Lewis & Short

lac, lactis (nom. lacte, Enn. ap. Non. 483, 2; Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 85; id. Bacch. 5, 2, 16 Ritschl N. cr. al.; and lact, Aus. Idyll. 12; Mart. Cap. 3, § 307; masc. acc. lactem, App. M. 8, p. 214 fin.; 215 init.; but dub. in Gell. 12, 1, 17, where Hertz reads lacte), n. [Gr. γάλα, gen. γάλακτ-ος], milk.

  1. I. Lit.: dulci repletur lacte, Lucr. 5, 814: cum lacte nutricis errorem suxisse, Cic. Tusc. 3, 1, 2: lacte vivere, Caes. B. G. 4, 1: lac mihi non aestate novum, non frigore defit, Verg. E. 2, 22: concretum vimine querno lac, Ov. M. 12, 437: lactis inopia … abundantia, Col. 5, 12, 2: a lacte cunisque, from the cradle, from infancy, Quint. 1, 1, 21: lac pressum, cheese, Verg. E. 1, 82: coagulatum, Plin. 23, 7, 64, § 128.
    Prov.: tam similem quam lacte lacti’st, as like as one egg is to another, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 85; cf.: neque lac lacti magis est simile, id. Am. 2, 1, 54; id. Men. 5, 9, 30: lac gallinaceum, chicken’s milk, of something very rare, Plin. N. H. praef. § 23; Petr. 38, 1: qui plus lactis quam sanguinis habet, of tender age, Juv. 11, 68.
    1. B. Trop., for something sweet, pleasant: in melle sunt linguae sitae nostrae atque orationes, lacteque; corda felle sunt lita, Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 77: ut mentes … satiari velut quodam jucundioris disciplinae lacte patiantur, Quint. 2, 4, 5.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Milky juice, milk of plants: herbae, nigri cum lacte veneni, Verg. A. 4, 514: herbarum, Ov. M. 11, 606: tenero dum lacte, quod intro est, id. Nux, 95: ficulneum, Col. 7, 8, 1: caprifici, Cels. 5, 7.
    2. B. Milk-white color (poet.): candidus taurus … una fuit labes; cetera lactis erant, Ov. A. A. 1, 290.