Lewis & Short

nūbes, is, f. (ante-class. collat. form, nūbis, is, m.: nubis ater, Plaut. Merc. 5 2, 38: nubs for nubes, Liv. Andron. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 10, 636; cf. Aus. Idyll. de Monosyll. Hist. 12, 4) [Sanscr. nabhas, vapor, cloud; Gr. νέφος, νεφέλη; Lat. nubilus, nebula; cf. nimbus, nubo], a cloud.

  1. I. Lit.: aër concretus in nubes cogitur, Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 101: id. Ac. 2, 22, 70: atra nubes Condidit lunam, Hor. C. 2, 16, 2: candida, Vulg. Apoc. 14, 14: aestivis effusus nubibus imber, Verg. G. 4, 312; Ov. M. 8, 339: venti nubes abigunt, Plin. 2, 47, 48, § 126: nube deprendere volucrem jaculis, to bring down a bird from the sky, Sil. 16, 566: usque ad nubes, up to heaven, Vulg. Psa. 35, 6; id. Jer. 51, 9.
    Poet.: Sabaeae nubes, the smoke of frankincense, Stat. S. 4, 8, 2.
    1. B. Transf.
      1. 1. A cloud, a dark spot: sudare nubemque discutere, i. e. by the breath, Plin. 33, 8, 44, § 127: crystalla infestantur plurimis vitiis, maculosā nube, etc., id. 37, 2, 10, § 28.
      2. 2. A cloud, thick multitude, dense mass, swarm: locustarum tantae nubes, Liv. 42, 10, 7: Pomptinum velut nubibus locustarum coopertum, id. 42, 2, 4: levium telorum, id. 38, 26: obruti velut nube jaculorum a Balearibus conjectā, id. 21, 55, 6: peditum equitumque, id. 35, 49: (volucrum), Verg. A. 12, 254: nigro glomeratur pulvere nubes, id. ib. 9, 33: muscarum, Plin. 29, 6, 34, § 106: pulveris, Curt. 4, 15, 32: (volucrum) nubem sonoram, Juv. 13, 167: farrea nubes, i. e. porrigo capitis, furfures, Ser. Samm. 3, 34: nubes testium, Vulg. Hebr. 12, 1.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. A cloud, for something unreal or unsubstantial, a phantom: nubes et inania captare, Hor. A. P. 230.
    2. B. Cloudiness, of a gloomy countenance, of sleep, of drunkenness, of blindness (poet.): deme supercilio nubem, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 94; Sil. 8, 612: meri, Val. Fl. 3, 65: soporis, Stat. Achill. 1, 646: mortis, id. S. 4, 6, 72: frontis opacae, id. Th. 4, 512.
    3. C. A gloomy or mournful condition: pars vitae tristi cetera nube vacet, Ov. Tr. 5, 5, 22: omni detersus pectora nube, Stat. S. 1, 3, 109.
    4. D. A veil, obscurity, concealment: fraudibus obice nubem, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 62.
    5. E. A cloud, storm-cloud, i. e. a threatening appearance or approach of misfortune, war: nubem belli, dum detonet omnis, Sustinet, Verg. A. 10, 809: consurgens in Italiā nubes trucis et cruenti belli, Just. 29, 3.