Lewis & Short

1. sĭnus, ūs, m.

  1. I. In gen., a bent surface (raised or depressed), a curve, fold, a hollow, etc. (so mostly poet. and in postAug. prose): draco … conficiens sinus e corpore flexos, folds, coils, Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 42, 106; so Ov. M. 15, 689; 15, 721: sinu ex togā facto, Liv. 21, 18 fin.
    Of the bag of a fishing-net: quando abiit rete pessum, tum adducit sinum (piscator), Plaut. Truc. 1, 1, 15; so Juv. 4, 41; and of a hunter’s net, Mart. 13, 100; Grat. Cyn. 29; also of a spider’s web, Plin. 11, 24, 28, § 82.
    Of the bend or belly of a sail swollen by the wind: velorum plenos subtrahis ipse sinus, Prop. 3, 9 (4, 8), 30; and so with or without velum, Tib. 1, 3, 38; Verg. A. 3, 455; 5, 831; Ov. A. A. 3, 500; Luc. 6, 472; Sil. 7, 242; Quint. 10, 7, 23; 12, 10, 37 al.
    Of hair, a curl, ringlet: ut fieret torto flexilis orbe sinus, Ov. Am. 1, 14, 26; id. A. A. 3, 148.
    Of the curve of a reaping-hook: falcis ea pars, quae flectitur, sinus nominatur, Col. 4, 25, 1 sq.
    Of bones, a sinus: umeri, Cels. 8, 1 med.; cf. ulceris, id. 7, 2 med.: suppurationis ferro recisae, Col. 6, 11, 1; Veg. 4, 9, 3.
  2. II. In partic.
    1. A. The hanging fold of the upper part of the toga, about the breast, the bosom of a garment; also the bosom of a person; sometimes also the lap (= gremium, the predom. class. signif.; esp. freq. in a trop. sense).
      1. 1. Lit.: est aliquid in amictu: quod ipsum aliquatenus temporum condicione mutatum est. Nam veteribus nulli sinus, perquam breves post illos fuerunt, Quint. 11, 3, 137; cf. decentissimus, id. 11, 3, 140 sq.: (Caesar moriens) sinistrā manu sinum ad ima crura deduxit, quo honestius caderet, Suet. Caes. 82 (for which, of the same: togam manu demisit, Val. Max. 4, 5, 6); Tib. 1, 6, 18: praetextae sinus, Suet. Vesp. 5: ne admissum quidem quemquam senatorum nisi solum et praetentato sinu, id. Aug. 35: ut conchas legerent galeasque et sinus replerent, id. Calig. 46: cedo mihi ex ipsius sinu litteras Syracusanorum, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 57, § 147: aurum in sinu ejus invenerunt, Quint. 7, 1, 30: paternos In sinu ferens deos, Hor. C. 2, 18, 27: nuda genu, nodoque sinus collecta fluentis, Verg. A. 1, 320: et fluit effuso cui toga laxa sinu, Tib. 1, 6, 14; cf.: micat igneus ostro, Undantemque sinum nodis irrugat Iberis, Stat. Th. 4, 265: ad haec, quae a fortunā sparguntur, sinum expandit, eagerly embraces, grasps, Sen. Ep. 74, 6: aliquid velut magnum bonum intra sinum continere, id. Vit. Beat. 23, 3; cf.: sinum subducere alicui rei, to reject, id. Thyest. 430.
        Prov.: sinu laxo (i. e. soluto) ferre aliquid, i. e. to be careless about a thing, Hor. S. 2, 3, 172.
        1. b. Transf.
          1. (α) The purse, money, which was carried in the bosom of the toga (cf. supra, the passage, Quint. 7, 1, 30, and v. crumena; poet. and in post-Aug. prose): semper amatorum ponderat illa sinus, Prop. 2, 16 (3, 8), 12: quo pretium condat, non habet ille sinum, Ov. Am. 1, 10, 18: aere sinus plenos urbe reportare, Col. poët. 10, 310: plurium sinum ac domum inplere, Sen. Ben. 6, 43, 1: qui etiam condemnationes in sinum vertisse dicuntur … praedam omnem in sinum contulit, into his purse, Lampr. Commod. 14 fin.: avaritiae, Juv. 1, 88.
            Hence, M. Scaurus Marianis sodaliciis rapinarum provincialium sinus, the pocketer, i. e. the receiver, Plin. 36, 15, 24, § 116; cf. Tac. H. 2, 92 fin.; 4, 14.
          2. (β) Poet., a garment, in gen.: Tyrio prodeat apta sinu, Tib. 1, 9, 72; 1, 6, 18: auratus, Ov. F. 2, 310: purpureus, id. ib. 5, 28: regalis, id. H. 13, 36; 5, 71; Stat. S. 2, 1, 133.
          3. (γ) The bosom of a person: manum in sinum alicui Inserere, Ter. Heaut. 3, 3, 2: gelu rigentem colubram sinu fovit, Phaedr. 4, 17, 3: opposuit sinum Antonius stricto ferro, Tac. H. 3, 10: scortum in sinu consulis recubans, Liv. 39, 43: tangitur, et tacto concipit illa sinu, i. e. utero, Ov. F. 5, 256: usque metu micuere sinus, dum, etc., id. H. 1, 45: horum in sinum omnia congerebant, Plin. Pan. 45.
