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.

urbs, urbis (dat. VRBEI, Corp. Inscr. Lat. 206), f. [Sanscr. vardh-, to make strong; cf. Pers. vard-ana, city], a walled town, a city.

  1. I. Lit.
      1. 1. In gen.: hi coetus sedem primum certo loco domiciliorum causā constituerunt: quam cum locis manuque sepsissent, ejusmodi conjunctionem tectorum oppidum vel urbem appellaverunt, delubris distinctam spatiisque communibus, Cic. Rep. 1, 26, 41; cf.: post ea qui fiebat orbis, urbis principium, Varr. L. L. 5, § 143 Müll.: urbs dicitur ab orbe, quod antiquae civitates in orbem flebant, id. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 1, 12: interea Aeneas urbem designat aratro, Verg. A. 5, 755 Serv.: veni Syracusas, quod ab eā urbe … quae tamen urbs, etc., Cic. Phil. 1, 3, 7: certabant urbem Romam Remoramne vocarent, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 48, 107 (Ann. v. 85 Vahl.): arce et urbe sum orba, id. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19, 44 (Trag. v. 114 ib.): urbes magnae et imperiosae, id. Rep. 1, 2, 3: urbs illa praeclara (Syracusae), id. ib. 3, 31, 43: duabus urbibus eversis inimicissimis huic imperio, id. Lael. 3, 11.
        Rarely, and mostly poet., with the name of the city in gen.: urbs Patavi, Buthroti, Verg. A. 1, 247; 3, 293: Cassius in oppido Antiochiae cum omni exercitu, Cic. Att. 5, 18, 1.
        With adj. prop.: urbs Romana = Roma, Liv. 9, 41, 16; 22, 37, 12; 40, 36, 14; Flor. 1, 13, 21.
        Of other cities (rare and post-class.): Lampsacenae urbis salus, Val. Max. 7, 3, ext. 4: in urbe Aquilejensi, Paul. v. S. Ambros. 32: urbs urbium, a metropolis, Flor. 2, 6, 35.
      2. 2. In partic., the city of Rome (like ἄστυ, of Athens): postquam Urbis appellationem, etiamsi nomen proprium non adiceretur, Romam tamen accipi sit receptum, Quint. 6, 3, 103; cf. id. 8, 2, 8; 8, 5, 9: hujus urbis condendae principium profectum a Romulo, Cic. Rep. 2, 2, 4; cf. id. ib. 1, 47, 71; 1, 1, 1; 1, 37, 58: (Caesar) maturat ab urbe proficisci, Caes. B. G. 1, 7: de urbe augendā quid sit promulgatum, non intellexi, Cic. Att. 13, 20, 1: conditor urbis (Romulus), Ov. F. 1, 27: (pater) Dextera sacras jaculatus arces Terruit urbem, Hor. C. 1, 2, 4: minatus urbi vincla, id. Epod. 9, 9; called also urbs aeterna, Amm. 14, 6, 1.
        Ad urbem esse, to stop at or near Rome; in publicists’ lang., of returning generals, who had to remain outside of the city till the Senate decreed them the right of entrance; or of provincial magistrates who were preparing for departure to their provinces, Cic. Verr. 1, 15, 45 Ascon.; 2, 2, 6, § 17; Sall. C. 30, 4; Caes. B. C. 6, 1.
    1. B. Transf., as in Engl.
      1. 1. The city, for the citizens (rare; cf. civitas): invadunt urbem somno vinoque sepultam, Verg. A. 2, 265: maesta attonitaque, Juv. 11, 198: bene moratae, Auct. ap. Quint. 8, 6, 24.
      2. 2. The capital city, metropolis (post-class.): si tam vicinum urbi municipium sit, ut, etc., Dig. 39, 2, 4 fin.; Cod. Th. 14, 1, 3.
  2. * II. Trop.: urbem philosophiae, mihi crede, proditis, dum castella defenditis, i. e. the main point, Cic. Div. 2, 16, 37.