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2. caelum (coelum; cf. Aelius ap. Varr. L. L. 5, § 18 Müll.; Plin. 2, 4, 3, § 9; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 52, § 129), i, n. (old form cae-lus, i, m., Enn. ap. Non. p. 197, 9; and ap. Charis. p. 55 P.; Petr. 39, 5 sq.; 45, 3; Arn. 1, 59; cf. the foll. I. 2.; plur. caeli, only poet., Lucr. 2, 1097, caelos, cf. Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 331; and in eccl. writers freq. for the Heb. [??],

  1. I. v. infra, cf. Caes. ap Gell. 19, 8, 3 sq., and Charis. p. 21 P., who consider the plur. in gen. as not in use, v. Rudd. I. p. 109. From Cic. Fam. 9, 26, 3: unum caelum esset an innumerabilia, nothing can be positively inferred.
    Form cael: divum domus altisonum cael, Enn. ap. Aus. Technop. 13, 17, or Ann. v. 561 Vahl.) [for cavilum, root in cavus; cf. Sanscr. çva-, to swell, be hollow; Gr. κύω, κοῖλος], the sky, heaven, the heavens, the vault of heaven (in Lucr alone more than 150 times): hoc inde circum supraque, quod complexu continet terram, id quod nostri caelum memorant, Pac. ap. Varr. L. L. 5, § 17 Müll.: ante mare et terras et quod tegit omnia caelum, Ov. M. 1, 5; cf.: quis pariter (potis est) caelos omnīs convortere, Lucr. 2, 1097: boat caelum fremitu virum, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 78; cf. Tib. 2, 5, 73; Cic. Rep. 6, 18, 1; cf. Cat. 62, 26: quicquid deorum in caelo regit, Hor. Epod. 5, 1 et saep.: lapides pluere, fulmina jaci de caelo, Liv. 28, 27, 16.
    Hence the phrase de caelo tangi, to be struck with lightning, Cato, R. R. 14, 3; Liv. 26, 23, 5 Drak.; 29, 14, 3; Verg. E. 1, 17; Suet. Aug. 94; id. Galb. 1; Tac. A. 13, 24; 14, 12; so also, e caelo ictus, Cic. Div. 1, 10, 16.
      1. 2. Personified: Caelus (Caelum, Hyg. Fab. praef.), son of Aether and Dies, Cic. N. D. 3, 17, 44; father of Saturn, Enn. ap. Non. p. 197, 9; Cic. N. D. 2, 23, 63; of Vulcan, id. ib. 3, 21, 55; of Mercury and the first Venus, id. ib. 3, 23, 59, Serv ad Verg. A. 1, 297 al.
      2. 3. In the lang. of augury: de caelo servare, to observe the signs of heaven, Cic. Att. 4, 3, 3; so, de caelo fieri, of celestial signs, to appear, occur, id. Div. 1, 42, 93.
      3. 4. Prov.: quid si nunc caelum ruat? of a vain fear, Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 41 Don.; cf. Varr ap. Non. p. 499, 24: delabi caelo, to drop down from the sky, of sudden or unexpected good fortune, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 14, 41; cf.. caelo missus, Tib 1, 3, 90; Liv. 10, 8, 10; Plin. 26, 3, 7, § 13: decidere de caelo, Plaut. Pers. 2, 3, 6 al.: caelum ac terras miscere, to confound every thing, overturn all, raise chaos, Liv 4, 3, 6; cf. Verg. A. 1, 133; 5, 790; Juv. 2, 25: findere caelum aratro, of an impossibility, Ov Tr 1, 8, 3: toto caelo errare, to err very much, be much or entirely mistaken, Macr. S. 3, 12, 10.
      4. 5. Gen. caeli in a pun with Caeli, gen. of Caelius, Serv. et Philarg. ad Verg. E. 3, 105.
      5. 6. In eccl. Lat. the plur caeli, ōrum, m., is very freq., the heavens, Tert. de Fuga, 12; id. adv. Marc. 4, 22; 5, 15; Lact. Epit. 1, 3; Cypr. Ep. 3, 3; 4, 5; Vulg. Psa. 32, 6; 21, 32; id. Isa. 1, 2.
  2. II. Meton.
    1. A. Heaven, in a more restricted sense; the region of heaven, a climate, zone, region: cuicumque particulae caeli officeretur, quamvis esset procul, mutari lumina putabat, to whatever part of the horizon, however distant, the view was obstructed, Cic. de Or. 1, 39, 179; cf. Quint. 1, 10, 45: hoc caelum, sub quo natus educatusque essem, Liv. 5, 54, 3; so Plin. 8, 54, 80, § 216; 17, 2, 2, §§ 16 and 19 sq.; Flor. 4, 12, 62: caelum non animum mutant, qui trans mare currunt, Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 27.
