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. cālīgo (call-), ĭnis, f. [root cal-, cover; cf.: oc-culo, clam, cella],

  1. I. a thick atmosphere, a mist, vapor, fog (mostly poet. or in post-Aug. prose): suffundere caelum caligine, Lucr. 6, 479; 6, 461; 6, 92: (ignis) piceă crassus caligine, Verg. G. 2, 309; cf. id. A. 9, 36; Liv. 29, 27, 7: densa caligo occaecaverat diem, id. 33, 7, 2; cf. Suet. Ner. 19: fumidam a terră exhalari caliginem, Plin. 2, 42, 42, § 111: caligo aestuosa, Col. 11, 2, 53 (for which, id. 11, 2, 57: nebulosus aestus): pruinae et caligo, id. 3, 2, 4; cf. Pall. Febr. 9, 2.
    Also in plur.: inter caligines, Col. 3, 1, 7.
    Hence,
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. (Causa pro effectu.) Darkness, obscurity, gloom (produced by mist, fog, etc.; freq. with tenebrae; class. in prose and poetry): mi ob oculos caligo obstitit, Plaut Mil. 2, 4, 51: cum altitudo caliginem oculis obfudisset, i. e. had caused dizziness, Liv. 26, 45, 3: erat in tantā calligine major usus aurium quam oculorum, id. 22, 5, 3 Weissenb.: noctem insequentem eadem calligc obtinuit; sole orto est discussa, id. 29, 27, 7: nox terram caligine texit, Lucr. 6, 853; 5, 649: caeca noctis, id. 4, 457: caecae umbra, id. 3, 305; cf. Verg. A. 3, 203: quam simul agnorunt inter caliginis umbras, Ov. M. 4, 455: ara obscurā caligine tecta, Cic. Arat. 194.
      With tenebrae, Cic. Agr. 2, 17, 44; Curt. 9, 4, 18; Lampr. Comm. 16.
      In later writers also with a gen.: caligo tenebrarum, Quint. Decl. 18, 7; cf. Sen. Agam. 472 Heins.; and inversely: tenebris illunae caliginis impeditus, App. M. 9, p. 214.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. In gen., mental blindness, dulness of perception: quod videbam equidem, sed quasi per caliginem: praestrinxerat aciem animi D. Bruti salus, Cic. Phil. 12, 2, 3; so id. Fin. 5, 15, 43: adhuc tamen per caliginem video, Plin. Ep. 5, 8, 8: caecā mentem caligine consitus, * Cat. 64, 207: Augustus … omnibus omnium gentium viris magnitudine suā inducturus caliginem, to throw into the shade, Vell. 2, 37, 1.
      2. 2. Of dark, difficult circumstances, calamity, affliction, gloom: vide nunc caliginem temporum illorum, Cic. Planc. 40, 96: superioris anni, id. post Red. in Sen. 3, 5: an qui etesiis, qui per cursum rectum regnum tenere non potuerunt, nunc caecis tenebris et caligine se Alexandriam perventuros arbitrati sunt? id. Agr. 2, 17, 44: illa omnis pecunia latuit in illā caligine ac tenebris, quae totam rem publicam tum occuparant, id. Verr. 2, 3, 76, § 177: ecce illa tempestas, caligo bonorum, tenebrae rei publicae, id. Prov. Cons. 18, 43: tantum caliginis, tantum perturbationis offusum, Plin. Ep. 3, 9, 16: quaedam scelerum offusa caligo, Quint. 9, 3, 47.
    3. C. In medic. lang., as a disease of the eyes, dim-sightedness, weakness of the eyes, Cels. 6, 6, n. 32; Plin. 20, 7, 26, § 61; 20, 23, 95, § 254; 25, 13, 92, § 144; 32, 9, 31, § 97; 34, 11, 27, § 114; Scrib. Comp. 179.

2. cālīgo, āre, v. n. [1. caligo].

  1. I. To emit vapor or steam, to steam, reek: amnes aestate vaporatis, hieme frigidis nebulis caligent, Col. 1, 5, 4: aram tenui caligans vestiet umbrā, Cic. Arat. 205 (449); cf.: omnem quae nunc Mortalis hebetat visus tibi et umida circum Caligat, nubem eripiam, Verg. A. 2, 606.
    1. B. Transf.
      1. 1. To be involved in darkness, to be dark, gloomy: caligare oculos, darkness covers the eyes, Lucr. 3, 157; Verg. G. 4, 468; Stat. Th. 1, 95.
      2. 2. Poet.: altae caligantesque fenestrae, dizzy, Juv. 6, 31.
  2. II. Trop., of the understanding, to be blind, to be surrounded by darkness, to grope about: orbatae caligant vela carinae, Stat. S. 5, 3, 238: caligare ad pervidendum, Sen. Vit. Beat. 1, 1: virtus inhorrescit ad subita, et caligabit, si, etc., id. Ep. 57, 4; Plin. 30, 1, 1, § 2; Quint. Decl. 18 fin.: rex caligare alto in solio, nec pondera regni posse pati, Sil. 14, 88.
    Prov.: caligare in sole, to grope in broad daylight, Quint. 1, 2, 19.
    1. B. In medic. lang., of the eyes, to suffer from weakness, be weak, Cels. 6, 6, 32; Plin. 20, 22, 87, § 239; cf. id. 11, 37, 54, § 147.
      Transf., of the person, to be dim-sighted: caligans Thyestes, Mart. 10, 4, 1; Scrib. Comp. 184.