      2. 2. Trop.
        1. a. The bosom, as in most other languages, for love, protection, asylum, etc. (usu. in the phrases in sinu esse, habere, etc.; syn. gremium): hic non amandus? hiccine non gestandus in sinu est? Ter. Ad. 4, 5, 75: iste vero sit in sinu semper et complexu meo, Cic. Fam. 14, 4, 3; cf.: postremum genus proprium est Catilinae, de ejus delectu, immo vero de complexu ejus ac sinu, id. Cat. 2, 10, 22: suo sinu complexuque aliquem recipere, id. Phil. 13, 4, 9; so (with complexus) id. ib. 2, 25, 61: (Pompeius), mihi crede, in sinu est, is very dear to me, id. Q. Fr. 2, 13, 1: Bibulum noli dimittere e sinu tuo, from your intimacy, id. ad Brut. 1, 7, 2: praesertim si in amici sinu defieas, on the bosom, Plin. Ep. 8, 16, 5: in hujus sinu indulgentiāque educatus, Tac. Agr. 4; so id. Or. 28; cf.: etsi commotus ingenio, simulationum tamen falsa in sinu avi perdidicerat, i. e. under the care or tuition, id. A. 6, 45 fin.: confugit in sinum tuum concussa respublica, i. e. into your arms, Plin. Pan. 6, 3; id. Ep. 8, 12, 1: optatum negotium sibi in sinum delatum esse dicebat, committed to his guardianship, care, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 50, § 131; cf. Plin. Pan. 45, 2: respublica in Vespasiani sinum cessisset, Tac. H. 3, 69; 3, 19; Dig. 22, 3, 27: sinum praebere tam alte cadenti, protection, Sen. Ira, 3, 23, 6.
        2. b. The interior, the inmost part of a thing: alii intra moenia atque in sinu urbis sunt hostes, in the midst, in the heart of the city, Sall. C. 52, 35: in urbe ac sinu cavendum hostem, Tac. H. 3, 38; Sil. 4, 34; 6, 652; Claud. Eutr. 2, 575: ut (hostis) fronte simul et sinu exciperetur, in the centre, Tac. A. 13, 40: in intimo sinu pacis, i. e. in the midst of a profound peace, Plin. Pan. 56, 4.
        3. c. In sinu alicujus, in the power or possession of (postAug. and rare): opes Cremonensium in sinu praefectorum fore, Tac. H. 3, 19: omnem fortunam in sinu meo habui, Dig. 22, 3, 27.
        4. d. A hiding-place, place of concealment: ut in sinu gaudeant, gloriose loqui desinunt, qs. in their bosoms (or, as we say, in their sleeve), i. e. in secret, Cic. Tusc. 3, 21, 51; so of secret joy, Tib. 4, 13, 8: in tacito cohibe gaudia clausa sinu, Prop. 2, 25 (3, 20), 30; Sen. Ep. 105, 3; cf. also: plaudere in sinum, Tert. Pudic. 6: suum potius cubiculum ac sinum offerre contegendis quae, etc., the secrecy or concealment of her bed-chamber, Tac. A. 13, 13: abditis pecuniis per occultos aut ambitiosos sinus, i. e. in hidingplaces offered by obscurity or by high rank, id. H. 2, 92.
        5. e. Sinus Abrahae, the place of the spirits of the just (eccl. Lat.): sinum Abrahae, regionem non caelestem, sublimiorem tamen Inferis, Tert. adv. Marc. 4, 34.
    2. B. A bay, bight, gulf: ut primum ex alto sinus ab litore ad urbem inflectitur, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 12, § 30; cf.: portus infusi in sinus oppidi, id. Rep. 3, 31, 43; 1, 3, 5; id. Imp. Pomp. 11, 31; id. Verr. 2, 5, 56, § 145; id. Att. 16, 6, 1; * Caes. B. C. 2, 32; Sall. J. 78, 2; Liv. 8, 24; Plin. 2, 43, 44, § 114 (Jahn, nivibus); Suet. Aug. 98; id. Tib. 16; Verg. A. 1, 243; 6, 132; Hor. C. 1, 33, 16; id. Epod. 10, 19.
      1. 2. Transf.
          1. (α) The land lying on a gulf, a point of land that helps to form it (perh. not ante-Aug.): segetibus in sinu Aenianum vastatis, Liv. 28, 5 Drak.: jam in sinum Maliacum venerat (with an army), id. 37, 6; Tac. A. 14, 9; id. H. 3, 66; id. Agr. 23; Plin. 6, 8, 8, § 23; Just. 2, 4, 26; 24, 4, 3.
          2. (β) A curve or fold in land, a basin, hollow, valley: Arpini terra campestri agro in ingentem sinum consedit, Liv. 30, 2, 12: subito dehiscit terra, et immenso sinu laxata patuit, Sen. Oedip. 582; id. Herc. Fur. 679; Plin. 2, 44, 44, § 115: jugum montis velut sinu quodam flexuque curvatum, Curt. 3, 4, 6: montium, id. 3, 9, 12.