    2. B. The air, sky, atmosphere, temperature, climate, weather (very freq.): in hoc caelo, qui dicitur aër, Lucr. 4, 132; Plin. 2, 38, 38, § 102: caelum hoc, in quo nubes, imbres ventique coguntur, Cic. Tusc. 1, 19, 43: pingue et concretum caelum, id. Div. 1, 57, 130: commoda, quae percipiuntur caeli temperatione, id. N. D. 2, 5, 13; cf.: caell intemperies, Liv. 8, 18, 1; Quint. 7, 2, 3; Col. prooem. 1’ intemperantia, id. ib. 3: spiritus, Cic. Cat. 1, 6, 15: gravitas, id. Att. 11, 22, 2; Tac. A. 2, 85: varium caeli morem praediscere, Verg. G. 1, 51: varietas et mutatio, Col. 11, 2, 1: qualitas, Quint. 5, 9, 15: caeli solique clementia, Flor. 3, 3, 13: subita mutatio, id. 4, 10, 9 al.
      With adj.: bonum, Cato, R. R. 1, 2: tenue, Cic. Fat. 4, 7: salubre, id. Div. 1, 57, 130: serenum, Verg. G. 1, 260: palustre, Liv. 22, 2, 11: austerum, Plin. 18, 12, 31, § 123: foedum imbribus ac nebulis, Tac. Agr. 12: atrox, Flor. 3, 2, 2 et saep.: hibernum, Plin. 2, 47, 47, § 122: austrinum, id. 16, 26, 46, § 109: Italum, Hor. C. 2, 7, 4: Sabinum, id. Ep. 1, 7, 77; cf.: quae sit hiems Veliae, quod caelum Salerni, id. ib. 1, 15, 1.
    3. C. Daytime, day (very rare): albente caelo, at break of day, Sisenn. ap. Quint. 8, 3, 35; Caes. B. C. 1, 68; Auct. B. Afr. 11; 80; cf.: eodem die albescente caelo, Dig. 28, 2, 25, § 1: vesperascente caelo, in the evening twilight, Nep. Pelop. 2, 5.
    4. D. Height: mons in caelum attollitur, toward heaven, heavenwards, Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 6; cf. Verg.: aequata machina caelo, Verg. A. 4, 89.
      So of the earth or upper world in opposition to the lower world: falsa ad caelum mittunt insomnia Manes, Verg. A. 6, 896.
    5. E. Heaven, the abode of the happy dead, etc. (eccl. Lat.), Vulg. Apoc. 4, 2; 11, 15 et saep.; cf.: cum (animus) exierit et in liberum caelum quasi domum suam venerit, Cic. Tusc. 1, 22, 51: ut non ad mortem trudi, verum in caelum videretur escendere, id. ib. 1, 29, 71.
  3. F. Trop, the summit of prosperity, happiness, honor, etc.: Caesar in caelum fertur, Cic. Phil. 4, 3, 6; cf. id. Att. 14, 18, 1; 6, 2, 9: Pisonem ferebat in caelum, praised, id. ib. 16, 7, 5: te summis laudibus ad caelum extulerunt, id. Fam. 9, 14, 1; 12, 25, 7; Hor. Ep 1, 10, 9; Tac. Or. 19.
    Of things: omnia, quae etiam tu in caelum ferebas, extolled, Cic. Att. 7, 1, 5: caelo tenus extollere aliquid, Just. 12, 6, 2: in caelo ponere aliquem, id. ,4,14; and: exaequare aliquem caelo, Lucr 1, 79; Flor. 2, 19, 3: Catonem caelo aequavit, Tac. A. 4, 34: caelo Musa beat, Hor. C. 4, 8, 29; cf.: recludere caelum, id. ib. 3, 2, 22; the opp.: collegam de caelo detraxisti, deprived of his exalted honor, Cic. Phil. 2, 42, 107: in caelo sum, I am in heaven, i. e. am very happy, id. Att. 2, 9, 1: digito caelum attingere, to be extremely fortunate, id. ib. 2, 1, 7: caelum accepisse fatebor, Ov. M. 14, 844: tunc tangam vertice caelum, Aus. Idyll. 8 fin.; cf.: caelum merere, Sen. Suas. 1 init.
  4. G. In gen., a vault, arch, covering: caelum camerarum, the interior surface of a vault, Vitr. 7, 3, 3; Flor. 3, 5, 30 dub.: capitis, Plin. 11, 37, 49, § 134.