Lewis & Short

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āla, ae, f. [for axla, contr. from axilla, Cic. Or. 45, 153; cf. ἄγχος = ὦμος (Hesych.) = shoulder = O. H. Germ. Ahsala; Germ. Achsel].

  1. I. Lit., a wing, as of a bird: galli plausu premunt alas, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 2, 26; Verg. A. 3, 226 al.: Me. Vox mihi ad aurīs advolavit. So. Ne ego homo infelix fui, qui non alas intervelli, that I did not pluck off its wings, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 170.
    Poet., of the gods: Mors atris circumvolat alis, Hor. S. 2, 1, 58: volucris Fati Tardavit alas, id. C. 2, 17, 25: bibulae Cupidinis alae, Ov. A. A. 1, 233: furvis circumdatus alis Somnus, Tib. 2, 1, 89: me jocundis Sopor impulit alis, Prop. 1, 3, 45: Madidis Notus evolat alis, Ov. M. 1, 264.
    Of sails: velorum pandimus alas, Verg. A. 3, 520.
    Of oars: classis centenis remiget alis, Prop. 4, 6, 47: remigium alarum, Verg. A. 1, 301 (cf. Hom. Od. 11, 125); so inversely remi is used of wings: super fluctus alarum insistere remis, Ov. M. 5, 558 (cf. πτεροῖς ἐρέσσει, Eur. Iphig. Taur. 289; Aeschyl. Agam. 52; and cf. Lucr. 6, 743).
    Of wind and lightning: Nisus Emicat et ventis et fulminis ocior alis, Verg. A. 5, 319 al.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. In man, the upper and under part of the arm, where it unites with the shoulder; the armpit, Liv. 9, 41; 30, 34: aliquid sub alā portare, Hor. Ep. 1, 13, 12: hirquinae, Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 51: hirsutae, Hor. Epod. 12, 5: halitus oris et alarum vitia, Plin. 21, 20, 83, § 142: virus alarum et sudores, id. 35, 15, 52, § 185: sudor alarum, Petr. 128 (many Romans were accustomed to pluck out the hair from the armpits, Sen. Ep. 114; Juv. 11, 157; v. alipilus).
    2. B. In animals, the hollow where the foreleg is joined to the shoulder; the shoulder-blade.
      Of elephants, Plin. 11, 40, 95, § 324.
      Of frogs, Plin. 9, 51, 74, § 159.
    3. C. In trees and plants, the hollow where the branch unites with the stem, Plin. 16, 7, 10, § 29; so id. 22, 18, 21, § 45; 25, 5, 18, § 38 al.
    4. D. In buildings, the wings, the side apartments on the right and left of the court, the side halls or porches, the colonnades; called also in Gr. πτερά, Vitr. 6, 4, 137; 4, 7, 92.
    5. E. In milit. lang., the wing of an army (thus conceived of as a bird of prey), commonly composed of the Roman cavalry and the troops of the allies, esp. their horsemen; hence, alarii in contrast with legionarii, and separated from them in enumeration, also having a leader, called praefectus alae, Tac. H. 2, 59 al.; cf. Lips. de Milit. Rom. 1, 10 Manut.; Cic. Fam. 2, 17 fin.; Herz. ad Caes. B. G. 1, 51; Smith, Dict. Antiq.; Cincius ap. Gell. 16, 4, 6; cf. Gell. 10, 9, 1: Alae, equites: ob hoc alae dicti, quia pedites tegunt alarum vice, Serv. ad Verg. A. 4, 121: peditatu, equitibus atque alis cum hostium legionibus pugnavit, Cato ap. Gell. 15, 9, 5; Cic. Off. 2, 13, 45: dextera ala (in alas divisum socialem exercitum habebat) in primā acie locata est, Liv. 31, 21; Vell. 2, 117 al.
      An ala, as a military division, usu. consisted of about 500 men, Liv. 10, 29.
      Note: Such alae gave names to several towns, since they were either levied from them, quartered in them, or, after the expiration of their time of service, received the lands of such towns.
      So, Ala Flaviana, Ala Nova, et saep. (cf. castrum, II. 1. fin.).

