepideve compositum poëma (the figure taken from a coarse web), Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 76.
Of precious stones, not clearly, dimly (comp.), Plin. 37, 7, 31, § 106; 37, 8, 36, § 114.
Hence of the indistinct understanding of any thing, not clearly, confusedly: crasse et summatim et obscure intellegere aliquid, Sen. Ep. 121, 11.
2. Crassus, i, m., a family name in the gens Licinia. The most distinguished were,
- I. L. Licinius Crassus, a celebrated orator, a contemporary of Cicero, Cic. Brut. 38, 143; id. Off. 1, 30, 108 et saep.; cf. id. Brut. prol. pp. 68-77 Ellendt.
- II. M. Licinius Crassus, the triumvir.
Hence, Crassĭānus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to the triumvir Crassus: exercitūs clades (in the war with the Parthians), Vell. 2, 82, 2; cf.: Crassiana clades, Plin. 6, 16, 18, § 47; Flor. 4, 9, 7.