Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

1. astus, a, um, adj., v. astutus.

2. astus, ūs, m. [Curtius suggests the Sanscr. aksh = to reach, hit, and ὀξύς, swift; and Vanicek, ascia and ἀξίνη, with the idea of sharpness; others ἀσκέω, to practise], adroitness, dexterity; hence, in malam partem, craft, cunning (as a single act, while astutia designates cunning as a habit; until the post-Aug. period found only in the abl., astu, as an adv.; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p. 5 Müll., and Prisc. p. 1012 P.): Satin astu et fallendo callet? Att. Trag. Rel. p. 197 Rib.: Nisi ut astu ingenium linguā laudem et dictis lactem lenibus, id. ib. p. 189: nam doli non doli sunt, nisi astu colas, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 30: Sed ut astu sum adgressus ad eas! id. Poen. 5, 4, 53; id. Trin. 4, 2, 123; id. Ep. 4, 1, 19; id. Poen. prol. 111: astu providere, Ter. And. 1, 3, 3: astu rem tractare, id. Eun. 5, 4, 2: Consilio versare dolos ingressus et astu, Incipit haec, Verg. A. 11, 704: ille astu subit, id. ib. 10, 522: aliquem astu adgredi, Tac. A. 2, 64: astus belli, Sil. 16, 32: libertae, Tac. A. 14, 2: oratio, quae astu caret, pondero modo et inpulsu proeliatur, Quint. 9, 1, 20.
In plur.: astus hostium in perniciem ipsis vertebat, Tac. A. 2, 20: praeveniens inimicorum astus, id. ib. 6, 44; 12, 45; Petr. 97: Ulixes nectit pectore astus callidos, Sen. Troad. 527: nunc advoca astus, anime, nunc fraudes, dolos, id. ib. 618: ad insidiarum astus, Gell. 11, 18, 17.

astūtus, a, um, adj. [a lengthened form of the ante-class. astus, like versutus from versus, cinctutus from cinctus; and astus itself has the form of a P. a., q. v. init.], shrewd, sagacious, expert; or (more freq., cf. astutia) in mal. part., sly, cunning, artful, designing, etc.

  1. * I. Ante-class. form astus, a, um: asta lingua, Att. ap. Non. p. 1, 54.
  2. II. Class. form astūtus: malus, callidus, astutus admodum, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 112: Causam dicere adversus astutos, audacīs viros, valentes virgatores, id. As. 3, 2, 19: non tam astutus, neque ita perspicax, Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 1: verum ego numquam adeo astutus fui, Quin etc., id. Ad. 2, 2, 13: ratio, Cic. Verr. 1, 11 fin.: nihil astutum, id. Or. 19, 64: hoc celandi genus est hominis non aperti, non simplicis, non ingenui; versuti potius, obscuri, astuti, fallacis, id. Off. 3, 13, 57: astuti Getae, Prop. 5, 5, 44: Parthorum astutae tela remissa fugae, id. 4, 8, 54: ut est astuta et ingeniosa sollertia, Plin. 36, 26, 66, § 192, where Jan omits astuta et: gens non astuta, nec callida, Tac. G. 22 et saep.: pro bene sano Ac non incauto fictum astutumque vocamus, Hor. S. 1, 3, 62: homo sagax et astutus, Mart. 12, 88, 4: Est vir astutus multorum eruditor, Vulg. Eccli. 37, 21: vulpes, Hor. S. 2, 3, 186: consilium, Gell. 5, 10 al.
    As subst. (eccl. Lat.): Astutus omnia agit cum consilio, Vulg. Prov. 13, 16; ib. Eccli. 18, 28.
    Comp.: fallacia astutior, Plaut. Cas. 5, 1, 7: si qui me astutiorem fingit (followed by callidius), Cic. Fam. 3, 8, 6: qui custodit increpationes, astutior fiet, Vulg. Prov. 15, 5.
    * Sup.: astutissimus adversarius, Aug. Serm. 17: astutissima calliditas, id. Civ. Dei, 21, 6.
    Adv.: astūtē, craftily, cunningly: astute comminisci aliquid, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 96: docte atque astute captare, id. Most. 5, 1, 21: consulte, docte atque astute cavere, id. Rud. 4, 7, 14: Astute, shrewdly done, Ter. And. 1, 2, 12: astute labefactare aliquem, id. Eun. 3, 3, 3: satis astute adgredi aliquem, id. Phorm. 5, 8, 75: astute reticere aliquid, Cic. ad Q. Fr. 1, 2, 1: astute nihil agere, Matius ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 28, 3.
    Comp.: astutius ponere aliquid, Varr. L. L. 9, 1 Müll.
    Sup.: astutissime componere aliquid, Gell. 18, 4: astutissime excogitare, Lact. 1, 22: astutissime fingi, Aug. Civ. Dei, 19, 5.