ălo, ălŭi, altum, and ălĭtum, 3, v. a. (the ante-class. and class. form of the part. perf. from Plautus until after Livy is altus (in Cic. four times); alitus seems to have been first used in the post-Aug. per. to distinguish it from altus, the adj. Altus is found in Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 36; Varr. ap. Non. 237, 15; Cic. Planc. 33, 81; id. Brut. 10, 39; id. N. D. 2, 46, 118; id. Fam. 6, 1; Sall. J. 63, 3; on the contrary, alitus, Liv. 30, 28; Curt. 8, 10, 8; Val. Max. 3, 4, 4; 5, 4, 7; 7, 4, 1; 9, 3, 8; Sen. Contr. 3, praef. 10; Just. 44, 4, 12; Dig. 27, 3, 1; cf. Prisc. 897; Diom. 371; Charis. 220 P.; Wund. ad Cic. Planc. p. 201) [cf.: ἄν-αλτος = insatiable, ἄλσος = growth (of wood), 1. ad-oleo, ad-olesco, elementum; Goth. alan = to bring up; Germ. alt = old; Engl. old, eld, elder, and alderman], to feed, to nourish, support, sustain, maintain (in gen. without designating the means, while nutrire denotes sustenance by animal food; cf. Herz. ad Caes. B. G. 1, 18; 7, 32; Doed. Syn. II. p. 99).

  1. I. Lit.: quem ego nefrendem alui, Liv. And. ap. Fest. s. v. nefrendes, p. 163 Müll. (Trag. Rel. p. 5 Rib.): Athenis natus altusque, Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 36: alebat eos, Vulg. Gen. 47, 12: esurientes alebat, ib. Tob. 1, 20.
    With natus, educatus, or a similar word, several times: Alui, educavi, Att. ap. Non. 422, 14 (Trag. Rel. p. 150 Rib.): cum Hannibale alto atque educato inter arma, Liv. 30, 28 (cf. II. infra): aut equos Alere aut canes ad venandum, Ter. And. 1, 1, 30; id. Hec. 4, 4, 49: alere nolunt hominem edacem, id. Phorm. 2, 2, 21: quoniam cibus auget corpus alitque, Lucr. 1, 859; 5, 221 al.: quae etiam aleret adulescentes, Cic. Cael. 38: milites, id. Verr. 5, 80: nautas, id. ib. 5, 87: exercitum, id. Deiot. 24: magnum numerum equitatus, Caes. B. G. 1, 18: cum agellus eum non satis aleret, Cic. N. D. 1, 26, 72; so Nep. Phoc. 1, 4: locus ille, ubi altus aut doctus est, Cic. Planc. 33, 81: quibus animantes aluntur, id. N. D. 2, 19: (animus) aletur et sustentabitur isdem rebus, quibus astra sustentantur et aluntur, id. Tusc. 1, 19, 43 al.: latrociniis se suosque alebat, Caes. B. G. 8, 47; 1, 18: quos manus aut lingua perjurio aut sanguine civili alebat, Sall. C. 14, 3; cf. Kritz ad Sall. C. 37, 3; Nep. Arist. 3 fin.: ut nepotem elephantos alere prohiberet, Cic. Phil. 9, 4: canes, id. Sex. Rosc. 56: quod alerentur regiones eorum ab illo, Vulg. Act. 12, 20: velut amnis imbres Quem super notas aluere ripas, have swollen, Hor. C. 4, 2, 5: rhombos aequora alebant, id. S. 2, 2, 48 al.; Ov. M. 9, 339; 3, 411; and in a paradoxical phrase: infelix minuendo corpus alebat, and sustained his body by consuming it, i. e. nourished himself by his own flesh, id. ib. 8, 878 al.
    Hence in pass. with the abl. = vesci, to be nourished or sustained with or by something, to live or feed upon: panico vetere atque hordeo corrupto omnes alebantur, Caes. B. C. 2, 22: quia viperinis carnibus alantur, Plin. 7, 2, 2, § 27: locustis eos ali, etc., id. 7, 2, 2, § 29: hoc cibo aliti sunt, Vulg. Exod. 16, 35.
  2. II. Fig., to nourish, cherish, promote, increase, strengthen: honos alit artes, Cic. Tusc. 1, 2, 4: in eā ipsā urbe, in quā et nata et alta sit eloquentia, id. Brut. 10, 39: hominis mens alitur discendo et cogitando, id. Off. 1, 30: haec studia adulescentiam alunt, id. Arch. 7, 16; cf. Ochsn. Eclog. 134 al.: civitas, quam ipse semper aluisset, i. e. whose prosperity he had always promoted, Caes. B. G. 7, 33: vires, id. ib. 4, 1: nolo meis impensis illorum ali augerique luxuriam, Nep. Phoc. 1 fin.: alere morbum, id. Att. 21 fin.: insita hominibus libido alendi de industriā rumores, Liv. 28, 24: regina Vulnus alit venis, Verg. A. 4, 2: divitiis alitur luxuriosus amor, Ov. R. Am. 746: alitur diutius controversia, Caes. B. G. 7, 32: quid alat formetque poëtam, Hor. A. P. 307 al.
    Hence, altus, a, um.